R9 390 advice

[showb1z]

Hey guys, I'd appreciate some advice on which 390 to get.

Based on price and fin/heatpipe positioning (I have an FT02) I'm looking at either a HIS IceQ X² or a Gigabyte Gaming G1. Couple of questions:
I've never owned a HIS card before, are they a reliable brand?
I also can't seem to find any reviews for a Gigabyte 390 or 390X even. What's up with that? Is their new Windforce 2X cooler any good?

 

[Elixer]

Honestly, go with either saphire tri-x 390x or XFX 390x. Either of those two will get you darn quiet cards.
Yes, their are other brands, but, they cost just as much as the above two, and, as you have noticed, not many reviews from the other guys. Unless the store has a good return policy, I wouldn't bother with the others.

 

[tential]

Noticed the same thing as you op. That hurts for amd as they have a lot of cards out now that have good cooling and every single nvidia card had reviews but looking for reviews on cards I wanted it was hard to find.

 

[boozzer]

Noticed the same thing as you op. That hurts for amd as they have a lot of cards out now that have good cooling and every single nvidia card had reviews but looking for reviews on cards I wanted it was hard to find.

it is up to every 3rd party to send their cards for review. not the fault of amd actually.

 

[Hemicrusher]

Sapphire makes a great cooler....I also like the Asus Strix Direct CU III 390X.

 

[tolis626]

I hear the MSI cards for the 3xx series are great. I'm planning to buy a 390x myself.

 

[tential]

it is up to every 3rd party to send their cards for review. not the fault of amd actually.

While this is a useful tidbit of information it was never implied that it was amds fault.

Only that it hurts them since people can't find out about products containing their chips.

On topic, is the price difference between these models op and the sapphire models significant it's worth the extra 10-20 for a good cooler.

 

[cen1]

I was doing a lot of research because I am buying a 390 myself so here is my useful or useless advice, depends on what you need

-Gygabyte has 3xDP on some models which could be useful if you need it
-Sapphire has no backplate (the only one which is a shame)
-XFX just doesn't look that exciting with that diamond pattern, bordering on ugly to me
-MSI with red color doesnt really fit if you are doing a different color build. HIS is also a weird color which doesn't really fit anywhere for me.

As for cooling, I think pretty much any card is adequate.

True about lacking reviews, altho I really don't think any of the cards is straight up bad. I usually look up the guru3d PCS review for performance orientation.

 

[happy medium]

WHy are you guys buying a 390 for 330$ when you can grab a 290x cheaper and get the same performance. I have to ask. Please don't say for the extra 4gb of memory that will never be used.

290x for 259$ and a free game.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150700&cm_re=r9_290x-_-14-150-700-_-Product

 

[cen1]

WHy are you guys buying a 390 for 330$ when you can grab a 290x cheaper and get the same performance. I have to ask. Please don't say for the extra 4gb of memory that will never be used.

290x for 259$ and a free game.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150700&cm_re=r9_290x-_-14-150-700-_-Product

Only in US. In my country the 290X is ~400€ and 390 is between 360€-400€ depending on the model.

Also, 390 is not just equal but also faster than 290X in most games.

 

[lehtv]

Also, 390 is not just equal but also faster than 290X in most games.

Plus you get 8GB VRAM and thanks to the (admittedly small) novelty factor it retains its resale value better.

 

[3DVagabond]

Two things.

Some don't realise there is a size limit for tha ft02 of about 12". I.don't believe the sapphire will fit.

Of almost as equal importance you want the cooler fins to run lengthwise along the card for proper airflow through the cooler. It's not easy to check photos on my iPad, but check that before making your purchase.

 

[tential]

WHy are you guys buying a 390 for 330$ when you can grab a 290x cheaper and get the same performance. I have to ask. Please don't say for the extra 4gb of memory that will never be used.

290x for 259$ and a free game.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150700&cm_re=r9_290x-_-14-150-700-_-Product

I'm looking for a 290x personally used. No reason to buy a new card for me, but for people in other markets, they don't have a choice or as many options as we do in the great states of America.

 

[LTC8K6]

I hear the MSI cards for the 3xx series are great. I'm planning to buy a 390x myself.

With the 390 so close in performance, why pay extra for the 390X?

The performance difference between the 390 and 390X is under 10%.

 

[guskline]

If it will fit in your case, the Sapphire Tri-X is an EXCELLENT air cooler.

 

[showb1z]

I'm buying in Europe. Unfortunately we never had these insane 290(X) deals or I would've gotten one ages ago.

Two things.

Some don't realise there is a size limit for tha ft02 of about 12". I.don't believe the sapphire will fit.

Of almost as equal importance you want the cooler fins to run lengthwise along the card for proper airflow through the cooler. It's not easy to check photos on my iPad, but check that before making your purchase.

Yep, exactly. The HIS and the Gigabyte are the only ones with the fins running lengthwise.
If there really are no Gigabyte reviews I'll have to go with the HIS. They've been around for nearly 30 years, so I guess they're a solid company?

 

[3DVagabond]

I'm buying in Europe. Unfortunately we never had these insane 290(X) deals or I would've gotten one ages ago.



Yep, exactly. The HIS and the Gigabyte are the only ones with the fins running lengthwise.
If there really are no Gigabyte reviews I'll have to go with the HIS. They've been around for nearly 30 years, so I guess they're a solid company?

The Gigabyte Hawaii cards used the same cooler as they made for the 780's. It didn't do a good job cooling the smaller AMD chip.

 

[MeldarthX]

390 is the card to get if you're getting new.

MSI G1 has gotten great reviews; its cool; OC wells; plus it fits my red theme and the dragon when lit up looks awesome

HIS has a some seriously solid coolers specially their ICE series. The colors aren't always the greatest though got to admit; but can't fault their coolers. Gigabyte's last cooler wasn't so great on the 290/290X also don't know if they did a redesign or not.

Asus's Strix is seriously awesome care and what they did there; but is it worth price; not sure. Sapphire's 390 is also awesome card. Pick your budget any of them will seriously rock for you

 

[showb1z]

The Gigabyte Hawaii cards used the same cooler as they made for the 780's. It didn't do a good job cooling the smaller AMD chip.

390 is the card to get if you're getting new.

MSI G1 has gotten great reviews; its cool; OC wells; plus it fits my red theme and the dragon when lit up looks awesome

HIS has a some seriously solid coolers specially their ICE series. The colors aren't always the greatest though got to admit; but can't fault their coolers. Gigabyte's last cooler wasn't so great on the 290/290X also don't know if they did a redesign or not.

Asus's Strix is seriously awesome care and what they did there; but is it worth price; not sure. Sapphire's 390 is also awesome card. Pick your budget any of them will seriously rock for you

Those Gigabyte cards were using the Windforce 3X right? That cooler is an insane 312mm. They're using a redesigned Windforce 2X on the 390 now, much shorter at 234mm.
Too bad nobody knows how well it works cause there haven't been any reviews. But I guess it would defy logic if a 234mm long cooler would perform as well as the 297mm one used on the HIS.

Thanks for the feedback folks. Ordering the HIS tonight and a freesync monitor soon after.

 

[tolis626]

With the 390 so close in performance, why pay extra for the 390X?

The performance difference between the 390 and 390X is under 10%.

Because reasons.

Basically because in most places the 390 is sold out and the 390x is more readily available. If I can find a proper deal (like Amazon.de that's supposed to have the 390 for around 365€) I'll go 390. But I'd pay like 50-100€ for the 390x if it also means waiting less.