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ProfessorZ · Posted: Sat Dec 14, 2013 11:12 pm Post subject: Looking for R9 video card

** rant / request for help **

So I start buying my gear for my woefully needed PC upgrade. Core i5 4670K with 16GB memory and new mobo etc

Then I go on the hunt for a new video card. Now I don't want to spend $600 on the top of the line offering, so I usually shoot for the $200-300 range. From what I've read the Radeon R9 looks like the chipset for me. Specifically the R9 280X.

And they are nowhere to be found! Like nowhere. Amazon, Newegg, Tigerdirect, Microcenter....nowhere. Even the sketchy eBay sellers are all sold out.

My research revealed the issue is Bitcoin miners. The efficiency of the R9 chipset at mining coupled with the high value of the Bitcoin means they are selling like crazy. I've read that one guy bought 100 of the cards from Newegg ($48,000 in hardware) and supposedly earns $1800/mo in mining.

Anyway I'm annoyed/bummed that its created a serious void in the market for the card I need. If anyone on the forum happens to know of a place that actually still has these cards please let me know. Otherwise I'm just going to have to wait a few weeks/month for the supply to (hopefully) fix itself.

- Z
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Origin ID: ProfessorZ
BattleNet ID: ProfessorZ#11650

Dynamite Dan · Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 5:34 am Post subject:

What the hell is bitcoin mining?

Khaghabal · Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 1:45 pm Post subject:

This is what you get for being cheap Z.

Bitcoin mining is when you do data mining for NASA (similar to the volunteer SETI @ Home project), they pay you a tiny sum of money. Tiny sum of money = bit of coin = bitcoin.
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ProfessorZ · Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 4:58 pm Post subject:

I can tell Khag did well in school Razz

Bitcoins are a form of virtual currency, not tied to the economy of any government. Their value and security is tied to a mathematical operation (hashing) that is very complex and time-consuming to perform. It also happens to be the kind of math that GPUs are very good at.

Their value has surged in recent months due to worldwide economic uncertainties. A few weeks ago they traded for $1200USD, but now are down to around $800USD.

Futher reading:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitcoin

http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/13/12/14/0110203/surge-in-litecoin-mining-leads-to-graphics-card-shortage
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Steam ID: ProfessorZ
Origin ID: ProfessorZ
BattleNet ID: ProfessorZ#11650

JoeSwindell · Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 5:58 pm Post subject:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2013/12/10/this-finance-expert-thinks-bitcoin-will-fall-99-percent-by-june/

Don't waste your electricity!

ProfessorZ · Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 10:13 pm Post subject:

I hope the value falls next week so I can get a gently used R9 280X cheap!
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Steam ID: ProfessorZ
Origin ID: ProfessorZ
BattleNet ID: ProfessorZ#11650

Khaghabal · Posted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 8:52 pm Post subject:

Hey, I went to school before the interwebz...

I did a quick google search, found millions of pages about bitcoin, then wrote something that would sound somewhat plausible... if it wasn't coming from me.
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ProfessorZ · Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 11:22 pm Post subject:

Update for anyone that cares:

The good news: Several online retailers have received additional stock of R9 cards.

The bad news: Prices for these cards are now at least $100 over what they were last week.

So I went ahead and ordered a Sapphire R9 280X anways Laughing

I used Newegg because they have this "Iron Egg price/return" policy now. If the price were to drop before Jan 31, 2014 then I'll get credited the difference. I can also return the card before then with no restocking fee.

I still hope the market returns to normal soon, but at least now I can get my new system up and running Smile

- Z
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Steam ID: ProfessorZ
Origin ID: ProfessorZ
BattleNet ID: ProfessorZ#11650

ProfessorZ · Posted: Sat Dec 28, 2013 12:13 am Post subject:

Results:

System fully operational!

I did a mild overclock and have my i5 comfortably running at 4.5Ghz (stock is 3.4Ghz). Air cooling and core temps never goes over 70C during stress test.

Video card is a Sapphire R9 280X that comes slightly factory overclocked @ 1050Mhz core speed. (850Mhz stock).

I'm running BF4 at 1920x1080 with all settings on Ultra. 4xAA I think. Frame rates are solid at 60fps and above. With some settings bumped down to high I get framerates 100-120fps. So for now I'm keeping everything at Ultra and enjoying the graphics Smile

So I'm super happy with the results of everthing. Its been a long, long time since I've been able to play a recent release game at good graphics settings!
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Steam ID: ProfessorZ
Origin ID: ProfessorZ
BattleNet ID: ProfessorZ#11650

Dynamite Dan · Posted: Sat Dec 28, 2013 3:29 am Post subject:

Its a good feeling isn't it? i recently bought a new PC and like you said, its good to be able to turn everything up to maximum on new releases, i was getting tired of compromising quality just to be able to get a game to run.

Hopefully see you on the battlefield Very Happy

JoeSwindell · Posted: Sat Dec 28, 2013 3:13 pm Post subject:

That's awesome! FULL SETTINGS rules.