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Price / Where to Buy:
US – Approx. $470 – ASUS Strix R9 390X
[/signoff] [section label=”Introduction”]AMD has recently launched their new series of graphics card and similar to the launch of last generation we’re going to be seeing a new GPU debut crowning the new series which was released on a later date. For the remaining of the product stack though we’re getting a rebrands from the R7 sub-series all the way to the R9 390 and R9 390X. That means the formerly HD7900 which in turn became the R9 280X/R9 280 now becomes the R9 380X/R9 380. That said, the former flagship R9 290X and R9 290 now move to fill the mainstream to upper-mainstream segment, carrying the rebadged codename of Grenada replacing its former Hawaii naming.
Today we’ll be reviewing the performance segment of AMD’s Radeon lineup with both the R9 390X and R9 390 in our bench for today. In this review we’ll take a look at the ASUS Strix R9 390X 8GB graphics card. Read on!
About the Radeon R9 390X / R9 390
As mentioned, the new Radeon R300 series are just rebadges of their old-gen counterpart with most of the spec not changing aside from the larger framebuffer and GPU namechange. That said, the R9 390X retains the 2816 shader units, 64 ROPs but get double the memory with 8GB running off a 512-bit bus. Frequencies for the R9 390X are also increased from its predecessor running at up to 1050Mhz core clock and a 1500Mhz memory clock. The Raden R9 390 meanwhile rocks 2560 shader units, 64 units, with a similar 8GB graphics memory on 512bit bus with frequencies bumped up a bit from the R9 290 at up to 1000Mhz base clock and 1500Mhz. The Radeon R9 390X is tagged with an SRP of $430, and the R9 390 has an SRP of $330.
[section label=”About ASUS Strix R9 390X”]About the Strix R9 390X
The ASUS Strix R9 390X was one the first graphics card to be revealed that bears the new ASUS DirectCUIII cooler. This new cooler design features large 10mm heatpipes running along a dual-slot height cooler. The metallic shroud now features a sleeker, angular design than the original Strix cooler of last generation. The new DirectCUIII also uses triple fans instead of dual fans. As with any product in the Strix line, the new cooler focuses on silence with the fans spinning down to a stop when the load is manageable.
[section label=”Closer Look”]Closer Look
Overclocking
Overclocking any graphics card is pretty straightforward nowadays provided you know what to do and given that most companies also have their own overclocking software, makes it so much more approachable. We use the latest ASUS GPU Tweak II for this test.
Overclocking the R9 series of cards have been somewhat of a challenge for us. These cards run at these clocks when they can rather than as needed and is mostly affected by temperatures. In this regard, an effective cooler will easily see the card meet its rated GPU clock most of the times than a poorly cooled ones. We’ll talk more about that later and focus on the overclocking experience on the ASUS Strix R9 390X. As expected, the card OCs much higher than we’ve anticipated because of the improved cooler. We managed to bump the core clock to 1150Mhz and the memory clock at 1625Mhz. Any higher and we’re hitting BSODs left and right. At this clocks though, the card is definitely much faster than your average R9 290X and 390X, and as we’ve noted in our reference 290X review, the GPU can really benefit from a better cooler and the new Strix DirectCUIII does just that.
[section label=”Performance Testing 1080P”]PERFORMANCE
Test Setup
Processor: Intel Core i7 3770K 4.4Ghz
Motherboard: MSI Z77 Mpower
Memory: Kingston HyperX Beast DDR3-2400 16GB
Storage: Kingston HyperX FURY 240GB
PSU: Seasonic P1000
Cooling: Custom loop (XSPC Raystorm block, XSPC D5 Dual Bayres, BlackIce Stealth GT 240 rad)
Monitor: LG 42UB820T UltraHD TV
VGA: ASUS Strix R9 390X 8GB
We test our graphics card with a full-level playthrough of our selected game or the games’ built-in benchmark tool. We record the run with Fraps. Game settings are indicated in the charts. Resolutions are shown in the charts. Unlike our standard benchmarks. For this tests, we’ve changed a few things so some of games that we follow built-in options we’ve retained results from other results but for those other games that we’ve changed options, we’ve provided newer results and indicated settings also.
We basically run two configurations for our reviews: for high-end cards (980/Titan X/290X/780Ti) we run maximum in-game settings, for mainstream (GTX 960/970) and last generation cards we run default presets. AA is turned off in all 4K HD results unless defined by settings or indicated in graph. We will start including The Witcher 3 starting with our launch day review of the GTX 980 Ti so please bear with us as we grow that chart.
Full HD (1920×1080)
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The reboot of the gaming phenomenon Tomb Raider puts players in Lara Croft’s hiking boots as she explores the ruin of Yamatai in this origins game. Powered by a modified Crystal Engine, the game features TressFX which creates beautifully rendered hair animation.
