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The Powercolor PCS+ R9 380X Myst Edition is the third R9 380x we have reviewed since the AMD launch last month and it hits a sweet spot just under £200 – available right now from Overclockers UK for £194.99 inc vat.
Nvidia's ‘GTX960 Ti' challenger has yet to make an appearance, but if it is released it could very well fill that gap for Nvidia partners. This product is not yet officially confirmed but you can read more HERE.
PowerColor have proven over the years that they know how to make excellent cooling solutions and our thermal analysis earlier highlights the cooler fitted to the Powercolor PCS+ Radeon R9 380X Myst Edition is class leading.
Under extended gaming load and within our 23c environment, the core was holding steady at 58c. There is no doubt the fans are active to maintain this thermal curve, but noise levels never become intrusive or annoying thanks to the pitch of the fans. The card doesn't exhibit any coil whine either, which is good to report.
The R9 380x is not a powerhouse graphics card, producing frame rate performance firmly between the (£150) R9 380/GTX960 and (£250) R9 390/GTX970. If you want to game at 1080p and aren't willing to break a £200 budget you set aside for a graphics card, then the R9 380X deserves serious consideration. It is also quite capable of producing good frames at 1440p, although you may need to dial down some image quality settings you demand super silky 60fps+ at all times. If you can manage to save another £50 then the R9 390 gets our vote, because when overclocked this solution can bat at R9 390X performance levels – offering much better futureproofing over the coming years.
The PowerColor PCS+ Myst Edition is a beautiful looking graphics card supplied in a modest state of overclock – our particular sample exhibited plenty of additional core clock headroom, running stable at 1,153mhz – a 13% increase over supplied speeds and 18% over AMD reference design figures.
You will be able to buy the PowerColor R9 380X Myst Edition 4GB from Overclockers UK for £194.99 inc vat HERE.
Discuss on our Facebook page, over HERE.
Pros:
- great looking card.
- decent out of the box overclock.
- memory is overclocked.
- quality backplate included.
- zero coil whine.
- superb cooling performance.
Cons:
- Sapphire R9 380X Nitro is clocked higher out of the box.
- power demand is greater than a GTX970 under load.
Kitguru says: At £195 the Powercolor R9 380X Myst Edition delivers a great gaming experience. Their cooling system is exceptionally good and deserves special mention.
So, when choosing a 380X, would it really matter whether I take the Radeon NITRO or Powercolor? (Asus is so much more expensive, that it’s not worth considering)
As much as I am an AMD fan I don’t think these offer good value considering you can get a 970 for £235 or a 390 for £250.
Why not a 980 while you’re at it 😀 I don’t need a 970 with my gaming, but the 960 is not enough. Until that time that Nvidia makes a 960Ti, I’ll be considering a 380X. I can use that 35-50 for other fun things, such as games 😉
Not really Lucas — both NITRO and this Powercolor card are excellent, just minor differences between them.
At £195 this is nice, however just because 960’s are still so inflated, it shouldn’t be the counterbalance as to why this price is like it is.
Actually when up against some “Uber 960” like the Palit GTX960 2Gb Super Jetstream that’s £176, or this 380X Myst Edition “4GB” for 11% more I call it the winner! Given it provides a person who might consider upgrading to 1440p at some time (5-8 months) before the next generation cards, for now it’s the better value.
While you might consider a 390/970… in the case of a 970 those are starting £260, adding 32% is a big jump and rightfully so, but if just 1080p now and thinking a panel upgrade, a 3.5+.5Gb might seem a little dull once you have a 1440p. Especially with next gen-cards coming in right in such a time-frame. Even a 390 8Gb at £250 and only 1080p it’s a hard sell, I’d pocket the 30-32% now and see where it takes you if and when you have that new panel.
The 390 is actually cheaper here in the states, and that fact the the 390 edges out the 970 in most 1080p benchmarks and pretty much all 1440p benchmarks, the 390 is probably the best price:performance card in the American market. Currently you can get one for $279 or £184.…wow, you guys pay a lot more in Britain
What is this Pallit 970 that I’ve ONLY seen in Kitguru’s benchmarks? And why is it beating the 390 when in 99% of every other 390 benchmarks I’ve seen, the 390 is beating the 970 stock and with an overclocking? I’m just curious as to where Kitguru obtained the one 970 in the world that’s faster than every other 970 in every other professional review in the world?
It all depends on the clock speeds, that is what is relevant – the GTX970 we use isn’t a reference card. all the clock speeds are listed. Same as the R9 390 – it will beat a R9 390X when you manually overclock it.