ASUS R9280X-DC2-3GD5 Pro Reviews

AMD's Radeon R9 280X on a whole is an excellent model and the ASUS variation is a strong offering which brings with it some features that really help the model stand out from the pack. While the out of the box overclock isn't the strongest, fire up your favorite overclocking software, and you can find out what the R9 280X is really capable of doing. If you're a fan of ASUS products on a whole and you're looking for a new video card that is around that $300 mark, this is a really excellent option. We'd really recommend you get a little bit into the overclocking side of things, though, to see just what you can get out of the card, since the potential for it is built into it. It's both fun and brings with it a strong boost in performance at no extra cost.

AMD's new Radeon R9 280X Series is based on the AMD HD 7970 GHz design, but probably comes with slightly reduced clocks to keep power draw at "saner" levels. So there is really nothing new overall, yet the card will definitely end up being a good choice for gamers because of its competitive price. In our testing, we found the ASUS R9 280X DC II TOP, which is overclocked out of the box, to beat the GTX 770 by 2%. Against the HD 7970 GHz Edition, the difference is 5%. AMD's latest 13.11 Beta drivers include new performance optimizations for games, though, which helps the card achieve these results. It is also nice to see a memory clock on the card—it provides a quick and easy performance advantage many other board partners overlook. ASUS has reused the large DC II cooler from their GeForce GTX 780, which was a wise choice. The cooler handles the heat output of the card with ease, but tends to be a bit too noisy. This is not an issue of the cooler itself, but rather ASUS who failed to pick optimal fan settings. Temperatures are comfortably low, so it would have been easy to trade slightly higher temperatures for better fan noise.

The AMD Radeon R9 280X has an MSRP of $299. The ASUS R9 280X DC2T has an MSRP of $309. NVIDIA has confirmed that the price of the GeForce GTX 770 is going to remain at $399 for now. Based on the real world gameplay experience, the ASUS R9 280X DC2T is a massive value. For a price that is only $10 more than a "reference" Radeon R9 280X (Available on October 11th.) we get the same performance as the GeForce GTX 770 that is $90 more expensive. In fact, in some cases, the ASUS R9 280X DC2T was even faster than the GTX 770. ASUS is only commanding a $10 price premium on the ASUS R9 280X DC2T. For that extra $10 you get a slight core clock frequency boost, a more impressive memory clock boost, and custom high-end components. ASUS has outfitted this video card with its DIGI+ VRMs for cleaner voltage, more voltage, and more power delivery. The 8x2 phase setup is superior to the reference 6x2 phase configuration on R9 280X. The lifespan and efficiency of the R9 280X is improved on the ASUS version. The fan is customized and does deliver on its promises. We have the option to raise voltage to 1.4v on this card, well over the default of 1.2v, giving us immense freedom to overclock, hopefully. The ASUS R9 280X DC2T sets a new benchmark in video card value. We hope to see lots of followers.

The Asus Radeon R9 280X DirectCU II TOP 3GB strikes an enviable balance between performance, cooling and noise. Employing an oversized heatsink that is excellent in every regard the card can barely be heard when rendering high-quality visuals at a 2,560x1,440-pixel resolution. It overclocks well, too, adding a reasonable amount of performance to what is an already-quick card. New launches are often a great time for purchasers to grab a bargain on last-generation technology. The same is true this time around, for a few weeks at least, as Asus' very own Radeon HD 7970 TOP - a very similar card - is available for £50 less. Yet the Radeon R9 280X will be AMD's upper-mainstream GPU for a while now. Asus has a very good model on its hands with the DirectCU II TOP, and we wait to see if other partners can top this big beastie. Recommended at £275.