Wisecracker :
1080p: GTX 970
Above 1080p: R9 290
The SSD is gravy 😀
As far as I can tell, the 970 performs better than the 290 even above 1080p. Example:
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_970_Gaming/12.html
The 290x is closer, but he was asking about a 290. Regardless, the 290, 290x, and 970 are all very good gaming cards, and you'd be hard pressed to notice a true difference between any of them for single monitor use.
If you think you are wanting to save money and purchase an SSD as well, I wouldn't buy any SSD now with prices being so low that was less than 240gb. If that fits into your budget, then the 290 would be a good buy.
Also, the Asus and Msi boards both have good cooling solutions, so I would just save money...