VTX 280x

[Drake5]

I'm getting a VTX 280x from the MM. I haven't heard much about these cards, I did some Googling but didn't really understand much of it.

Will it be a good card to go for? Will be upgrading from a 7850 2GB. Just not sure about the VTX thing, is it just the branding of the card? Won't be overclocking it.

 

[CEUOTC]

R9 280X = HD 7970 > HD 7850.

Nice cheeky upgrade, wider bus more Vram.

 

[Drake5]

Cheers!

The VTX brand should be fine then?

 

[thebennyboy]

Considering i have a VTX3D 280X i can vouch for it. The cooler on it is pretty good, it can keep my card @ 1130:6400 ~70C.

 

[Drake5]

Noticed the VTX cards are going so much cheaper on ebay than other brands. Around the £90 region..... Trying to figure out why this is.

 

[Drake5]

Hmmm, think I might hold out for a better brand? Was going to pay £120 on the MM but for some reason the exact same card is going for around £80-£100 on an auction site.

 

[thebennyboy]

Hmmm, think I might hold out for a better brand? Was going to pay £120 on the MM but for some reason the exact same card is going for around £80-£100 on an auction site.

VTX3D are still good. I also have an XFX 280X DD Black which is crossfired with the VTX3D card. The XFX card runs ~10C cooler than the VTX3D card.

 

[Drake5]

Is the 280x and 7970 the EXACT same performance?

 

[thebennyboy]

Is the 280x and 7970 the EXACT same performance?

They are pretty much both the same chips, the 280X has a few minor tweaks. The performance difference between them will be very minimal.

 

[Drake5]

I'll go for a 7970 then it will be cheaper will the 500W OCZ PSU still be enough?

 

[thebennyboy]

I'll go for a 7970 then it will be cheaper will the 500W OCZ PSU still be enough?

It should be ok. What CPU do you have?

 

[Drake5]

It should be ok. What CPU do you have?

i5 4670k

 

[thebennyboy]

i5 4670k

You should be good. I would consider upgrading it to something around 850w if you ever wanted to add a second care, otherwise you're ok with that PSU.

 

[calliusmaximus]

New I paid 187 or so In jan when most 280x were 240 ish
Cooling is ok ,nice backplate. Manufacturer support is non , only retailer support if it breaks.
I ran 5 24/7 for months mining no issues.

 

[pandem0nium]

I have a vtx 7970 x edition, and I wouldn't recommend it tbh. Elpida ram and it isn't a great clocker.

 

[Drake5]

Picked up a SAPPHIRE VAPOR-X R9 280X 3GB GDDR5 OC (UEFI) from the MM.

In the system specs of the card it says a 750W PSU is required. Mine is only a 500W OCZ.

 

[thebennyboy]

I have a vtx 7970 x edition, and I wouldn't recommend it tbh. Elpida ram and it isn't a great clocker.

It's pure luck as to whether you get Elpida or Hynix RAM. The amount it will also overclock is pure luck. You may have just been unlucky getting a bad overclocking chip with Elpida RAM.

Picked up a SAPPHIRE VAPOR-X R9 280X 3GB GDDR5 OC (UEFI) from the MM.

In the system specs of the card it says a 750W PSU is required. Mine is only a 500W OCZ.

They overstate the PSU that you'll need, if you're worried about it you can buy a wattage meter to see what your PC is using. Then use that to decide if you need another PSU or not. If it uses ~400W at full load you should be ok. If it uses more i would consider upgrading it to something around 850W. That'll allow you to add a second card if you want to later down the line.