The most popular game on Steam and the biggest competition in eSports; DOTA 2 is powered by the Source engine. The game is fairly light on low to medium settings but maxed out with heavy action on screen especially during clashes can really stress some systsems.
We use the built-in timedemo and benchmarking tool. DOTA2 only shows average FPS so we will be reflecting that in this test. Our timedemo features a heavy clash in the bottom lane for the maximum real-world system load the game can generate. With the recent visual update, DOTA2 has received some graphic makeover that adds a bit of hit for the system and all our date are updated to reflect this.
Batman: Arkham Origins is the prequel to the highly successful Arkham series of Batman games from RockSteady. Rocking Unreal Engine 3, the game has superb detail and puts a decent load on modern systems.
Ubisoft’s hacker action puts you in the shoes of Aiden Pearce as you piece together a crime that has been haunting you since its occurrence. Rage through Chicago as presented by Ubisoft with its Disrupt engine utilizing vast video memory for high-resolution textures for visually stunning graphics.
CD Projekt Red’s latest installment in the Witcher saga features one of the most graphically intense offering the company has to date. As Geralt of Rivia, slay monsters, beasts and men as you unravel the mysteries of your past. Vast worlds and lush sceneries make this game a visual feast and promises to make any system crawl at its highest settings.
2560×1440
[tabs] [tab title=”Battlefield 4″]Battlefield 4 is one of the hottest titles of 2013 and continues to prove itself a worthy game. Based on DICE’s Frostbite Engine 3, this game’s lush details and visuals are just stunning but can really stress any modern GPU. Level tested is the escape from Baku with wide open space and collapsing building showing what the Frostbite 3 engine can do.
The most visually intense game to ever been made. Prophet is back to take on the Ceph and Cell after a long sleep and the world isn’t what it was when before he got frozen. CryEngine 3 is behind this beautiful beast that will put a lot of systems to their knees. The opening level shows off the particle and water rendering of the engine.
The reboot of the gaming phenomenon Tomb Raider puts players in Lara Croft’s hiking boots as she explores the ruin of Yamatai in this origins game. Powered by a modified Crystal Engine, the game features TressFX which creates beautifully rendered hair animation.
The most popular game on Steam and the biggest competition in eSports; DOTA 2 is powered by the Source engine. The game is fairly light on low to medium settings but maxed out with heavy action on screen especially during clashes can really stress some systsems.
We use the built-in timedemo and benchmarking tool. DOTA2 only shows average FPS so we will be reflecting that in this test. Our timedemo features a heavy clash in the bottom lane for the maximum real-world system load the game can generate.
Batman: Arkham Origins is the prequel to the highly successful Arkham series of Batman games from RockSteady. Rocking Unreal Engine 3, the game has superb detail and puts a decent load on modern systems.
Ubisoft’s hacker action puts you in the shoes of Aiden Pearce as you piece together a crime that has been haunting you since its occurrence. Rage through Chicago as presented by Ubisoft with its Disrupt engine utilizing vast video memory for high-resolution textures for visually stunning graphics.
CD Projekt Red’s latest installment in the Witcher saga features one of the most graphically intense offering the company has to date. As Geralt of Rivia, slay monsters, beasts and men as you unravel the mysteries of your past. Vast worlds and lush sceneries make this game a visual feast and promises to make any system crawl at its highest settings.
4K UltraHD
[tabs] [tab title=”Battlefield 4″]Battlefield 4 is one of the hottest titles of 2013 and continues to prove itself a worthy game. Based on DICE’s Frostbite Engine 3, this game’s lush details and visuals are just stunning but can really stress any modern GPU. Level tested is the escape from Baku with wide open space and collapsing building showing what the Frostbite 3 engine can do.
The most visually intense game to ever been made. Prophet is back to take on the Ceph and Cell after a long sleep and the world isn’t what it was when before he got frozen. CryEngine 3 is behind this beautiful beast that will put a lot of systems to their knees. The opening level shows off the particle and water rendering of the engine.
The reboot of the gaming phenomenon Tomb Raider puts players in Lara Croft’s hiking boots as she explores the ruin of Yamatai in this origins game. Powered by a modified Crystal Engine, the game features TressFX which creates beautifully rendered hair animation.
The most popular game on Steam and the biggest competition in eSports; DOTA 2 is powered by the Source engine. The game is fairly light on low to medium settings but maxed out with heavy action on screen especially during clashes can really stress some systsems.
We use the built-in timedemo and benchmarking tool. DOTA2 only shows average FPS so we will be reflecting that in this test. Our timedemo features a heavy clash in the bottom lane for the maximum real-world system load the game can generate.
Batman: Arkham Origins is the prequel to the highly successful Arkham series of Batman games from RockSteady. Rocking Unreal Engine 3, the game has superb detail and puts a decent load on modern systems.
