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- Date:
- Monday , March 30, 2015
- Author:
- Grady McKinney
- Editor:
- Brent Justice
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PowerColor PCS+ R9 290X Video Card Review
Today we examine what value the PowerColor PCS+ R9 290X holds compared to overclocked GeForce GTX 970. AMD's Radeon R9 290X pricing has dropped considerably since launch and constitutes a great value and competition for the GeForce GTX 970. At $350 this may be an excellent value compared to the competition.
Introduction
PowerColor is a leading supplier of AMD graphics and was established by TUL Corporation in 1997. PowerColor is best known for its production of AMD based video cards, but also specializes in producing cases, power supplies, and other computing accessories. PowerColor strives to provide quality products while maintaining a competitive cost and quality customer service.
On our test bench today is the PowerColor PCS+ R9 290X (AXR9 290X 4GBD5-PPDHE) video card.
Why AMD Radeon R9 290X Now?
It may seem odd evaluating an AMD Radeon R9 290X GPU based video card after a year and a half since this GPU launched. However, this GPU is still AMD's current flagship high-end fastest single-GPU it currently offers. However, what has changed over time is that the pricing has come down a lot, making it a potential excellent value versus the competition.
The original MSRP of the AMD Radeon R9 290X was $549. Current pricing on AMD Radeon R9 290X now has pricing as long as $299 after $20 MIR. Even the regular price on AMD R9 290X GPU based video cards ranges from $320 to $349 now.
This new pricing range has now put the AMD Radeon R9 290X in competition with NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 970 on pricing. The GeForce GTX 970 has an MSRP of $349, right in-line with the now current pricing on AMD Radeon R9 290X GPU based video cards. Pricing has also fallen a bit on GTX 970 based video cards, for example the one we evaluated previously is now $323 after $10 MIR. This pricing is still right in range with current AMD R9 290X pricing.
Given the controversy over the fact of the GeForce GTX 970 utilizing only 3.5GB of VRAM for high speed data, and reserving the last 512MB for low speed data, the AMD Radeon R9 290X has become an enthusiast alternative. The AMD Radeon R9 290X can utilize all of its 4GB of VRAM without speed degradation. The AMD Radeon R9 290X has become a popular alternative comparing these two GPUs, and so now is the perfect time to evaluate the value of R9 290X versus GTX 970. We are going to use a new PowerColor PCS+ overclocked R9 290X and compare it with GTX 970 also overclocked.
What we are evaluating
In this evaluation we are looking at a Radeon R9 290X GPU from AMD. To be more specific we are zooming in on PowerColor’s take on this, labeled the PowerColor PCS+ R9 290X. Besides the 8GB version of the 290X, this is the highest-end model of the R9 290X provided from PowerColor. The PowerColor PCS+ R9 290X is designed for quality gaming at 2560x1440 and other similar high resolutions. It can deliver pin-point performance in today’s latest games at 1080p.
This video card does support the 4K resolution that you can use for watching streams or movies, however gaming at this resolution won’t be a viable idea. This video card contains 6.2 billion transistors. There are 2,816 stream processors on the R9 290X and 64 ROPs. There are also 176 texture units and it can do 256 Z/Stencil. It features a 512-bit memory bus with memory running at 5.4 GHz. It is available for $350 after $30 MIR at Newegg.
Today our goal is to determine whether the PowerColor PCS+ R9 290X is a good deal compared to the GeForce GTX 970 video cards. Today we are using a high-end GTX 970 from MSI, the MSI GeForce GTX 970 GAMING 4G. To really give the best visualization of what the GTX 970 is capable of, we will also be using this video cards highest stable overclock during testing. The GTX 970 and PowerColor PCS+ R9 290X are identical in pricing.
We will also be showing the performance of a reference GeForce GTX 980, which is significantly more expensive than the PowerColor PCS+ R9 290X, starting at $550. It does however help us bridge the gap between the R9 290X, the GTX 970 and GTX 980’s performance. This will allow us to see the full benefit provided by the PowerColor PCS+ R9 290X.
PowerColor PCS+ R9 290X Video Card
The first thing we want to point out is that the PowerColor PCS+ R9 290X is a factory overclocked video card. By default a reference R9 290X operates with a core clock of 1GHz and a memory frequency of 5GHz. PowerColor has increased this video card core clock by 50MHz up to 1050MHz. The memory frequency also received a slight overclock, increasing its speed from 5GHz up to 5.4GHz. This added performance should provide some benefit compared to a reference R9 290X in-game.
PowerColor also outfitted this video card with its PCS+ or professional cooling system. This feature is key for the PowerColor PCS+ R9 290X video card. The R9 290/X video cards have consistently held high temperatures, often reaching upwards of 90c. The PCS+ technology should help keep our operating temperatures lower than the GPUs threshold, while enhancing overclocking headroom.
The PCS+ cooling system consists of five copper heat pipes that directly contact a copper heat plate that directly contacts the GPU. This allows for even heat spreading across each copper heat pipe. Four copper heat pipes extend from the GPU back towards the rear finned heatsink. One of these four, and the fifth copper heat pipe also wrap around to the front heat sink to help more evenly distribute heat across the video card.
The finned heat sink is rather large, and is noticeable underneath the fan housing. There are two parts, one directly over the GPU and the other hovering over the rear part of the video card. To exhaust the heat off of the video card, PowerColor has placed three fans on the fan housing that effectively cover the entire length of the video card. PowerColor claims this cooling system provides 24% cooler temperatures and 17% quieter noise levels than a reference R9 290X video card.
PowerColor also included on this video card a Digital PWM which decreases power ripple that a reference video card may experience, and enhances the power efficiency. The video card also supports DirectFETs, which are MOSFETs that minimize conduction loss. This board is designed with a 5+1+1 phase (7 total) power design that works to provide better power delivery and overall stability.
The PowerColor PCS+ R9 290X also supports 4K resolutions, however these will be best utilized when watching movies or videos. This resolution won’t be a great idea for gaming, as it will be too demanding to provide adequate performance with high-level graphics options enabled.
The PowerColor PCS+ R9 290X can be yours for $350 after $30 MIR at Newegg. This includes a 2-year limited parts and labor warranty. You can read more about the PowerColor PCS+ R9 290X here.
PowerColor PCS+ R9 290X Pictures
PowerColor packaged the PowerColor PCS+ R9 290X well and snug inside of the box, to minimize shaking during transportation. Included with the video card is a driver installation CD and a quick start guide. There will also be a 6-pin to 8-pin PCIe power adaptor switch.
The video card is mostly black, with the fan housing made of black and grey aluminum. The heat sink underneath this lines up well with the fan housing giving the video card a consistent look and feel. PowerColor also attached a back plate to cover most of the rear mounted components.
There are 5 copper heat pipes that directly contact above the GPU. Four of these heat pipes extend backwards to the back finned heatsink. The fifth heat pipe, and one of the others also extend and wrap around to a location on the front heat sink. This greatly increases area that heat can flow away from the GPU to. The overall build quality is stable, secure, and durable.
PowerColor recommends a minimum 750W power supply to allow this video card to run properly. It requires an 8-pin and 6-pin PCIe power connector, located along the top edge at the rear side of the video card. The rear I/O panel houses two dual-link DVI-D connectors, an HDMI connector, and a display port connector. It measures 11.5 inches in length, 2 inches wide, and 4 inches in height.