PC Games Hardware

“Pros :
- Average Overclocking
- Moderate power consumption”

PC Games Hardware - High-End-ranking of PC Games Hardware issue 01-2015

Madshrimps.be

“The HIS R9 290X iPower IceQ X2 Turbo card features a proven 2-fan cooling system and is overclocked from the factory; the custom PCB ensures stability, better overclocking potential and the card should run fine games up to 2560x1440 with medium to high detail levels.

When compared to the Gigabyte R9 290X WindForce OC video card, we can see a notable increase in memory speed and the use of SKHynix memory as opposed to Elpida, which permits getting higher frequencies (1350MHz vs 1250MHz).”

Madshrimps.be – Recommended High End Product

Overclockers

"The HIS R9 290X iPower IceQ X2 performed great across all our testing and proved to be a worthy contender in the crowded R9 290X market. As far as pricing goes, this exact same card without the factory applied overclock sells for $509.99 at Newegg, so I’ll venture to say you’ll see anywhere from a $20 to $30 premium added for this overclocked version. That would make the final price very attractive and certainly one of the least expensive R9 290X offerings with a factory overclock on both the GPU and memory.

The gold colored shroud and the unique grab handle give the card a look that will stand out from other manufacturer’s offerings. Just under that gold colored shroud is the IceQ X2 cooler, which does a great job of keeping the card cool at a very low noise level.

Overclocking proved easy to accomplish using the HIS iTurbo utility, especially with the ability to adjust GPU and memory voltages. Provided you have good case cooling, the card should run happily at roughly a 15% overclock. So, in the end, we have a great performing card that should be available soon at an attractive price."

Overclockers - "Approved"

TweakTown

"The overall value is very good on the card thanks to the strong overclock from HIS. The strong overclock with the improved power delivery system and the bigger dual 8-Pin PCIe power connector setup means that we're also dealing with a custom R9 290X 4GB, which again adds even more value to the card."

"The HIS R9 290X iPower IceQ X2 Turbo 4GB is an extremely strong R9 290X 4GB and even stronger video card. The custom power design, along with the strong out of the box overclock all placed under the fantastic IceQ X2 cooler, makes for a truly awesome video card from HIS."

TweakTown - Editor Choice Award, Rating 93% out of 100%

Legion Hardware

"The latest AMD graphics cards on the other hand don’t work quite as well with the reference cooler, the water-cooled R9 295X2 being the exception.Radeon R9 290 series graphics card is board partners like HIS are here to save the day.

Even if you decide to overclock the hell out of them, temperatures remain well under what we saw from the AMD reference cards, which is very impressive given the voltage has been increased and throttling has been removed.

When it comes to overclocking, these HIS OC and Turbo cards aren’t particularly impressive out of the box, HIS has applied very minor factory tweaks that barely qualify as overclocks. However this doesn’t mean the cards are weak overclockers, it just means HIS has left the hard/fun part up to the gamer.
Both the HIS R9 290 iPower IceQ X² OC and the R9 290X iPower IceQ X² Turbo run cooler than a GeForce GTX 770, and better yet they are whisper quiet.
Overall we are impressive with HIS’s golden R9 290 series graphics cards. They provide excellent overclocking performance that won’t compromise cooling performance or operating volumes. "

Legion Hardware - Performance Award