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It seems rather unusual that AMD are able to target a price point that Nvidia are currently neglecting, but that is how it stands today. Right now you can either spend £150 on a GTX960 or R9 380, or make the jump to £250 for a GTX970 or R9 390. AMD have seen the £200 hole in the market and have launched the R9 380X to grab some sales during the holiday season.
We are not sure if partners will be releasing reference cooled R9 380x solutions, but we didn't receive one from AMD for launch so have placed our focus on a modified ‘Strix branded', overclocked solution from ASUS. It is a very fine card from the Taiwanese engineering giant and likely significantly better than any reference design from AMD. Regular readers will know that AMD's adoption of coolers incorporating a small, single, high spinning fan has frustrated me for many years.
Unfortunately I only had a couple of (long) days to prepare this article and have not had additional time to perform 1080p analysis from all the hardware featured in this review. I had to revert to 1440p and 4K resolutions as I have very recently tested a plethora of cards at these settings.
The tests today verify that the ASUS Strix R9 380X DirectCU II OC delivers performance characteristics as we would expect – planted firmly between the R9 380/GTX960 (£150-£160) and R9 390/GTX970 (£250+). As such the results are not massively exciting, but the card is a cost effective option for a budget restricted enthusiast gamer who has just perhaps just adopted a new 1080p or 1440p screen.
The ASUS Strix R9 380X DirectCU II OC is likely to be one of the better cards at launch today. It is supplied with a proprietary dual fan cooling system, which is extremely quiet in operation and will maintain load temperatures in the low to mid 60's (Celsius). We appreciate how the fans disable completely at idle and low loads when the operating temperature is held at around 59c or less. This is actually one of the quietest graphics cards we have tested when left to run via the automatic profile.
You will be able to buy the ASUS Strix R9 380X DirectCU II OC for around £199.99 inc vat, we will add links later when we get them.
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Pros:
- AMD occupy the lone slot at £200.
- Asus cooler is exceptionally quiet at all times.
- more core headroom available via software.
- decent out of the box overclock.
- zero coil whine.
Cons:
- not the most exciting release from AMD, but it targets a price point.
- power demand is greater than a GTX970 under load.
Kitguru says: If you have £200 to spend and want the fastest gaming card for the money then the R9 380X deserves serious consideration. The ASUS Strix R9 380X DirectCU II OC is likely one of the best partner cards available at launch.
Would you agree that at this point is maybe pointless to upgrade GPU. I wanted to buy this card and although performance is there i think that would very much regret the purchase. I’m reffering to upcoming GPUs next year.
I would not agree, honestly. I am of the opinion that one should use what they have until they are unhappy with the experience they’re getting with what they have, and then upgrade with what’s out now.
Unless there’s an I-have-to-have-the-newest-thing going on – which is perfectly okay, too, and which I’m occasionally guilty of – there’s no real need to upgrade anything if you’re happy with what you’ve got.
And personally, I think the “wait to see what the next new thing looks like before making a decision” is a neverending game to play, especially with graphics cards. With the 380x, AMD’s new(ish) lineup is pretty much complete (except for the presumed dual-Fiji card), but Nvidia’s Pascal is, metaphorically speaking, right around the corner. But when Pascal comes out, AMD’s Arctic Islands will be right around the corner. And when Arctic Islands comes out, Nvidia’s Volta will be right around the corner. Ad nauseam.
IMHO, if you want to wait for Pascal or Arctic Islands, and will enjoy your current gaming experience while you wait, then do it. I don’t blame you. But make up your mind to purchase *something* after it comes out. If it’s revolutionary, and at a cost you can afford, you’ll be darned glad you waited. If it doesn’t live up to the hype, and 980s are dropping in price and would be – and this is the important part – more than enough for what you’re playing and plan to play, then you’ve saved some money and your gaming experience will be much improved.
(And, if you’re looking at dropping 200 on THIS card today, but decide to wait until Pascal, you can stash the 200 you have into the GPU fund, and keep adding to it for the next 6 months – you’ll end up with a lot more money for a lot higher-end card than this one.) (edited because I was thinking in dollars and not pounds. Sorry. lol)
But if you’re interested in buying now, or your gaming is suffering and you *need* something soon, the present generation of cards will still be as powerful as your wallet will allow you. (The setup I’m on is no 16-core 3-GPU powerhouse or anything, but it’s running Fallout 4 maxed out like an absolute champ, so I’m probably not looking at new GPU or CPU or RAM until Arctic Islands or Volta.)
You have valid point. Also, thank you for a nice, big, explanation. I was asking specifically because i’m not that kind of gamer that needs to have the all latest that comes to market… I always keep my hardware atleast 2 years, 3 maybe and that is way i’m somewhat concerned… But your explanation gives me one hell of headache, because i know that i can sell my card to someone. 😀