AMD Radeon R9 290 Recensie | 118 Gegevens vergelijking

The TechSpot review identifies the AMD Radeon R9 290 as a premier price-to-performance leader, offering high-end 2560x1600 gaming capabilities with 4GB GDDR5 and 2560 stream processors. It frequently outperforms the more expensive Nvidia GTX 780 by 8% to 23% in benchmarks, while effectively making the R9 290X redundant due to similar performance at a lower cost. Conversely, the reference design suffers from significant thermal and acoustic issues, with the GPU hitting 95°C and creating substantial noise under load. High power consumption (up to 347 watts) and inconsistent frame times in certain titles are notable drawbacks, though the card is highly recommended for its value, particularly with anticipated third-party coolers.

The PCMag review highlights the AMD Radeon R9 290 as an exceptional value, awarding it an Editors' Choice for delivering 96% of the performance of the R9 290X at a significantly lower $399 price point. It achieves superior benchmarks compared to the Nvidia GeForce GTX 780, with highlights including full support for the Mantle API and bridge-less CrossFire configurations. However, the review cites significant drawbacks regarding excessive noise and high heat generation, with the reference cooling fan operating at a loud, distracting volume under heavy load. While the GPU offers unmatched price-to-performance, its thermal management often leads to, or requires managing, high operating temperatures.

The TechPowerUp review of the AMD Radeon R9 290 highlights a refined reference cooler design, a 27.5 cm dual-slot footprint, and advanced display capabilities allowing triple-monitor setups without active adapters. Key advantages include built-in HDMI audio, 4K Blu-ray 3D support, and the elimination of CrossFire bridges in favor of PCIe-based communication. TechPowerUp Conversely, the card lacks analog support on its DVI ports, rendering VGA adapters incompatible, and it remains slightly longer than competitors like the GTX Titan. Additionally, the standard blower-style cooler struggles with the thermal demands of the dense Hawaii GPU architecture.

The AMD Radeon R9 290 is a staggeringly quick graphics card built on a slightly cut-down version of the Hawaii XT GPU, delivering exceptional value at a launch price of £320 / $400. Structurally, it only trims away 256 Radeon cores and 16 texture units from its flagship sibling, the R9 290X, while preserving the full 4GB GDDR5 frame buffer, 64 ROPs, and a massive 512-bit memory bus. In real-world benchmarks—such as Bioshock Infinite (55 FPS), GRID 2 (77 FPS), and Total War: Rome II (34 FPS)—the card performs within 5% to 10% of the 290X. This marginal performance gap makes the frame rate differences virtually imperceptible during actual gameplay. Pros and Cons Pros: Unbeatable Value: Offers high-end performance at nearly half the price of competing luxury silicon. Flagship-Level Specs: Keeps the robust 4GB VRAM and 512-bit memory bus intact. Improved Acoustics: A pre-launch driver update restricts the max fan speed to 47%, rendering it noticeably quieter than the noisy 290X. Cons: High Thermals: The core architecture still runs quite hot during heavy gaming workloads. Sub-par Cooler Design: The plastic...