MSI R9 290X Lightning Crossfire vs R9 295x2

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bcontoursvt

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Hello all.

I will be doing strictly 4K gaming (Crysis 3, Hitman Absolution, etc ...)

Since they are both roughly the same price, would it be better to get the OC'd (1.08ghz) MSI Lightning crossfired or the (1.02ghz) XFX R9 295X2?

PC specs are:
i7 4790k @4.5GHZ
G.Skill TridentX 16gb @2400mhz
Gigabyte Z97 Gaming GT
 
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Epsilon_0EVP
I agree with TheDualshock. In particular, the PCS+ was tested by Tom's to be one of the best coolers for 290X's. The factory overclock might not be as high, though, and if you plan to overclock they might not bin the GPU's as well. But it is a god way to save a few hundred dollars.
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TheDualshock

TheDualshock

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The R9 295x2 is essentially the same as two R9 290Xs because it's a dual GPU card with the same chips. The R9 295x2 should run cooler as it's liquid cooled and doesn't take up 4 slots (two R9 290Xs side by side will probably get hotter than a single R9 295x2). However, make sure you have a beefy power supply that can supply the proper amount of wattage to the R9 295x2 if you go that way (I guess it goes for both). The GTX 980 is SLI is an alternative that will run cooler and probably just as fast consuming less power aswell.
 
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Epsilon_0EVP

Epsilon_0EVP

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Assuming money is no object, you could also consider the 8GB Sapphire 290X. They won't have as much power as dual 980's and will cost probably more than the other 290X's or even a 295X2, but the extra memory could be useful for future gaming at 4K. It's not a very important thing to consider, since few games reach 4GB even at 4K as it is, but I thought you might still want to consider this option.
 
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bcontoursvt

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Thanks for all the answers.

@TheDualShock: I understand the 295X2 is two R9 290Xs with a very modest overclock hence the R9 295x2 scores slightly better than regular CF R9 290Xs. Yet, with the Lightning being clocked at 1.08 stock, does it make up the difference? My board keeps two slots between each card so that is no concern. P.S. Cooler Master V1200 PSU.

@Epsilon_0EVP: Sir, money is definitely an object, but because the two options are within a couple of dollars of each other I figured thats the way to go. Not really looking to "futureproof" with the added expense of 8gb cards as I normally upgrade every other year anyways. Dual GTX980s are not really an option right now as the SLI cost exceeds $1100 versus $650-$680 or either ther Crossfire Lightnings or an R9 295X2.
 
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TheDualshock

TheDualshock

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The difference in performance would be pretty small since .030Mhz more isn't all that much, but does add a bit of performance. Personally, I would go with dual R9 290X Lightnings because I'd prefer that setup in case something fails and the cards just look great. Both solutions can be overclocked but watch your temps.
 
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Epsilon_0EVP

Epsilon_0EVP

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The stock clock on the R9 295X2 is 1018MHz. Thus, it is slightly lower than the Lightning 290X, so the Lightning Crossfire should work slightly better stock. I don't know how much each card overclocks, but I would expect the Lightning Crossfire to overclock better since it distributes the load across more PCIe connectors. Just make sure you use a very large PSU.
 
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Epsilon_0EVP

Epsilon_0EVP

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It'll definitely be more powerful and power efficient, but I'm not sure I would consider the extra $500 worth the price. The article below compares 290X Xfire to 980 SLI, and the numbers are way too close for a $500 bonus. In fact, the dual 290X's sometimes beat the 980's. Do consider that this is with the 8GB 290X's, but assuming you don't run out of VRAM these results are a good guideline.

http://www.tweaktown.com/tweakipedia/71/nvidia-geforce-gtx-980-sli-vs-radeon-r9-290x-8gb-4k-amd-fx-9590/index.html
 
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bcontoursvt

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@Epsilon_0EVP: I saw that! Seems that a single GTX980 soundly beats the 290X, but SLI doesn't scale well and the 290X CF closes the gap and even wins a few.

In a nutshell, for 4k gaming, the Nvidia is not worth the $500 premium?
 
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Epsilon_0EVP

Epsilon_0EVP

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That result has been consistent for the last few years, actually. For some reason, even when an Nvidia card soundly beats an AMD card at mainstream resolutions, they just don't seem to scale as well when you move to higher resolutions. A curious thing to keep in mind :p

I agree with your conclusion there. For $500 extra, the few FPS you get from the 980's is not really worth.it. Even though the 290X's consume more power, you can still afford a nicer PSU (even a AX1500i :p) and be way under the cost of the dual 980's. So I would definitely go with the 290X's. Just don't expect to use high AA or other VRAM-intensive processes, since both options are limited to 4GB.
 
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bcontoursvt

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@Epsilon_0EVP: Last question, I promise. How would the Powercolor PCS+ compare to the MSI Lightning?

Seems the Powercolor is OCd to 1.05 versus 1.08 in the MSI. The Powercolor does include a memory overclock as well, up to 1350, whereas the MSI is at stock.

Price is currently $689.98 for the Lightning Crossfired and $589.98 for the PCS+ Crossfired.
 
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Epsilon_0EVP

Epsilon_0EVP

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I agree with TheDualshock. In particular, the PCS+ was tested by Tom's to be one of the best coolers for 290X's. The factory overclock might not be as high, though, and if you plan to overclock they might not bin the GPU's as well. But it is a god way to save a few hundred dollars.
 
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deesee76

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I just want to share my experience. I Poured the cash and bought an XFX 295X2, Gigabyte 290x OC and a AMD Reference 290x. Lots of inconsistencies in fps in 4k when i had XFX 295X2 and Gigabyte 290x OC cards running Together. Most games run in ultra mode without Antialiasing.

I have not tried the 3 cards together as my psu would probably melt...

BF Hardline runs in 4k 2160p in ultra between 40-130fps in game depending on sections. Most games look absolutely amazing and super sharp and fluid 50% of the time. 

Here are my crossfire stats for the 2 cards - XFX 295X2 WITH GIGABYTE 290X OC http://www.3dmark.com/fs/4607028

Stats from 3dmark looks ok but still no match for 3 nvidia 980 in sli.

Maybe amd driver issues or cpu bottleneck or maybe my PSU (Coolmaster v1000) does not have enough juice.

Considering adding waterblocks to the 290s and 295x2 but just cant be bothered with the process and im bored trying to figure out why certain games are not running smoothly. Im running the latest beta as of today.

GTA V is great in certain sections but crashes in others. Forums said there are corrupt files and again shows why i left pc gaming for low resolution console gaming for the last 8 years.

I'm going to swap out the Gigabyte card and replacw it with mt reference 290x from AMD next weekend to see if its the Gigabyte 290x is causing the performance issues.

All i want is smooth game play (eg. 4k 2160p in ultra with some settings turned off ). 

So far my experience with such a setup has been less than satisfactory. 

Considering ditching both the gigabyte and amd reference 290x cards and pair it with another xfx 295x2.

Stay tune
 
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