Asus DirectCUII R9 290x news

[Type-8]

So i've been waiting for the release of the DirectCUII cooled 290x. However, i havent heard anything on it for the past fortnight. So, i thought i'd create a thread to see if anyone has any new information on the card, especially any news on the release date.

As is stands, everything i've heard indicates that it'll be out mid january, but its nothing more than a rumour at this stage.

Performance wise, i expected it to jump ahead of the reference 290x and the Gtx780, but still fall slightly short of the 780Ti. Though (and the Nvidia fanboys are gonna hate this) a couple of recent reviews have found that the asus 290x was able to closely match the 780Ti in performance, power consumption, temperature, noise, consistency etc. . I'm keen to see the OC3D review and find out if they get similar results.

( http://m.hardocp.com/article/2013/12/23/asus_r9_290x_directcu_ii_oc_video_card_review/1#.Ur0NpZEsXJs) - here is one such review

If anyone has any more information then please add it, im just eagerly awaiting their arrival in Australia

 

[tinytomlogan]

Ive got one but no idea about retail availability

 

[ahimoth]

So i've been waiting for the release of the DirectCUII cooled 290x. However, i havent heard anything on it for the past fortnight. So, i thought i'd create a thread to see if anyone has any new information on the card, especially any news on the release date.

As is stands, everything i've heard indicates that it'll be out mid january, but its nothing more than a rumour at this stage.

Performance wise, i expected it to jump ahead of the reference 290x and the Gtx780, but still fall slightly short of the 780Ti. Though (and the Nvidia fanboys are gonna hate this) a couple of recent reviews have found that the asus 290x was able to closely match the 780Ti in performance, power consumption, temperature, noise, consistency etc. . I'm keen to see the OC3D review and find out if they get similar results.

( http://m.hardocp.com/article/2013/12/23/asus_r9_290x_directcu_ii_oc_video_card_review/1#.Ur0NpZEsXJs) - here is one such review

If anyone has any more information then please add it, im just eagerly awaiting their arrival in Australia

It's going to be expensive mate. $795 for the Gigabyte OC model from MSY. PCCG will be a bit cheaper, but not by much. The Asus DCUII might be well into the $800's

 

[tinytomlogan]

£499 GBP Im hearing rrp for the UK - that got dropped from over £500 when I pissed myself and reminded them they wanted to charge more than a GTX780 Ti and they want to try and sell these to more than fan boys

 

[NeverBackDown]

Iirc another site who reviewed this card said it should be around $50 more than reference cards. Still about $30-$50 cheaper than a 780ti.

Just checked and a Gigabyte Windforce 290x/290 can be bought. 290x Gigabyte Windforce cost as much as a reference 780ti.

 

[SieB]

Just wait for the non X, not like you will notice the 2-3 fps less than X version. You will notice the £100 or whatever that amounts to in AUD you save though

AMD prices have gone up recently due to all these bitcoin miners so they may still drop in price, not by much though, i'd say around £10-£20.

 

[Zoot]

Just wait for the non X, not like you will notice the 2-3 fps less than X version. You will notice the £100 or whatever that amounts to in AUD you save though

Yeah AMD have kind of made the 290X sort of irrelevent with the 290 given how it peforms. Sort of the same was what nVidia did with the 780 vs the Titan.

Oh well, I'm not complaining. I'm seeing 290's for as little as €370 here.

 

[NeverBackDown]

I think once drivers come out it will help the 290x pull ahead of a 290. They only have beta drivers that support the cards and not exactly improve the performance like they have for 7xxx/2xx cards.

 

[Type-8]

yeah i'm seeing 290'x here for around $200 cheaper than 290x's, not sure how future driver updates will change the performance gap though. i just wish there was more news on the release. i was set on buying an asus 280x because i couldn be bothered waiting for the non ref 290's, but the 280's sold out (as in, everywhere in Aus) before Christmas and none of the shops know when they're getting them back in. i figure by the time they appear back in stock the asus 290's will almost be out anyway (hopefully) so i might as well spend the extra $100 (or $300 for the "x" version) and get the better performance.

 

[NeverBackDown]

Well since you seem to be forced into the waiting game you mine as well get the best card out.

 

[ahimoth]

yeah i'm seeing 290'x here for around $200 cheaper than 290x's, not sure how future driver updates will change the performance gap though. i just wish there was more news on the release. i was set on buying an asus 280x because i couldn be bothered waiting for the non ref 290's, but the 280's sold out (as in, everywhere in Aus) before Christmas and none of the shops know when they're getting them back in. i figure by the time they appear back in stock the asus 290's will almost be out anyway (hopefully) so i might as well spend the extra $100 (or $300 for the "x" version) and get the better performance.

Scorptech has some info on when stocks are coming in.

Asus Radeon R9 280X DirectCU II TOP | ETA: 07-01-2014
ASUS Radeon R9 280X DirectCU II | ETA: 08-01-2014
MSI Radeon R9 280X GAMING | ETA: 14-01-2014

 

[NeverBackDown]

Scorptech has some info on when stocks are coming in.

Asus Radeon R9 280X DirectCU II TOP | ETA: 07-01-2014
ASUS Radeon R9 280X DirectCU II | ETA: 08-01-2014
MSI Radeon R9 280X GAMING | ETA: 14-01-2014

280x? Those are already available? That a typo?

 

[ahimoth]

280x? Those are already available? That a typo?

>.> what...are you on about bro?

"i was set on buying an asus 280x because i couldn be bothered waiting for the non ref 290's, but the 280's sold out (as in, everywhere in Aus) before Christmas and none of the shops know when they're getting them back in"

They're back in stock on those dates... lol.

 

[NeverBackDown]

Mine as well wait for non reference 290s then... gigabyte already released theirs so i would imagine they would get in stock around the same time those 280x cards do.

 

[deadbc77]

This just showed up on Newegg in my neighborhood last night http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202079
I don't think they had it in stock at all yet. So you can assume that Asus is not far behind.

 

[NeverBackDown]

Was broswing newegg last night and look what i came across?
PowerColor Watercooled 290x with EK block preinstalled!

This is great if you ask me.. keep a warranty and have it preinstalled ready to go for barely any more money than doing it yourself is well worth it.

 

[Edge]

Was broswing newegg last night and look what i came across?
PowerColor Watercooled 290x with EK block preinstalled!

This is great if you ask me.. keep a warranty and have it preinstalled ready to go for barely any more money than doing it yourself is well worth it.

Is this a new thing? I've never heard of pre-installed waterblocks. Great to see though, for noobs like me who want to start doing custom loops before long

 

[NeverBackDown]

I have no idea. No rumor or anything on the internet indicated a 290x with an EK waterblock preinstalled but out of no where it appeared. Its a quality block compared to EVGAs "Hydro" cards.

 

[Type-8]

Scorptech has some info on when stocks are coming in.

Asus Radeon R9 280X DirectCU II TOP | ETA: 07-01-2014
ASUS Radeon R9 280X DirectCU II | ETA: 08-01-2014
MSI Radeon R9 280X GAMING | ETA: 14-01-2014

Good to see there's finally an ETA. Might wait to see what happens with the 290. I'll happily wait for a few weeks, but not 2 months. If there's no news on them by the time the 280's get back in stock then I might just get one of the the 280's (like I originally planned)