NEW R9 290 OR. USED Reference GTX 780 Ti !!

Hussein Mahfouz · Jul 19, 2014

Hi Guys,

I posted a topic days ago asking R9 290 vs. Used 7990 and all answers confirmed R9 290 better for gaming and better for my PSU (650w Gold) .. my specs in my signature

No i have another offer to trade my new sealed ASUS R9 290 DirectCU II OC for a Used GTX 780Ti Reference edition without box or accessories (only the card)

Some Topics mentioned the GTX 780 Ti is 30% faster than R9 290 !

I play BF4, crysis, Farcry,etcc.. Single Monitor 1920x1080

Good deal or stick with the R9 290 !

Thanks :-

Gam3r01 · Jul 19, 2014

Stick with the 290 for several reasons.

The reference cooler isnt the best on the 780Ti
There is no way to tell what condition the card is in
Most importantly No warranty, no RMA on used cards

Though the Ti might be better overall, at 1080p you will be hard pressed to use the whole power of the 290, let alone a Ti. I recommend against buying any used cards.

dav_jw · Jul 19, 2014

I tend to agree with Gam3r01.
The 290 isn't that far from the 780ti, certainly not 30%. That is probably a best-case scenario in a game that heavily favors Nvidia hardware.

Gam3r01 :

This is not true, however. It depends on the brand of the card. For example, IIRC, MSI covers its video cards based on the serial number alone, no invoice needed.

If you personally know the seller, if he can provide an invoice and you have confirmation from the manufacturer that the card will still be covered by the warranty even if you are not the original buyer, then, and only then would I accept the trade.

BustaRhymes · Jul 19, 2014

Yea it's hard to say. Of course the gtx 780ti is going to be better but you run the risk of buying your card used. If it's still under warranty maybe it would be good deal i'm not sure.

Hussein Mahfouz · Jul 19, 2014

a lot of talks about the ASUS R9 290 DirectCU II has heat issues and i won't be able to OC it more and it reach the same temp as the Reference cards ! 80°C

i have only one week! personal warranty to test the card if it's okay !

still bad deal ?

Gam3r01 · Jul 19, 2014

It only hits 73C at 40% fan speed under max load.
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/asus_radeon_r9_290_directcuii_oc_review,10.html
R9s can get up to ~90C before thermal throttling.

BustaRhymes · Jul 19, 2014

I would only take it if you fully trust the person you are dealing with. Trading a brand new r9 290 for a used GTX 780ti seems a bit suspicious though. If the 780ti was working properly why would he want to trade it for a lesser card?

dav_jw · Jul 19, 2014

Gam3r01 :

Yeah, I have a reference 290, with the stock cooling it reaches 90-94 degrees in a few minutes, and then starts throttling. I highly doubt the DCUII will ever reach those temps.

Hussein Mahfouz · Jul 19, 2014

Well i trust his personal week warranty, it's not the first time i trade with him, he is a trader do this as a business. sell and buy used items.

if the card is defective he will take it again for sure! and i have a week to test the card (noise, temp using stress tests) i mean if there's something i will discover it before the week ends! or future problems may accrue !

Problem is i bought the R9 290 through ebay and it's on it's way "shipping" from US to my counter (will arrive tomorrow) :\

I think there's risk in both sides

so i was thinking go with the better card if the risk is exist! even with the new card

btw he's selling me the GTX 780 Ti without Box or anything (only the card)

Gam3r01 · Jul 19, 2014

Ah this makes the decision a bit easier.
I personally wouldnt do it (Im paranoid with used items), but go for the Ti. Run some stress tests and benchmarks on it for 24+ hours. If there is something wrong you will know it after that. I only say this because you trust him and you can return it.

But the card itself is still reference model, which I would avoid.
Its a risk you have to take, I personally would use the new card.

dav_jw · Jul 19, 2014

What's the brand/manufacturer of the 780ti?

6R1M01R3 · Jul 19, 2014

Brand new card everyday =w=

Reference models sucks by three reasons:
1. Reference clock speed.
2. Quality of components is not customized for extra performance, reliability and durability.
3. Reference cooler is bad and noisy.

The 290 may not perform par to the 780ti, but it's an Asus DCII what are you getting, meaning better customized components/build, better cooling solution and higher clock speed than the reference specs.

