And that’s why at launch it was the same price as the GTX 980 is right now.
Some 18 months later we’re gearing up for a summer launch of AMD’s next generation of graphics cards including a reworked Hawaii XT appearing with a new badge – and Nvidia has just unleashed its massive Maxwell card.
With stock still in the channels, prices on older AMD cards have drastically dropped. That means this Sapphire version of the R9 290X is a stunning $360.
The first, reference edition of the 290X we tested was a roaring hot mess, delivering great gaming performance, but running at a molten 95ºC when pushed in-game.
Thankfully AMD has some great partners like Sapphire, who were able to turn the 290X into a card you’d actually feel safe enough to drop into your own machine. You know, without worrying it was going to spontaneously combust during an intensive round of Peggle.
The Tri-X chiller on this Sapphire R9 290X is fantastic, cutting that 95ºC peak temp down to just 71ºC – cooler than the Palit GTX 980 with its efficient Maxwell GPU.
And it’s also remarkably quiet when it’s working away too, those three fans never hitting the roaring blast the reference chip chiller shouted out.
Performance-wise, it’s obviously behind the GTX 980, especially the overclocked Palit version opposite. But neither card is a real 4K gaming GPU on its own, so you’re looking lower down the resolution scale to 1600p, 1440p or 1080p.
And at that scale the 290X delivers high enough frame rates that the performance difference between it and the GTX 980 becomes almost inconsequential. The Nvidia card does however offer higher minimum frame rates across the board. That means you’re getting a smoother gaming experience with the GeForce option.
But you’re going to have to pay for that privilege, and when you’re looking at almost twice the price of this Sapphire 290X, that makes it a much tougher ask. If you can afford the GTX 980, that’s the better card.
This Sapphire’s current cost, however, makes it the smarter purchase for the more price-conscious PC builder.
The R9 290X isn’t the only AMD card to have seen a hefty price drop. The R9 290 is so close to the 290X that it’s mighty tempting too.
It’s still rocking a full 4GB frame buffer and, because it’s still the Hawaii GPU, it’s running across an aggregated 512-bit memory bus. But given the pricing is so close, this Sapphire 290X remains the champ performance-for-price GPU right now.
Nvidia will keep shouting about the extras it offers, and with GeForce Experience offering a better… well… experience than the bought-in Raptr setup, it’s tough to argue.
But when we’re talking value, the aging AMD cards still have a lot to give at this price. Just make your move now. When the supply in the channel runs out, those prices aren’t going to last.
| Specification | |
| Display Support | supports up to 3 display monitor(s) without DisplayPort |
| 4 x Maximum Display Monitor(s) support | |
| Output | 1 x HDMI (with 3D) |
| 1 x DisplayPort 1.2 | |
| 2 x Dual-Link DVI-D | |
| GPU | 1040 MHz Core Clock |
| 28 nm Chip | |
| 2816 x Stream Processors | |
| Video Memory | 4096 MB Size |
| 512 -bit GDDR5 | |
| 5200 MHz Effective | |
| Dimension | 305(L)X113(W)X38(H) mm Size. |
| 2.2 x slot | |
| Software | Driver CD |
| Accessory | 8 PIN to 4 PIN Power Cable |
| 6 PIN to 4 PIN Power Cable | |
| HDMI 1.4a high speed 1.8 meter cable(Full Retail SKU only) | |
| Source | sapphiretech.com |
Verdict
+ Serious gaming speeds; cool and quiet; great price; hefty memory configuration.
- Not quite as quick as GTX 980; trades performance blows with GTX 970.
WHERE TO BUY
Buy from Amazon Market Place:
