Test Methodology
Asus R9 290X DirectCU II OC Specification |
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GPU Comparisons |
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| Graphics Card | Peak GPU Clock (MHz) |
Stream Processors |
Memory Clock (MHz) |
Memory Bus (bits) |
Graphics Driver | |
| Asus Radeon R9 290X DirectCU II OC 4GB | 1,050 | 2,816 | 5,400 | 512 | Catalyst 13.12 | |
| Gigabyte Radeon R9 290X WindForce OC 4GB | 1,040 | 2,816 | 5,000 | 512 | Catalyst 13.12 | |
| AMD Radeon R9 290X 4GB | 1,000 | 2,816 | 5,000 | 512 | Catalyst 13.11 v8 | |
| Sapphire Radeon R9 290 Tri-X 4GB | 1,000 | 2,560 | 5,200 | 512 | Catalyst 13.11 v9.5 | |
| AMD Radeon R9 290 4GB | 947 | 2,560 | 5,000 | 512 | Catalyst 13.11 v8 | |
| Gigabyte GeForce GTX 780 Ti WindForce OC 3GB | 1,085 | 2,880 | 7,000 | 384 | GeForce 331.70 | |
| Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB | 928 | 2,880 | 7,000 | 384 | GeForce 331.70 | |
| Nvidia GeForce GTX Titan 6GB | 876 | 2,688 | 6,000 | 384 | GeForce 331.40 | |
| Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 3GB | 900 | 2,304 | 6,000 | 384 | GeForce 331.40 | |
HEXUS Graphics Test Bench |
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| Processor | Intel Core i7-4770K (3.50GHz, 8MB cache, quad-core) |
| CPU Cooler | Intel reference E97378-001 |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H |
| Memory | 16GB G.Skill RipJaws (2x8GB) DDR3 @ 1,600MHz |
| Power Supply | Corsair AX760i |
| Storage Device | Crucial M500 240GB SSD |
| Chassis | Corsair Graphite Series 600T |
| Monitor | Philips Brilliance 272P (2,560x1,440) |
| Operating system | Windows 8.1 64-bit |
HEXUS High-End Benchmark Suite |
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|---|---|---|
| GPU Benchmarks | Mode and Resolutions | Quality Settings |
| 3DMark | DX11 at 1,920x1,080 and 2,560x1,440 | Fire Strike and Fire Strike Extreme |
| BioShock Infinite | DX11 at 1,920x1,080 and 2,560x1,440 | Ultra + DOF |
| Crysis 3 | DX11 at 1,920x1,080 and 2,560x1,440 | 4xMSAA, High Preset |
| Far Cry 3 | DX11 at 1,920x1,080 and 2,560x1,440 | 2xMSAA, Ultra Preset |
| GRID 2 | DX11 at 1,920x1,080 and 2,560x1,440 | 4xMSAA, Ultra Preset |
| Just Cause 2 | DX10 at 1,920x1,080 and 2,560x1,440 | 8xMSAA, High Preset |
| Total War: Rome II | DX11 at 1,920x1,080 and 2,560x1,440 | 4xMSAA, High Preset |
| General Benchmarks | Description | |
| Power Consumption | To emulate real-world usage scenarios, we record mains power draw both when idle and while playing Far Cry 3 | |
| Temperature | To emulate real-world usage scenarios, we record GPU core temperature both when idle and while playing Far Cry 3 | |
| Noise | A PCE-318 meter is used to record noise levels when idle and while playing Far Cry 3 | |
Notes
Readers wanting to know how the Radeon R9 290X compares to a wide-range of current- and previous-generation graphics cards should consult our reference review. For the purpose of this evaluation, we're focussing specifically on the high-end by comparing a selection of enthusiast cards.
Anyone looking to spend around £500 on a graphics card should keep a close eye on the Asus Radeon R9 290X DirectCU II OC (£475) and the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 780 Ti WindForce OC (£520).