Question 1

Would a 650w psu be suitable to run a single R9 290?

Accepted Answer

The most important thing when building a computer, especially a high performance one, is to buy the best psu possible. Stick to products with lots of positive reviews, because even a decent PSU can turn into a very expensive nightmare if it takes an expensive component with it when it fails, like the the GPU or the CPU(or even both). You don't want decent, you want great when it comes to the psu. I use Corsair PSUs, because they are ridiculously reliable, but there are many other good brands.

The most important thing to consider when trying to figure out power requirements for your graphics card is the wattage on the +12v rail, where the graphics card is connected, along with the cpu, which are the two power-hungriest components.

According to reviewers the 250w on this gpu's spec sheet may not be true. If its closer to 300w and you are using a power hungry cpu like the amd fx8350 cpu, for example, you may be right at, or exceeding the specs for the +12v rail of a regular 650w psu.

And that is asuming it only has one +12v rail. Many PSUs come with two +12v, making load balancing between the two rails a necessity for a high-end hungry graphics card like this one.

For example, I am running this very same GPU on a rig that runs on a Corsair TX750 psu, which has a single +12v rail, and I have no issues at all. Meanwhile, a friend of mine who has this card too, is looking to replace his Ultra 650w psu, because, even though it has a single +12v rail.

Question 2

could i run this card with a 500w power supply?

my rig:
geforce gtx 550ti
intel core i5 3570k
16 gb of ram
500w power supply

Accepted Answer

Unfortunately, the answer depends on your specific 500W power supply.

The box says the video card requires a 750W or greater, but the real requirement is the 12V rail needs to be capable of providing a steady 75W on the 6-pin and 150W on the 8-pin PCI Express connectors (call it 20 amps just for video card) for long durations without overheating. A good 500W power supply can handle that, but a lot of others can't.

If you do try running the video card on your 500W power supply, make sure to check if the power supply is heating up at all. If it is, you should definitely upgrade the power supply to avoid risks of killing computer parts when it eventually fails.

Question 3

This card is listed as PCIe 3.0, but doesn't specify x16. The only R9 290 512bit that specifies x16 is the HIS brand variant of this card. What is the difference between x16 and non x16 or is it just a matter of lack of data for newegg marketing/specs?

Accepted Answer

All the R9 290 that are now offered for sale (no matter the brand) have similar characteristics. They are based on the "standard" model. They all are PCI 3.0  and they all are x16.

Question 4

Should the VGA MSI|R9 290 4GD5 R come with accessory cables and a warranty registration card?

Accepted Answer

The package contents for the MSI R9 290 4GD5 Video Card include a Driver CD, Installation Guide, 6-Pin Power Cable, and 8-Pin Power Cable. There is no mention of a warranty registration card.

Question 5

Does the VGA MSI|R9 290 4GD5 R potentially cause lagging issues in the PC?

Accepted Answer

The MSI Radeon R9 290 4GB GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 CrossFireX Support Video Card is described as a powerful graphics card that offers great performance for its price and runs games on max settings with ease. However, it is noted to have some drawbacks including running hot and being loud. While performance issues like lagging are not explicitly mentioned, overheating can potentially affect performance.

Questions & Answers