Worries about Asus R9 290 DC2 ?

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withoutshade

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Feb 15, 2015
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Hi everyone! I was just about to buy my new build tomorrow when a friend told me that Asus's R9 290 DC2 has some serious cooling problems or something and is unreliable. Then I read different forums and it came that some people really complain about it. I can't believe Asus could make such a bad videocard as they say. I'm don't want to overclock it, I don't want to touch anything, I just want to play games on ultra settings and have fun. Do I really have to worry about anything?

Here's my build:

CPU: I5-4430 3.0G/6MB/BOX/LGA1150
MB: ASROCK B85M PRO4
RAM: 2X4G DDR3 1600G ADATA XPG CL9
GPU: ASUS R9 290-DC2-4GD5
HDD: 1TB WD Caviar Blue 7200rpm 64MB SATA3 WD10EZEX
PSU: PSU SEASONIC SS-620GB BRONZE
CASE: FD CORE 2500
 
The R9 290 is hot in general. I'd recommend a GTX 970, it's near-enough the same price. (£30/$50 more, maybe). As for the rest of your build, looks good to me.
 
Thanks for the fast reply. I would take the GTX 770 but Asus R9 290 is currently on promo here and there's a huge price difference. Otherwise the 290 woudn't fit my budget if it wasn't the promo. My friend even adviced me to take the Sapphire R9 280x Tri-X as more reliable choice even if its less powerful but it's the same price as the Asus 290 so I just don't want to buy weaker video for the same money.

So you say I can proceed with Asus 290 with no worries?
 
Every company has it's issues. Every card has it's issues. PC building in general; you're probably gonna face issues. I'd say proceed with the R9 290. Getting a 280x for the same price isn't worth-it. The cooling solution on ASUS card's is usually some of the best, so I'd say if Asus 290s are having problems, other company's 290s are having problems (which they are)
 
How did it work out? I was considering an ASUS R9 290 or 290X as well, but all the overheating issues I kept hearing about make me nervous. Some rumored ASUS is using the same cooler they used for the 780.?. Even if I get one that is stable, I'm worried all that heat could diminish it's lifespan. Some of us don't buy a new card every year.
 
Looks like the answer is; "No". 😉
There's a lot of dung being spoken about the R9 290 so I'll try t set the record straight.
The early R9 290/290X cards used a truly awful cooler, similar to the Nvidia reference design with one fan at the end but it just couldn't cope with the R9 290s heat output and there WERE problems with this cooler, it did indeed run hot (95C) and loud...Very loud.
You'll be hard pushed to find reference cooled cards for sale now and they are to be avoided unless you can get one dirt cheap and swap coolers.
Plenty of partners designed their own coolers/cards, and the Asus CUII is one of the better ones, but the R9 290/290X still produces a lot of heat so tends to produce more noise than a GTX970 and, often runs hotter although these coolers do respond well to good, well sorted case ventilation.
Me, I'm using the Sapphire R9 290 Tri-X OC card and it's quieter under load than my Corsair AF120 fans when they are at 1200 RPM.
 
I don't know if it's the pending R9 300 release or all the poor reviews the ASUS R9 290's have gotten (maybe both), but prices are being slashed at Newegg. I've been watching all the card prices lately...

ASUS R9 290X-DC2OC last Sunday (3/1/2015) was listed for $359.99 (after $30 rebate). Today (3/7/2015) it's listed for $279.99 (after $30 rebate). $80 decrease.

ASUS Direct CU II OC R9290-DC2OC last Sunday (3/1/2015) was listed for $373.20 (no rebate). Today (3/2/2015) it's listed for $299.99 (after $30 rebate). $73.21 decrease.

Most of the R9 290X's are down some during the same time period, but none nearly as much as ASUS. Most of the other 290's haven't changed much at all. GTX 970's and 980's haven't budged either.
 
Please, just look at the GTX 970 series. It's MUCH quetier and perfoms the same as a 290X if not better. I myself got a Strix 970 and it is truely awesome
 
You could be correct on the pricing, we're even getting it over the Pond here in the UK so it's likely AMD are clearing inventory ahead of a major release.

TBH even I'd be a little reluctant to shell out for one of those Asus cards, of those currently listed on Newegg (one open box, one now out of stock) both get plenty of poor reviews, worryingly, mainly for quality issues.
Asus aren't alone either, the XFX 'DD' cards have their own share of problems although Gigabyte and Sapphire do better (that's why I've got the Tri-X).

Despite the recent 'issues' with the GTX970 memory configuration I don't think sales have been hurt that much, if at all, so nobody has any reason to discount them.

Given the choice between the asus Strix (currently $340 on Newegg) or the Asus R9 290s I'd drop the extra $40 and get the Strix, MUCH better overall reviews and it turns the fans off when idle or lightly loaded (up to 65C I think after which they come on quite quickly).


 


Yep, 970's memory scandal didn't seem to effect prices one bit. Consumers obviously know it's still a great card.

Like you, I'd currently spend a little more for a 970 over the R9 290's. But, if the price spread keeps increasing it'll be a much tougher decision. Be interesting to see where prices for all cards go as we near the release of R9 300's.
 
If this is correct we're in for a fair wait: http://www.techpowerup.com/210453/amd-r9-390-series-to-launch-alongside-computex-2015.html
If the GTX970 I had earlier hadn't been such a utter pain, I'd still have it, but while it was away on RMA I collared a fairly cheap R9 290 Tri-X and decided to take my supplier up on their offer to refund the GTX970-I think that's now over BTW-so I'm in a very small minority who have actual experience with both cards outside of a testing lab.
To be honest the two run very much the same in the real world with each besting the other in games optimised for one maker or the other and both are generally too fast for a single 1080 60Hz display, although there is SOME games out there when that isn't true.
If you can't quite afford the GTX970 and it'll fit your current case I'll recommend the Sapphire R9 290 Tri-X OC, if you want the Nvidia goodies like Shadowplay, PhysX, DSR, multiple AA options or just want a very, very quiet card the Asus Strix or MSI Gaming GTX970 are superb cards too.
Ultimately it's down to what you want, I'm just here to advise, not sell you a card. 😉
 
I saw that. Early June, ugh. "Good things come to those who wait…" We shall see.

I keep hearing good things about that Tri-X. If I ever do take the R9 plunge, it'd most likely be that one.
 
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