Ubisoft’s hacker action puts you in the shoes of Aiden Pearce as you piece together a crime that has been haunting you since its occurrence. Rage through Chicago as presented by Ubisoft with its Disrupt engine utilizing vast video memory for high-resolution textures for visually stunning graphics.
CD Projekt Red’s latest installment in the Witcher saga features one of the most graphically intense offering the company has to date. As Geralt of Rivia, slay monsters, beasts and men as you unravel the mysteries of your past. Vast worlds and lush sceneries make this game a visual feast and promises to make any system crawl at its highest settings.
TEMPERATURE & POWER CONSUMPTION
To measure both power consumption and heat, we stress the video card and record the peak values for heat and wattage. We use default values on the cards and stress test them using a Kombustor 3’s Lake of Titans X64 test at 1080p fullscreen.
[one_half]
Despite being the higher tier card, we found the ASUS R9 390X consuming less power than the PowerColor R9 390 but we’ve noted that that was mostly due to the highly effective cooling solution letting the card go further, overclocking itself. The same can be said for the R9 390X but given its larger performance margin, it peaks faster making it reach higher temps. ASUS’ new DirectCUIII cooler does a good job keeping the card below 90*C though and at game loads, we see the card hovering around 66*C and idle with fans totally off at around 49*C, with fans on its around 39*C.
[section label=”Conclusion”]
CONCLUSION
Let’s break down the verdict:
Performance. The Radeon R9 390X is a very powerful card, trading blows with the GTX 980. In the case of the Strix R9 390X, this goes further more with a more efficient cooling solution driving the card faster and with some overclocking, even let it perform evenly at higher resolutions. While 4K remains largely playable at lower detail settings for most games, 1440p and 1080p are easy pickings for the Strix 39 390X.
Build Quality.ย ASUS has decided to move forward with their design for the Strix and introduce a new look. While some may not approve of the new styling, there are still others who don’t really care or actually approve the design. All in all we can’t deny that this new cooler and design mixes effective cooling in a more compact design, slot-wise. One can easily fit two of these cards next to each other in a tight dual-GPU setup. Still, its a really wide card and long, with a weight to match. Props to ASUS for sticking with a backplate solution to maintain solid structural integrity. Component-wise, we really like the components used and the quality of work in the PCB is really outstanding as expected from ASUS.
Functionality.ย The Radeon R9 390 and 390X now sit comfortably in AMD’s performance line and obviously target those who are eyeing the GTX970. All in all, the card offers decent performance in 1080p and 1440p with a larger framebuffer. This could help especially for multi-display scenarios where tons of stuff need to be onscreen for you.
Bundle. Nothing special. No games. Sad face.
Value. At 470$, ASUS once again is banking on its quality offering given that the GTX 980 is already sitting at the lofty $490 mark while comparable R9 390X are available for $430. As always, we’ve maintained our stance that ASUS’ quality has always been their reason for such prices and in this case, the cooling solution is really well worth the mark-up as well as the potential for having a good overclocking card.
The R9 390X is a tough proposition especially the Strix R9 390X with its price tag touching the reference GTX 980. Again, it’s quality you’re paying for here. We’ve yet to have any trouble with an ASUS graphics card and we can really vouch for the attention to details that ASUS pours into their card. For those that want a long-term investment, this is definitely a plus. For anyone who just wants a card, you have a wider range of options elsewhere. At the end of the day, the ASUS Strix R9 390X is a card made to last and is for people who want to stick to an AMD solution. The card manages to rival the GTX 980 in our test and given that it was also an ASUS card, the performance advantage is there so if you’re choosing between a Strix 980 and a Strix 390X, both are good but if want a cheaper card that can do better in 1440p, the R9 390X is the better choice.
[signoff icon=”dollar”]
Price / Where to Buy:
US – Approx. $470
[/signoff] [section label=”Award”]If you’re after a high-quality graphics card with a large frame buffer for multi-monitor/high-resolution gaming with some moderately demanding titles, the ASUS Strix R9 390X is a good choice and will set you back just a little less than the competing solution.
ASUS backs the Strix R9 390X with a 3-year warranty. We award the ASUS Strix Radeon R9 390X 8GB graphics card our B2G Editor’s Choice Award!
6 Comments
whatever happened to AMD’s Never Settle program?
Scrapped I think which absolutely sucks
shame. Some of the bundled games suck but I think you can get as much as 6 games on the 290x.
Yes the gold bundle can let you choose 6 games from a large library. Slow year for AMD with only a few games onboard for the 300 series launch.
In the Dota 2 4k test, why is the 390 performance twice as well as the 290?
Ahhh yeah that, I keep forgetting to highlight the cutoff mark from the older 2014 tests. Those are there for relative comparison and uses older drivers and methods. Will update the database soon.