Worst case scenario the used 780ti was overvolted and you get a broken card.

Hussein Mahfouz · Jul 19, 2014

dav_jw :

this is a good question i asked him and he replied GeForce GTX 780 Ti (Product Of Nvidia Itself ) !!

My guess he don't know! because there's no box (only the card) he can't figure out the vendor

but i think because it's reference it doesn't matter or i am mistaken ?

Hussein Mahfouz · Jul 19, 2014

6R1M01R3 :

I saw alot of talks confirmed ASUS DCII with R9 290/290x is not okay! because they are using the same design of the GTX 780 ! and the VRM and the Ship run soo HOOOT !

i know if i decide to take the GTX i won't be able to OC it because it's a reference edition, but i think it will still be faster than 290 OC with the 780 TI Stock Speed?

if the card is overvolted and it's broken i will know for sure by testing the card all week, and like i mentioned i trust his warranty because i know they guy.

So if you in my place you still stick with the 290 ?

dav_jw · Jul 19, 2014

I was a bit surprised by what you said about VRM temps and the cooler design, so I looked up some reviews, as I have no experience with this particular card. 108C on the VRM. That is indeed a bit hot. A review here on Tom's confirm what you state about the cooler design.

It seems a bit suspicious that he would want to trade a 780Ti for a 290, since his card is worth much more. Even used, its value is probably greater than a new 290. But if you trust the seller, that is not really a concern.

Considering those facts and that you trust the seller, I can understand why you'd want to trade it. I personally wouldn't get a second-hand card of that value without a real warranty from the manufacturer, just in case. But in the end, if you are willing to take the risk it would probably be worth it.

The reason I asked about the vendor/manufacturer is the warranty. If my memory serves me well, MSI will cover used cards, and so will XFX (with original invoice, however). Sapphire won't; I'm not sure about the other vendors.

Since it is a reference card, the card itself should be identical from any vendor. The only way to tell which manufacturer actually made the card would be from the serial # (and you would probably need another reference to compare)

Hussein Mahfouz · Jul 20, 2014

dav_jw :

I decided to stick with the R9 290

and i tested the card today with the latest firmware and in a room with AC temp 24C :ange:

IDLE

GPU Temperature 38'C
Fan Speed 20%
VRM 1 Temperature 38'C
VRM 2 Temperature 39'C

Gaming (BF4 Ultra Settings 1920x1024 MSAA at 4K, HBAO enabled)

GPU Temperature 77'C
Fan Speed 47%
VRM 1 Temperature 94'C
VRM 2 Temperature 78'C

FurMark

GPU Temperature 81'C
Fan Speed 48%
VRM 1 Temperature 111'C

VRM 2 Temperature 85'C

dav_jw · Jul 21, 2014

Those temperatures are good. 94C on the VRM 1 is a bit high, but not dangerously so. I would not worry too much about the 111C during FurMark. FurMark gives unrealistic results, in my opinion. You probably won't ever see those numbers anywhere else.

Hussein Mahfouz · Jul 21, 2014

dav_jw :

How much temp the VRM can handle? i need to know the dangerous range to avoid using the card in case of hot days or room without AC :\

smeezekitty · Jul 21, 2014

The transistors are probably rated to run at 105c
I wouldn't let it get over that for more than brief periods

dav_jw · Jul 21, 2014

Hussein Mahfouz :

I'm not sure what is the maximum temperature for those VRM, however VRMs are often rated well over 100C (105C or 125C is frequent). Considering that you reached 111C without issue, its probably around those temperatures. Then again, 111 C is definitely not within the range I would consider "safe".

So as long as you stay under 100, I wouldn't worry too much.

Gam3r01 · Jul 21, 2014

"We noticed a readout at 119c when running Furmark. We never include Furmark results as ‘real world’ indicators however and when gaming this temperature dropped to 110c.
We spoke to ASUS about this just before going to publication and their engineering team said that the placement of the VRM sensor is in a different location on their 290′s, but the VRM’s are being cooled well within specifications."

http://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/screenshot525.jpg

Its a faulty readout, not overheating.

NEW R9 290 OR. USED Reference GTX 780 Ti !!

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