R9 280X Toxic vs DCII Top. Which one would you get?

Toxic or DCII TOP?

  • Sapphire R9 280x Toxic

    Votes: 3 42.9%
  • ASUS R9 280x DCII TOP

    Votes: 4 57.1%

  • Total voters
    7

Pr3di

Honorable
Hello guys,

Finally the time came to buy the GPU for my already done build.
All the good stuff is/will be put in a Silverstone SUGO SG09 case, which is an mATX one with only 4 PCI-E metal brackets (important part).
I also have it in my mind to maybe crossfire in the future (the other important part).

The choice is between:
1. Sapphire R9 280x Toxic
Pro: - the fastest R9 280x
- comes with a nice backplate
Cons: - about 40$ more in my country, but this is not an issue
- occupies 2.2 slots, which might make it difficult to crossfire in the future
- noisier than the ASUS one
- 2y warranty

2. ASUS R9 280x DCII Top
Pro: - cheaper by 40$
- very quiet under load
- occupies 2 slots (I think), which should allow crossfire later on
- 3y warranty
Cons: - less performant than the Toxic
- no backplate

I know there`s more pros for the ASUS, buth the Sapphire Toxic also seems very sweet, so I need you guys to help me here.
The length and height should not be an issue in my case, only the width (slots occupied).

Considering the pros and cons, which would you choose?
 

Zuul

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Sep 24, 2013
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how do you mean to tall? what case do you have? the toxic is a very long card aswell I think around 12 inches. Or do you mean the height of the card
 

Pr3di

Honorable
I have the Silverstone SUGO SG09, which can take GPU`s up to 13.3 inches long, but only 5.7 tall.
The ASUS Top is exactly 5.7, and I don`t know why, but this size is not consistent over all reviewing websites.
This would be cutting it too close, and making possible contact with the side fans, or even not allowing me to close the case.

I was actually contemplating putting the order on the Asus right now, and this was a big bummer for me...
 

Zuul

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Sep 24, 2013
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Ah I see well, I don't think the toxic card is being delivered yet to stores so you'll have to wait for that one.
 

Pr3di

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I don`t know what to believe, because I have a local website that has it displayed, however they don`t mention about the availability of the products.

To be honest, I`m still thinking if I should risk it with the Asus.
 

Pr3di

Honorable
I just found this link (it`s in swedish):
http://www.sweclockers.com/forum/123-battlefield/1250844-behover-tips-hjalp-att-fa-gpu-att-jobba-i-100-a/

This guy has the SG09 case and the R9 280x DCU2 Top in the signature.
Should I take this as proof that it will fit? Or just let it go and orientate to something else?
 

Zuul

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Sep 24, 2013
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in belgium if you order something online from a local store and u come get it u get 14 days to return it by law, even if it's open and used, I am sure other countries have similair laws to protect the customer?
 

bnn

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Oct 30, 2013
339
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10,860
what would you need CF for anyway? also Toxic is very quiet, i can't even hear mine under load, compared to my old gpu which was a jet
 

Pr3di

Honorable
Well, you never know what the future can bring you, so I might need to CF at one point.
Also, I heard the materials used to build the ASUS are better quality, and also the warranty is 3 years compared to 2 with the Toxic.
And I just noticed that on the only website where the Toxic is available, there are no specifications about the card, and no photo, just the price. Which makes me think that they might not have it in stock.
I`m on a business trip in a different country, and can`t call them to check.
But if eventually I`ll not be able to take the Toxic, again I`ll need to head to the DCU2 Top, because there 2 models are the only ones I`m interested in.

Man, I shouldn`t have thought about this today, not I`m totally torn.
 

bnn

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Oct 30, 2013
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CF toxic would be a total overkill, the only reason i could possibly think of is if you wanna play on "Ultra + MSAA x4 + 200% resolution scale" in BF4 or something like that which really bring your pc to its knees, otherwise a single card is enough to run any high gpu demanding applications for years to come :)
 

Pr3di

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Just seen a case similar to mine with this GPU in it:
The ASUS GeForce GTX 780 DC II OC measures 11.25 inches in length, 5 and 3/8th inches tall, and 1.5 inches wide.

I`m still on the search.
 

michaeldean

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Oct 22, 2013
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18,560
Personally I wouldn't SLI/Crossfire in an mATX build. And because of that, and being sure the Toxic would fit, I would go with the Toxic just for the peace of mind. It might be noisier but it looks like it runs cooler, plus it has higher performance, and once you're gaming to where the fans will rev up there should be noise from the game to counteract the noise from the fans.

Having said that, I do own the Asus DC2T and I am satisfied with the performance it gives matched with a 3570k (currently @stock) and 8GB RAM on 1080 with Black Flag and others (no BF4 yet).

I think performance wise you can't go wrong with either. Whether you choose to Crossfire or not may be the determining factor, as well as the depth of it to safely close the door (I ran into that issue a while back with a new build, not accounting for CPU cooler height and had to go about a month without the door while I picked out a new case).
 

Pr3di

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The ventilation în this case allows CF if I add 2 more side fans right in front of the GPU's.
I'm just thinking of the future in a few years, not months, so the toxic is too 'fat' to have room for a second card...
 

michaeldean

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Oct 22, 2013
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I would definitely recommend the Asus, but like you said, it's right at that 5.7 limit. I'm also not sure if the two power connectors would add any additional length and prevent you from closing the door or hit fan blades. The plugins are at least recessed, but it just depends on how bendy your power cables are.

You may end up having to get another card or get the card from a place you can definitely return it in case it doesn't fit. The MSI 280x TwinFrozr Gaming is very comparable to the Asus DC2T.

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/msi_radeon_r9_280x_twinfrozr_gaming_oc_review,1.html

Power Consumption (Watts):
Asus - 243
MSI - 239

Temperature under load (Degrees C):
Asus - 69
MSI - 68

Noise under load (DBa):
Asus - 39
MSI - 38

Dimensions:
Asus - 11.2" x 5.7" x 1.5"
MSI - 10.6" x 5.04" x 1.34"

Gaming performance is almost identical (the Core Clock difference is 70MHz) and at least in the US you can get them both for the same price.
 

Zuul

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Sep 24, 2013
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the toxic cards are very power consuming, crossfiring them would be cutting it close especially if your cpu is overclocked aswell.