R9 290X reviews are looking good for AMD
http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Graphics-Cards/AMD-Radeon-R9-290X-Hawaii-Review-Taking-TITANs
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/R9_290X/
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2013/10/23/amd_radeon_r9_290x_video_card_review/
http://anandtech.com/show/7457/the-radeon-r9-290x-review
Might be worth waiting for a good custom cooler for the people looking to buy tho, as it sounds like the stock one holds it back a bit.
@TheVoxelman on twitter