Review: PowerColor Radeon R9 390X Devil

Conclusion

Enthusiasts seeking massive performance gains with each new generation of GPU will naturally lament the fact that AMD's Radeon R9 390X is essentially a 2013 R9 290X carrying a few modest improvements.

Such a sweeping generalisation would, however, be doing a disservice to what remains a competitive part. Now outfitted with heightened frequencies and double the frame buffer, AMD's third-best GPU is knocking on the door of GeForce GTX 980 and has to be considered a viable alternative.

The R9 390X's biggest challenge, however, is that the GeForce still holds the edge in most titles, and the Radeon therefore needs to be marketed accordingly. Fully aware of this fact, certain AMD partners are pricing their R9 390X cards from a new low of £310, leaving little room for elaborate SKUs that attempt something different to the norm.

Well overclocked and partnered to a unique hybrid cooler, PowerColor's Devil is the most adventurous R9 390X we've seen to date and certainly the most eye catching. Such elaborate construction suggests near-perfect operation, but there are a few chinks in the Devil's armour - noise and power consumption being chief among our bugbears - and PowerColor is at risk of over-thinking a card that could be a whole lot simpler and practically just as quick.

Bottom line: we can't imagine many have been awaiting a liquid-cooled R9 390X, but if such a card was high on your wish list, it's here and it's still cheaper than a GeForce GTX 980.

PowerColor Radeon R9 390X Devil

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TBC.

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