R9 280X | Gigabyte vs Sapphire

[Vayle]

I am going to buy an R9 280x, but I can't choose between two.
Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X 3.0 GB OC SKU: 11221-08-40G
Sapphire Radeon R9 280X Tri-X OC 3.0 GB SKU: GV-R928XOC-3GD REV 2.0
Differences:
Sapphire: 1GHz core, 1.1GHz boost, 6.4 GHz memory, BUT no waterblocks available.
Gigabyte: 1GHz core, 1.1GHz boost, 6 GHz memory (easily overclockable to 6.4 with Gigabyte's OC-Guru at cost of +3-4 degrees of heat), AND waterblock available (Alphacool).

Forgot to mention. Sapphire is €202, Gigabyte's is €216.

 

[prit87]

I think you should go for the gigabyte wind force if i am not wrong it also cost less than the tri x and performance wise very little difference if there is any.

 

[Rexer]

I'm looking for a good, cool, R9 280x, too. So far I've heard the earlier ones (ones on the market before mid-spring) had artifacting problems. Gigabyte, Asus, Sapphire, etc. So far, I've heard the Sapphire Vapor & Toxic models with tri-x were doing fine. Right now, that's where I'm heading. I haven't heard a clear cut reason what's been causing the artifacting and black screens problems. Some say drivers. Some say heat, hardware and the card itself. Eyes sore at reading and hunting over the internet, I'm down to the two Sapphires and leaning close to Vapor. If I can't get either of those, HIS IceQ X2 with turbo-boost will be my final choice before I head off to EVGA. Their Nvdia GTX 770 superclocks are pretty close with the R9 280x, so I may spend some extra cash for 4gb card. Really, with Nvida's GTX 770, the 2gb cards seem to be just fine. I just want the 4gbs for the super maps in BF4 and TitanFall.

 

[HighEndGaming]

The card you want is the Sapphire R9 280X Vapor-X http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IPZW686. Sapphire is the most reliable manufacturer of AMD graphics cards and the Vapor-X cooler is the best performing cooler for the R9 280X. The Gigabyte WF is alright but the Vapor-X is a much better card all around.

 

[Rexer]

The card you want is the Sapphire R9 280X Vapor-X http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IPZW686. Sapphire is the most reliable manufacturer of AMD graphics cards and the Vapor-X cooler is the best performing cooler for the R9 280X. The Gigabyte WF is alright but the Vapor-X is a much better card all around.

I think you're right. After reading as many articles, threads and blogs, I've come to that conclusion, too. Sapphire Vapor-X is the best choice. There's not a lot of complainers on that one.
I also think it's the best bang for the buck. Those big, R9 290Xs and Nvidia GTX 780 are just not worth the life a person pays for them. I bought a top of the line, HD 7950 just 2 years back and to keep it current and competitive, I OC'd and watercooled the beast, pushing it in BF 3, 4 and TitanFall. It died late last month from just being tired. It wasn't worth the $500 I buried in it's lifetime.

 

[iamlegend]

Stating that "best for the buck" is a little unfair man. That will cause confusion to many readers. (I also owned sapphire and it is doing great).

Reality wise, choose the card that suites your build, there is no difference in performance or minimal if there is any, and the main consideration for the design of this cards are the cooling system (which more fans = less temps) and it will cause higher. Get the tri-x if you can afford and get the dual-x if you can afford, there is no heaven and earth difference between the 2.

 

[HighEndGaming]

The card you want is the Sapphire R9 280X Vapor-X http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IPZW686. Sapphire is the most reliable manufacturer of AMD graphics cards and the Vapor-X cooler is the best performing cooler for the R9 280X. The Gigabyte WF is alright but the Vapor-X is a much better card all around.

I think you're right. After reading as many articles, threads and blogs, I've come to that conclusion, too. Sapphire Vapor-X is the best choice. There's not a lot of complainers on that one.
I also think it's the best bang for the buck. Those big, R9 290Xs and Nvidia GTX 780 are just not worth the life a person pays for them. I bought a top of the line, HD 7950 just 2 years back and to keep it current and competitive, I OC'd and watercooled the beast, pushing it in BF 3, 4 and TitanFall. It died late last month from just being tired. It wasn't worth the $500 I buried in it's lifetime.

I agree and I'm one of those that buys the high end stuff. I always have to upgrade while they are still valuable to make them a worthwhile purchase. The 280X is a great price point for getting performance for your money.