Review: AMD Radeon R9 Nano

Conclusion

AMD most likely understands that it won't have clear consumer GPU performance leadership in this round of launches, with the GeForce GTX Titan X and partner-clocked GTX 980 Tis holding a reasonable advantage at a 4K resolution.

But winning the hearts, minds and wallets of enthusiasts doesn't need to rely on all-out performance. Instead, AMD is focussing efforts on extolling the benefits of HBM memory - in terms of power consumption and size - by promoting the small-form-factor nature of select Fiji-based cards.

Nowhere is this approach more keenly seen than on the Radeon R9 Nano announced today ahead of generally available in two weeks' time. Truly mini-ITX in stature, enabling shoebox-sized builds, the Nano is, far and away, the fastest graphics card of its ilk. In fact we feel as if the the R9 Nano is a harbinger of graphics to come; small on the outside belying the huge potential on the inside.

That potential does arrive with a caveat, however, as the card fails to reach its prescribed 1,000MHz core clock in any game. Rather, it opportunistically frequency and voltage throttles to maintain a circa-175W TDP, with the exact speed dependent on game. This is why it's markedly slower than the full-on Fury X.

But AMD needs to be commended on creating a pocked-sized card capable of 4K gaming yet we wonder if it's come too early. Most small-form-factor chassis manufacturers deliberately construct their cases with 10in cards in mind, allowing for high-end Nvidia hardware too, and the list of 'Nano-only' cases can be counted on one hand.

Then there's the cost, which at $649 is certainly steep for a card that benchmarks significantly slower than the also-small Fury X, meaning you're paying a reasonable premium for a slightly smaller card. AMD Radeon R9 Nano is ultimately a very niche product within the premium graphics space.

We reckon AMD needs to tie up with a number of system integrators and have the Nano released in compact PCs that truly take advantage of its diminutive size. A Scan or PC Specialist housing the card within a tiny chassis would make for an intriguing starting point.

AMD Radeon R9 Nano 4GB

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The AMD Radeon R9 Nano 4GB graphics card will be available to pre-order from Scan Computers.

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