Question 1

Is this card compatible with Mantle software? I see other R9 290 advertise AMD Mantle, idk if all R9 290 cards have mantle therefore some don't even bother mentioning it? If some R9 290 actually do and other dont.

Thanks.

Accepted Answer

Yes, this should be Mantle compatible. The drivers for it are the typical Catalyst ones, and for me, mention Mantle for this and certain other R9 cards. The most recent beta drivers offer Mantle support.

Question 2

would a 835 watt power supply be okay for this card in crossfire?

Accepted Answer

Be careful when selecting a power supply to support your GPU. Deciding on a PSU based on Wattage could leave you stuck with something that will leave your system unstable or unusable. Wattage is important for a snapshot look, but it is also partly a marketing term. What you need to verify are at least 2 other things: 
1) Does this PSU have the necessary amount of connectors to support my system? This card requires 2 x 8-pin connectors. If you want to crossfire, you will need 4 x 8-pin connectors.
2) What amperage is supported? General rule of thumb for high-end systems: If the PSU is multi-railed, you should get at least 20 amps per rail; 60 amps for a single rail. 
The information is listed under the PSU specifications. If this info is not listed, find a different PSU to purchase.
Amperage is the measurement of current which will actually juice your card. Wattage is the measurement of maximum power that the PSU will allow to be consumed IN TOTAL across all connectors. So basically, a PSU can have 1000 watts max, but that won't matter if it is spread out across 8 rails with 12v@15 amps, but your card requires at least 12v@18 amps to run properly.

Question 3

There is one review that says this card has a slight yellow color. Is this true or is it white?

Accepted Answer

The metal part which is on the bottom when installed is gold. The top side yhat you can see in the case is black and white.

Question 4

Hi, I was wondering what the average temps are of this card at maximum load?

Thank you!

Accepted Answer

On quiet mode it runs between 65-70c at 100% GPU (testing)
Max fans keeps it below 60c
I have a very full case too (9 HDD, 8core with water cooling) so this is excellent board cooling considering the cramped area.
Benchmark testing of this card is far above R9 290 levels.

Question 5

I have a 650W Corsair Bronze Cert PSU, would this GPU work with my PSU? I read somewhere the manufacturer recommends 750W. Just Curious

Accepted Answer

I used a 650 with mine, it seems to work great, it all depends on what other hardware you're running. There are sites that will calculate your power consumption, just don't put it too close to exactly what you need, if you push the limit on the p/s too much too often, you'll end up burning it out.

Question 6

I have 350 w ps, I know I have to change it, but how about my Motherboard Gigabyte GA-H61M-S2P dose it need to change !!!
and also why amd has always slower Clock speed dose it effect on performance?

Accepted Answer

You will definitely need a new PSU, if for no other reason than you will not have the required 2 x 8-Pin power connectors to run this card. I would suggest looking at a PSU that is at least 650-Watt, with at least 20 AMP multi rails, or a single 60 amp rail. 
Your Motherboard should support this card, as it appears to be the new generation that can run either an nVidia or Radeon discrete graphics card.

Keep in mind that this card is rather large, so check your case dimensions to ensure it will have enough room so it fits. Also consider a modular PSU to avoid cables taking up valuable space, as even in larger cases this card could be a tight fit.

Don't worry about the frequencies that Radeon cards are clocked compared to nVidia cards. Apples and Oranges. They do things differently. If you want an idea of performance, search for benchmarks which compare this card to other GPUs. Keep in mind however, these benchmarks are synthetic and do not reflect real-world performance. My experience has been that this card handles everything I throw at it flawlessly. It should serve you well.

Question 7

Does anyone know if this will be able to support Freesync? I want a new GPU for Dragon Age: Inquisition but I also want one that will be compatible when the new Freesync monitors start to arrive.

Accepted Answer

I wouldn't bet on Freesync being around anytime soon. This is still the latest AMD GPU series so if you're buying AMD then I would think this is your best shot. No gaurantee they will support this or prior series' when they finally introduce freesync. Unfortuneately Nvidia is the only option right now for a dynamic frame rate monitor solution. I personally just run a 144hz monitor with vsync off. I don't notice the tearing because it's so minimal. Everything is smooth and blur free.

Question 8

I hope im not stupid, but i didnt see a specification saying how much wattage it uses. i know my power supply has the neccessary connectors but i didnt see anything about the wattage. any ideas?

Accepted Answer

Not Sure I have  850W I believe that will be enough for this card.

Question 9

How many CUDA cores?

Accepted Answer

The AMD Radeon series of GPU's do not use CUDA Cores to measure performance. Instead, AMD uses "Streaming Processors" to give consumers a general idea of it's performance value. This particular card has 2560 Streaming Processors.

Question 10

Does this card use 1x 6 pin + 1x 8 pin power connectors? 
or 2x 8 pins?

Saw a review site says 2x 8 pin, so im confused??

Accepted Answer

It requires two 8 pin connectors.

Questions & Answers