Asus r9 390 strix review

Technical characteristics

TECHNICAL FEATURES ASUS R9 390 STRIX
GPU	AMD Radeon R9 390
Connectors	1 x PCIE 6-pin. 1 x 8-pin PCIE.
Core frequency	1070 MHz (OC Mode) 1050 MHz (Gaming Mode)
Memory type	GDDR5.
Memory size	8 GB.
Memory speed (mhz)	6000 MHz.
DirectX	version 12.
BUS memory	512 bits.
BUS card	PCI-E 3.0 x16.
OpenGL	OpenGL®4.4
I / O	1 x DVI-D 1 x HDMI Output 3 x Display Port (Regular DP) Supports HDCP.
Dimensions	30 x 13.77 x4 centimeters.
Price	394 euros.

ASUS R9 390 Strix

It has been a long time since the presentations of graphics cards are very familiar with each other. The Strix model is well marked on the cover of the product, along with the “owl” mascot of this series and a serigraphy where 30% more effective cooling and 0dB of noise stand out.

At the rear we have all the most important technical characteristics. Once we open the box we find the following bundle:

8GB R9 390 graphics card Instruction manual CD with drivers Power thief

The card measures 30.5 x 15.22 x 3.95 cm and is quite robust. Its design predominates red and black colors as in the Republic Of Gamer series. The processor is manufactured in 14 nm and has two possibilities: the stock at 1050 and the OC Mode at 1070 mhz, its 8GB of memory run at 6000 Mhz, the memory interface is 512-bit, compatible with OpenGL 4.5 and the standard bus. PCI Express 3.0.

As we can see the power is quite powerful and incorporates two 8-pin PCI Express connections, while on the reverse it incorporates a backplate that covers the entire surface leaving. I love that all manufacturers choose to cover the entire surface with these R9 390 / 390X with a backplate that prevents card bending and added rigidity.

As in its older sisters it has the same backlit LED system when turned on, the truth is that the set looks great, especially with the ROG series from Asus.

In the rear connections we find:

1 x DVI-I.

3 x DisplayPort.

1x HDMI 2.0.

DirectCU III and Custom PCB Design

The graphics card is the flagship of the company, thanks to its excellent heatsink with three Direct CU III fans and a PCB customized by the engineers themselves. First, I want to tell you about the heatsink and comment that it incorporates three 90mm fans each, which they are activated when the temperature reaches 62 to 65ºC. In other words, it is a very silent and semi passive graphics card (semi fanless). When they start to turn they start with 40% and never go up in speed as it is a very well studied card.

When we separated the heatsink from the graphics card we found 5 nickel-plated copper heatpipes with a thickness of 10mm and a copper base that cools the R9 390 chips but Asus has not made life difficult and uses the same design for Nvidia as for AMD which means that some of the heatpipes do not perform their dissipation function and the memories are discovered and without dissipation.

As we have mentioned we have 8 + 6 power pin connections but the graphic incorporates 8 power phases with the Super Alloy Power II design together with the best components on the market make an ideal graphics card for demanding players or overclockers who are looking to get the most out of this new generation with a TDP close to 300W.

Test bench and performance tests

TESTING BENCH
Processor:	i5-6600k @ 4400 Mhz.
Base plate:	Asus Maximus VIII Hero
Memory:	Corsair DDR4 LPX 16GB
Heatsink	RL Custom
HDD	Samsung 850 EVO 1Tb
Graphic card	Asus R9 390 STRIX
Power supply	EVGA SuperNova G2 750W 80 Plus Gold.

To evaluate the performance of the graphics card we have used the following applications:

3DMark - Fire Strike (Performance) Crysis 3.Metro Last light.Tomb Raider.Battlefield 4.

All our tests have been carried out with a resolution of 1920px x 1080px and with 4xAA filters.

What are we looking for in the tests?

First the best possible image quality. The most important value for us is the average FPS (Frames per second), the higher the number of FPS, the more fluid the game will be. To slightly differentiate the quality, we leave you a table to assess the quality in FPS:

FRAMES BY SECONDS
Frames for Seconds. (FPS)	Gameplay
Less than 30 FPS	Limited
30 - 40 FPS	Playable
40 - 60 FPS	Good
Greater than 60 FPS	Fairly Good or Excellent

Let's not fool ourselves; there are games that can have an average of 100 FPS. It may be because the game is quite old and does not require excessive graphic resources or that the graphics is the most powerful on the market, or we have GPU systems for thousands of euros. But the reality is different, and games like Crysis 3 and Metro Last Light are very demanding and do not usually give high scores.

Temperature and consumption

In this section we want to detail the level of temperature and consumption with the test equipment. This data is very useful for silent computer lovers, knowing the maximum temperature limit of the card and the consumption on the wall of the complete equipment with the graphics card. Without further delay I leave you the comparative tables:

Final words and conclusion

Asus has done its homework with this new batch of AMD and Nvidia graphics cards including its new Direct CU III heatsink throughout the Strix series. The R9 390 Strix runs at 1070 and 1090 mhz its core, it has 8GB of GDDR5 memory and the possibility of mounting multiple cards.

In our tests we have seen that the performance is very good in full hd resolution, that if you have this resolution there is no point in catching one of the graphics of the high series. Already in 2K resolution we have seen that it defends very well, but it does not measure up to the big ones.

I have many graphics cards on my back and comparing it to a 290X we have a 15% improvement, better cooling, better components and very quiet. If you are looking to change your old graphics for a modern one, and if you are looking for an alternative to the GTX970, the R9 390 Strix is a great candidate. As of today it is in an online store about 395 euros approx, it seems a bit excessive to me having other first-rate assemblers at 335 euros.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ COMPONENTS.	- HEATSINK WILL NOT REFRIGERATE MEMORIES.
+ SOUND.	- YOUR HIGH PRICE IS NOT JUSTIFIED.
+ REFRIGERATION.
+ PERFORMANCE.
+8 GB OF MEMORY.