AMD’s R9 390X was initially greeted with a mix of derision and hope. At first glance this “new” card seemed to be nothing more than a rebranded R9 290X which set a lot of people on edge since it actually retailed for more than the outgoing Hawaii-based card. On the flip side of that coin, when we originally reviewed the R9 390X we actually found it to be a good value since it included 8GB of memory versus its predecessor’s 4GB, faster GDDR5 speeds and a mature core architecture that allowed for lower power consumption and heat.
Whereas that original review featured an impressive Sapphire card, PowerColor is their hand at their own version. Dubbed the R9 390X PCS+, like every other competing solution it has been born out of necessity. AMD didn’t release a so-called reference spec (other than clock speeds of course) for this product so board partners are left to their own devices to design a PCB and associated cooling solution. Clock speeds are a different affair altogether since, according to our contacts, at 1050MHz, AMD’s baseline spec is precariously close to a maximum value that guarantees stability without some serious binning.
With that taken into account, PowerColor has been extremely conservative on their frequencies. The PCS+’s core receives a meager 10MHz overclock while the memory remains at default 6Gbps speeds. At least, unlike Sapphire, they haven’t been audacious enough to call this an “OC” version despite the miniscule increase. Memory is receives a similar treatment but without an overclock so it tops out around 6000MHz.
Even PowerColor’s pricing is right in line with their competitors. At $429 the PCS+ isn’t a dime more expensive than cards from the likes of Gigabyte, ASUS, Sapphire and XFX but it isn’t cheaper either. Ironically, despite this card being based on an architecture that’s more than two years old, the R9 390X actually stacks up against NVIDIA’s product lineup quite well. That’s likely due to the fact that the GeForce offerings simply doesn’t have anything to offer between the $329 and $499 price points other than overclocked GTX 970 cards.
This R9 390X can be distinguished by its triple-fan PCS+ heatsink but that doesn’t necessarily lead it to be all that distinctive. PowerColor has been using this cooler design for the better part of three years now and not much has changed since its inception. There’s still a trio of 80mm fans (most competitors have moved to 90mm or larger units), a double layered set of cooling fins, five heatpipes and a pure copper core contact plate. These are all pretty much par for the course these days but while a bit older, the PCS+’s engineering has stood the test of time and is still considered one of the best around.
Unfortunately, while relatively cool temperatures are virtually guaranteed despite the hot-running Grenada core, all of this cooling tech requires space. That leads to the R9 390X PCS+ requiring 2.5 PCI-E slots of height and a good 11.5” of length. While PowerColor has handily avoided the need to upsize on the width, they’ve sacrificed in other areas, leading to a card that may not be compatible with some smaller, more compact chassis.
While some may criticize PowerColor for their large cooler, it seems like they’ve added in a few unique touches to distinguish themselves. First and foremost among these is a full-contact heat plate that touches nearly every critical component on the PCB, insuring low temperatures regardless of how far the card is overclocked. In addition, the R9 390X’s 6+1+1 power design includes several of what PowerColor call PowerIR stages which boost overall current efficiency while also boosting current capacity.
Other than extreme overclocking, there aren’t many real-world uses for these advanced components so most users won’t end up realizing their benefits. They’re simply fancy marketing points. However, better component selection could lead to a longer-lasting graphics card, though that likely won’t be a factor if you plan to change it out within a few years.
One of the main reasons why this card is so long is the odd shape of the heatsink shroud. Despite the internal fin array stopping at the 10.75” mark, the shroud continues on for another ¾”. This was likely done to give the fans a better way to direct their airflow.
On the backside of PowerColor’s R9 390X is a full coverage backplate which is mostly for aesthetic purposes since it doesn’t actually make contact with any of the rear-mounted components. It does however look pretty good and will likely stand out quite well within a window-equipped case.
Moving on to the power connectors we see that PowerColor has decided to retain AMD’s usual 6+8 pin layout which is pretty much par for the course these days. We can’t forget this card has a massive TDP of 275W so even with these two connectors, the amount of current capacity for overclocking will be limited but it could also draw on the 75W provided by the PCI-E slot.
