In testing our much more recently purchased VisionTek reference version which also pegs 1000MHz, we find it does not throttle either at stock Uber (55%) fan profile. We were quite fortunate to get a PowerColor PCS+ overclocked reference version of the 290X at launch from retail that is clocked at 1030MHz on the core, and it does not throttle in cool ambient temperatures.
The 290X reference versions were evidently quite unpopular, originally getting a bad reputation for running hot and throttling well below AMD’s “up to 1000MHz” on the core when it first launched. The Myth of the Throttling Reference 290X & the lack of a proper CrossFire Solution We plan to test Hawaii’s 290X versus Grenada’s 390X at the same clocks to see if there are any enhancements other than the faster memory and core clocks. Higher core clocks also mean that there is a need for much better cooling over reference as the voltage has also gone up. Grenada is the same Hawaii GPU released in 2013, but now on a more mature fabrication which allows for higher core clocks – from 1000MHz on the 290x to 1050MHz on the reference 390X 1080MHz on the MSI card. The memory frequency is up from 1250MHz (5,000MHz effective) on the 290X to 1500MHz (6,000MHz) on the 390X using higher-specification Hynix GDDR5 memory modules. AMD has renamed the usually 4GB vRAM equipped R9 290 series “Hawaii” GPU, “Grenada”, and has relaunched it as the 390 series with 8GB of faster memory.
The GTX 970 and the 290X have been natural competitors with the GTX 970 holding its own against the aftermarket 290Xes, so a faster 390X should be a slightly slower competitor to the GTX 980 at around $450-499. We shall overclock the 390X to compare it with the GTX 980, the R9 Fury X, the GTX 980 Ti, and even with the GALAX GTX 970 EXOC to determine the new card’s value. This $429 MSI R9 390X Gaming has a silent mode which runs the clocks at the reference 1050/1500MHz, but out of the box it is clocked at 1080MHz/1500MHz, and MSI guarantees an overclock of 1100MHz/1525MHz that is supported by its 3-year warranty.īesides comparing the MSI 390X Gaming 8G with the reference 290X at its stock clocks, we will overclock the 290X as far as it can go to compare with the 390X at the same clocks.
This review compares the MSI R9 390X Gaming 8GB OC with the 290X 4GB (non-throttling) reference version, and with the GTX 980.
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