LTLHOMER :
Yes this isn't my first rodeo. Fresh windows 7 pro install, i5 2500, 8 gig ddr, old drivers completely removed, etc. I've seen other 280x users complaining about similar issues as well.
Funny how nobody else on tomshardware has complained about it. Also funny how I run two HD 7970s which are the same card and I have no issues whatsoever. You have a bad card, deal with it. It happens to all of us. If you have evidence of other R9-280X owners complaining about it, show us. If it's true, we need to know so that we can warn people about it. Right now though, I think you just have a bad card and you're venting because across the board so far, AMD performance in Battlefield 4 has been exemplary.
Yeah, it looks like the R9-280X is horrible at BF4. That must be it:
BF4 Ultra Gameplay on the R9-280X
People get bad cards, it doesn't matter what brand they are. Don't get the GTX 770 because:
https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/615400/nvidia-issue-on-battle-field-4/
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1830638/gtx-770-gigabyte-battlefield-lag.html
http://www.overclock.net/t/1439566/battlefield-4-performance-with-slid-gtx-770s