Power, Temperature and Noise
We've hit a bit of a snag. Though PowerColor's factory overclock has little influence on in-game performance, it does take its toll on system-wide power consumption. We were surprised to see our test platform chewing through 382 watts - the same system outfitted with the Sapphire card consumed 15 per cent less energy when gaming.
That cooler, though. 62ºC under full load is nothing short of impressive, and we doubt we'll see an R9 390X run any colder than this.
But hold on, those ultra-low temperatures come at a cost. PowerColor's two fans (one on the card itself, the other on the radiator) do a grand job of cooling, but they aren't by any means quiet. Our test platform becomes noticeably more vocal even when idle, and noise levels go up a further few notches when gaming. You can always hear it, and there's no need for the R9 390X Devil to be loud - we'd gladly trade slightly higher temps for lower noise.
