Matrix R9 290X worth it?

Pogal_31

Pogal_31

Member
Hi boys and girls, I have a few questions to ask you, hope you'll be able to help. :)

I can get a Matrix R9 290X for 380€, is it worth it?

Is the card really loud? (compared to a Matrix R9 280X for example)

Do you have other cards I should be considering, knowing that I want to keep the aesthetics of my rig which is black and red?

Thanks in advance !
 
I'd say its not worth it, 380 is a pretty high price to pay considering the price of the reference versions.

Besides unless your going sub zero etc, your better off going for something like the MSI 290x gaming edition, which would preserve your rig, whilst being quite a bit cheaper.
 
Do not get the 290X Matrix, It is pure crap, I had 1 and took it back the next day as it didn't clock well at all, The cooling is the worst I've ever seen as they just re-used the Matrix 780 Ti block on it so it doesn't make proper contact.

Get a Sapphire Vapor X 290X, Will be around the same price, Overclock a lot better and be A LOT cooler.
 
Unfortunately OP wants to preserve their black/red color scheme though, so I just recommended the MSI gaming edition. It may not be as good as the vapor, however it seems to tick OPs boxes.
 
The Matrix Platinum cooler is absolutely beautiful, nothing else really compares if you have a black and red fetish but it's just not that effective on the 290X. I would completely recommend the 780Ti if you find one at a good price.

While the Twin Frozr's are black and red they really just don't have the look of a Maximus VII, a Strix or DCUii would work better aesthetically. Is this because upgrade or just the allure of a Matrix Platinum?

JR
 
Thanks for the input guys, anyway I changed my mind (my wife doesn't have a GPU anymore, RIP HD5870).

I have around 700€, I have 2 choices, Matrix 980 or a Sapphire R9 295x2, and I really can't decide which one to go. My needs are pretty simple, it have to destroy all @1080 144Hz, with the less noise possible. What your thoughts guys? Thank you so much !
 
Pogal_31 said:
Thanks for the input guys, anyway I changed my mind (my wife doesn't have a GPU anymore, RIP HD5870).

I have around 700€, I have 2 choices, Matrix 980 or a Sapphire R9 295x2, and I really can't decide which one to go. My needs are pretty simple, it have to destroy all @1080 144Hz, with the less noise possible. What your thoughts guys? Thank you so much !
Click to expand...

The 980 gets my vote mainly due to the fact that crossfire can be fickle, The 295X2 is a beast but not every game supports xfire.
 
Yep you're right, that is why is quite hard to decide, do you think that if I decide to upgrade to 1440p the Matrix will be able to handle it with decent framerates?

Edit: just have been watching ttl's reviews of both cards for the 30th time Xd, just ordered the Matrix, thanks again guys.
 
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Pogal_31 said:
Yep you're right, that is why is quite hard to decide, do you think that if I decide to upgrade to 1440p the Matrix will be able to handle it with decent framerates?

Edit: just have been watching ttl's reviews of both cards for the 30th time Xd, just ordered the Matrix, thanks again guys.
Click to expand...

The 980 is a brilliant card you'll enjoy it :)
 
@Dicehunter /agree. I have 2 rigs both with strix 980s and they drive a 3440x1440 and a 1920x1200 display with relative ease both in games and for productivity. So the Matrix version should be a notch better than my strix.
I had a similar decision getting the second 980, i looked at the R9295x2 a LOT before getting the 980 but basically came down to the fact i'd rather get latest tech which with better support and drivers will get better rather than cheaper 2 year old tech that's at the top of it's game.
 
3DJF said:
@Dicehunter /agree. I have 2 rigs both with strix 980s and they drive a 3440x1440 and a 1920x1200 display with relative ease both in games and for productivity. So the Matrix version should be a notch better than my strix.
I had a similar decision getting the second 980, i looked at the R9295x2 a LOT before getting the 980 but basically came down to the fact i'd rather get latest tech which with better support and drivers will get better rather than cheaper 2 year old tech that's at the top of it's game.
Click to expand...

That's a lame argument.. First off they are only just over a year old(Oct 2013) and since they are the latest and best from AMD will continue to get the driver improvements and the support. You can always improve, doesn't matter the age it is. Drivers from both sides are great.

I'd take the 295x2 over a 980. If it's around the same price you mine as well get much more performance for the same money. Not every game uses Xfire well, but you can easily look up the games you play and figure out if they work or not. I'd go off of that. If more games you play don't, then 980. If more do then 295x2. Even if one or two don't a single 290x is very very capable.
 
Pogal_31 said:
I hope I will, thanks for the good advice Dice
Click to expand...

You're welcome, Only telling it like it is, I owned the ROG 290X and it went back the next day, Asus really messed up the cooling on that card.

3DJF said:
@Dicehunter /agree. I have 2 rigs both with strix 980s and they drive a 3440x1440 and a 1920x1200 display with relative ease both in games and for productivity. So the Matrix version should be a notch better than my strix.
I had a similar decision getting the second 980, i looked at the R9295x2 a LOT before getting the 980 but basically came down to the fact i'd rather get latest tech which with better support and drivers will get better rather than cheaper 2 year old tech that's at the top of it's game.
Click to expand...

AMD from experience do make good drivers but the annoying thing is they don't release them at regular intervals like Nvidia do for major game releases for optimisations etc....

NeverBackDown said:
That's a lame argument.. First off they are only just over a year old(Oct 2013) and since they are the latest and best from AMD will continue to get the driver improvements and the support. You can always improve, doesn't matter the age it is. Drivers from both sides are great.

I'd take the 295x2 over a 980. If it's around the same price you mine as well get much more performance for the same money. Not every game uses Xfire well, but you can easily look up the games you play and figure out if they work or not. I'd go off of that. If more games you play don't, then 980. If more do then 295x2. Even if one or two don't a single 290x is very very capable.
Click to expand...

You're quite often needlessly on the defensive lately XD

295X2 is a beast of a card but the cooling system actually holds it back and you can physically see thermal throttling in games once it reaches 75'c having owned one myself.

Good card but needs a proper water to shine.
 
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Dicehunter said:
You're quite often needlessly on the defensive lately XD

295X2 is a beast of a card but the cooling system actually holds it back and you can physically see thermal throttling in games once it reaches 75'c having owned one myself.

Good card but needs a proper water to shine.
Click to expand...

I don't think so. Was correcting him instead of him giving bad advice to the OP. I just gave the OP a different look onto what he should do in his special case
 
The point that holds me back from the 295 X2 is the thermal "issues", I cant imagine a card watercooled in my rig running at near 75 degrees and trying to adjust its clock speeds turning the fans up too much. Brand never was a point, I always had AMD cards before and never had issues. Thanks again to all of you, now the Matrix is on its way.
 
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Update : The baby finally arrived home. This is a beast of card, i thought it would be more noisy in games but not at all, and my temps keep below 65°C with clocks of 1500/2000 and below 58 @stock.

Thank you again for all your precious thoughts guys.

Here are some pics, always with my shitty phone sorry.

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