Conclusion and Verdict
The R9 290X OC WINDFORCE 3X graphics card is a great card. Actually, it is better than great. The original reference R9 290X was a great card, so the GIGABYTE edition is even better. GIGABYTE even included a slight factory overclock with room to push it even further.
GIGABYTE took the original reference design and made it leaps and bounds better by making some small tweaks to the power consumption as well as the noise levels, thermal properties, and overall value of the card.
The WINDFORCE 3X cooler does its job very well as our peak temperatures during testing did not even come close to the thermal throttling numbers that were present in AMD’s reference design. The noise problems have also been rectified thanks to the tried and true design of the WINDFORCE 3X cooler.
The GIGABYTE R9 290X OC WINDFORCE 3X graphics card originally hit the market with an MSRP of $550 USD, however at this time the cheapest I could track one down for was at Amazon for $599.99 USD. Other e-tailers have them available for $700 USD or more!
Pros:
- WINDFORCE 3X cooling is superb
- Good fan profile for “performance” BIOS
- Sleek and rugged aesthetics
- Improved thermal properties
- Improved acoustical performance
- Dual switchable BIOS
- Factory Overclock
- Overclock headroom
- Great performance
- Abundant connectivity options
Cons:
- High average artificial inflated e-tail price due to Crypto-currency mining? (no fault of GIGABYTE)
Final Thoughts:
What we have here readers is an awesome graphics card from GIGABYTE. If you are craving high-end performance without going bankrupt, then the GIGABYTE R9 290X OC WINDFORCE 3X graphics card is the version you are looking for! Thanks and have a Funky Day.
