Conclusion
Gigabyte's WindForce OC proves that the very best Radeon can be made to run cooler and faster, but more needs to be done to ramp-up retail availability...A couple of years after the introduction of the GCN architecture, AMD triumphantly returned to the high-end graphics game with the launch of the hard-hitting Radeon R9 290X in October 2013. Offering excellent single-card performance, AMD's latest was able to mix-it-up with rival GeForce solutions of the time and, more importantly, stand out thanks to a competitive $549 MSRP.
We originally deemed the launch good news for the consumer looking for a high-quality card, but we erred on the side of caution by stating that we needed to see how far partners push the R9 290X before passing final judgement on just how good the Hawaii architecture can be.
Gigabyte's R9 290X WindForce OC is the first partner card to pass through the labs, and though performance, as expected, remains suitably strong, pricing for the custom-cooled behemoth is regrettably less keen.
Limited supply could be a contributing factor, but whatever the reason, US consumers can currently expect to pay a hefty $700 for Gigabyte's product. That's a far cry from the original $549 MSRP for reference cards, and performance enthusiasts will be well aware of the fact that the faster GeForce GTX 780 Ti is readily available for the same amount of money and includes free games.
The prolonged wait for custom R9 290X cards has, we feel, taken away some of the lustre surrounding AMD's finest GPU. Gigabyte's WindForce OC proves that the very best Radeon can be made to run cooler and faster, and the firm's triple-fan solution remains a safe bet, but more needs to be done to ramp-up retail availability and, in turn, push pricing back down to a more agreeable level.
The Good
Factory overclocked on core
Enthusiast-grade performance
Significantly cooler than reference
4GB buffer is handy at high resolutionsThe Bad
Not much cheaper than GTX 780 Ti
Could have been quieter
No free gamesHEXUS.where2buy
The Gigabyte Radeon R9 290X WindForce OC graphics card is available to order from Overclockers UK.
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