R9 290 vs 290x pricing and reference design questions

Hi,

In Australia i can get my hands on:

R9 290x $250
R9 290   $200

I checked out the hashing specs, would you still go for the 290x at this price? Also i just read about "reference design" do i need to look up the model numbers and see what type of design they are?, slightly confused on this.

Edit: OK, i'm good on the "reference design"

Thanks,