There really isn’t anything different on the I/O area either. There’s a single HDMI 1.4 output (HDMI 2.0 isn’t available on any AMD card at this point) a DisplayPort 1.2 connector and two DVI outputs of which one is a dual link.
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Whereas that original review featured an impressive Sapphire card, PowerColor is their hand at their own version. Dubbed the R9 390X PCS+, like every other competing solution it has been born out of necessity. AMD didn’t release a so-called reference spec (other than clock speeds of course) for this product so board partners are left to their own devices to design a PCB and associated cooling solution. Clock speeds are a different affair altogether since, according to our contacts, at 1050MHz, AMD’s baseline spec is precariously close to a maximum value that guarantees stability without some serious binning.
With that taken into account, PowerColor has been extremely conservative on their frequencies. The PCS+’s core receives a meager 10MHz overclock while the memory remains at default 6Gbps speeds. At least, unlike Sapphire, they haven’t been audacious enough to call this an “OC” version despite the miniscule increase. Memory is receives a similar treatment but without an overclock so it tops out around 6000MHz.
Even PowerColor’s pricing is right in line with their competitors. At $429 the PCS+ isn’t a dime more expensive than cards from the likes of Gigabyte, ASUS, Sapphire and XFX but it isn’t cheaper either. Ironically, despite this card being based on an architecture that’s more than two years old, the R9 390X actually stacks up against NVIDIA’s product lineup quite well. That’s likely due to the fact that the GeForce offerings simply doesn’t have anything to offer between the $329 and $499 price points other than overclocked GTX 970 cards.
This R9 390X can be distinguished by its triple-fan PCS+ heatsink but that doesn’t necessarily lead it to be all that distinctive. PowerColor has been using this cooler design for the better part of three years now and not much has changed since its inception. There’s still a trio of 80mm fans (most competitors have moved to 90mm or larger units), a double layered set of cooling fins, five heatpipes and a pure copper core contact plate. These are all pretty much par for the course these days but while a bit older, the PCS+’s engineering has stood the test of time and is still considered one of the best around.
Unfortunately, while relatively cool temperatures are virtually guaranteed despite the hot-running Grenada core, all of this cooling tech requires space. That leads to the R9 390X PCS+ requiring 2.5 PCI-E slots of height and a good 11.5” of length. While PowerColor has handily avoided the need to upsize on the width, they’ve sacrificed in other areas, leading to a card that may not be compatible with some smaller, more compact chassis.
While some may criticize PowerColor for their large cooler, it seems like they’ve added in a few unique touches to distinguish themselves. First and foremost among these is a full-contact heat plate that touches nearly every critical component on the PCB, insuring low temperatures regardless of how far the card is overclocked. In addition, the R9 390X’s 6+1+1 power design includes several of what PowerColor call PowerIR stages which boost overall current efficiency while also boosting current capacity.
Other than extreme overclocking, there aren’t many real-world uses for these advanced components so most users won’t end up realizing their benefits. They’re simply fancy marketing points. However, better component selection could lead to a longer-lasting graphics card, though that likely won’t be a factor if you plan to change it out within a few years.
One of the main reasons why this card is so long is the odd shape of the heatsink shroud. Despite the internal fin array stopping at the 10.75” mark, the shroud continues on for another ¾”. This was likely done to give the fans a better way to direct their airflow.
On the backside of PowerColor’s R9 390X is a full coverage backplate which is mostly for aesthetic purposes since it doesn’t actually make contact with any of the rear-mounted components. It does however look pretty good and will likely stand out quite well within a window-equipped case.
Moving on to the power connectors we see that PowerColor has decided to retain AMD’s usual 6+8 pin layout which is pretty much par for the course these days. We can’t forget this card has a massive TDP of 275W so even with these two connectors, the amount of current capacity for overclocking will be limited but it could also draw on the 75W provided by the PCI-E slot.
There really isn’t anything different on the I/O area either. There’s a single HDMI 1.4 output (HDMI 2.0 isn’t available on any AMD card at this point) a DisplayPort 1.2 connector and two DVI outputs of which one is a dual link.
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