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Sapphire's Dual-X R9 280 OC Graphics Card Review

Sapphire's Dual-X R9 280 OC Graphics Card Review
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We take a look at the value proposition offered by Sapphire's Dual-X R9 280 and consider it's performance compared to its competitor, the GeForce GTX 760, and its predecessor, the Radeon HD 7950 Boost.

AMD just announced its Radeon R9 285. Based on specifications, this upcoming graphics card has raw performance similar to the Radeon R9 280 it is likely to replace, at the same price point. But before the R9 285 arrives, we'd like to take stock of where the Radeon R9 280 sits in the current scheme of things, and specifically what Sapphire's Dual-X OC brings to the table.

Dual-X OC brings to the table.



Products

Radeon HD 7950
Radeon HD 7950 Boost
Radeon R9 280
Radeon R9 285
GPUTahitiTahitiTahitiTonga
Shader Cores1792179217921792
Texture Units112112112112
ROPS32323232
Fabrication Process28 nm28 nm28 nm28 nm
Core Clock800 MHzup to 925 MHzup to 933 MHzup to 918 MHz
Memory Clock1250 MHz GDDR51250 MHz GDDR51250 MHz GDDR51375 MHz GDDR5
Memory Bus
384-bit384-bit384-bit256-bit
Memory Bandwidth240 GB/s240 GB/s240 GB/s176 GB/s
Idle/Max Thermal Design Power200 W225 W250 W190 W
Power Connectors2 x 6-pin2 x 6-pin2 x 6-pin2 x 6-pin
Typical PriceEOLEOL~£190Not Yet Known

AMD has a rich history of iterating its Tahiti GPU in the 1792-shader configuration, from the 800 MHz Radeon HD 7950 to the 933 MHz (peak) Radeon R9 280. Of course, all of those cards use 1250 MHz (5 GT/s effective) GDDR5 memory. The upcoming Radeon R9 285 marks the first bump in memory speed for this class of AMD card at 1375 MHz (5.5 GT/s effective, the same as the Radeon HD 7970), although the maximum clock rate drops slightly to 918 MHz.

With a 940 MHz peak frequency, Sapphire's Dual-X R9 280 OC has the highest GPU clock rate of any of these options, although it beats the reference Radeon R9 280 by a mere 7 MHz. That doesn't sound like much, but keep in mind that the real-world clock rate is limited by temperature. Sapphire's real strength isn't the overclock; what matters is whether or not the Dual-X cooler has the ability to control the thermal ceiling in order to keep the GPU running at the highest possible frequency for as long as possible.

Sapphire's Dual-X R9 280 OC sports the unique Dual-X cooler with a black-on-gray theme, attached to the company's namesake-colored PCB. That board measures 10.25" x 3.89" and weighs 1 lb 10 oz, making it slightly smaller and significantly lighter than AMD's reference Radeon HD 7950 Boost card at 10.5" x 3.89" and 2 lbs.

This particular product's graphics processor is rated for 850 MHz base, with a boost state of 940 MHz, and 1250 MHz GDDR5 memory. The amount of memory used on Tahiti-based boards is at least generous 3 GB, and the Dual-X is no exception.

The aluminum heatsink features four beefy 8 mm copper pipes, cooled by two 85 mm low-profile fans. The card's 250 W TDP requires two six-pin auxiliary power connectors.

Note the two CrossFire connectors on the right, allowing as many as four cards to render cooperatively. A Dual BIOS switch allows the user to select either legacy or UEFI compatibility modes. As an added bonus, it also provides a measure of safety for those who like to tweak their cards with a ROM flash.

The Dual-X R9 280 is equipped with a DVI-I, DVI-D, full-sized DisplayPort, and full-sized HDMI output.

The package includes a CrossFire bridge, a six-foot HDMI cable, two Molex-to-six-pin PCIe power adapters, manual, registration card, driver CD, and case sticker.

Now that we're familiar with the product, let's see how it performs.

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  • 0 Hide
    BigBadBeef , 25 August 2014 15:40
    I have the R9 280X Dual-X from sapphire and I must say I am pleasantly surprised. while this is not the Vapor-X edition, its not much worse off.

    This card will do whatever it takes to keep below 70° Celsius, it will scream like a lunatic if it has to, but it WILL keep cool... unless, you know, clog the fins with axle grease or something... :D 

    I was skeptical about buying this card because it was the second "slowest" R9 280X at the time, but its quiet when you don't need it and strong when it has to be.

    Both mine and the one presented are the goldielox zone for the performance/watt franchise.
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