Review: PowerColor Radeon R9 290X PCS+

Conclusion

It has been too long a wait for enthusiasts who have been longing for maximum cooling potential on an AMD Radeon R9 290X. Meeting that challenge head-on, PowerColor has introduced a mammoth PCS+ design that occupies two-and-a-half slots, weighs over a kilogram and uses a trio of fans to provide a truly high-end air-cooled experience.

Factory overclocked on both core and memory, with further headroom available, this is among the most extreme single-card solutions available today. And, in knowing that the industry is shifting to more-efficient architectures at every turn, it's a sad thought to think that these ostentatious R9 290X boards may be the last of their kind.

Still, if you're looking to pick up a single-GPU behemoth before they go out of fashion, PowerColor has managed to strike a good balance between clock speeds, fan noise and cooling performance with the PCS+. And for extreme overclocking, there's a second BIOS profile that kicks the fans into overdrive to deliver some of the lowest R9 290X temperatures we've ever seen.

The obvious catch is price. At £499 with limited availability, stock shortages and premium positioning make it difficult for PowerColor's best air-cooled R9 290X to stand out from the similarly-priced GeForce GTX 780 Ti.

The Good

Factory overclocked on core and memory
Cooler and quieter than reference
Enthusiast-grade performance
Good overclocking potential
Built like a rock

The Bad

Not quite as fast as GeForce GTX 780 Ti
Pricey at £499, with no free games

HEXUS.awards

PowerColor Radeon R9 290X PCS+

HEXUS.where2buy

The PowerColor Radeon R9 290X PCS+ graphics card is available to order from Overclockers UK.

HEXUS.right2reply

At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any company representatives for the products reviewed choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.