Asus Radeon R9 390 Strix OC Review

Performance Analysis

The Asus R9 390 Strix OC performs right where it should; it's a little faster than Sapphire's R9 390 Nitro since it is clocked higher out of the box and it manages to stay within a few percentage points of the R9 390X throughout testing. Relative to Nvidia's offerings the Asus R9 390 Strix is 11.1, 6.8 and 4.4 percent slower than the GeForce GTX 980 at 1080p, 1440p and 2160p, respectively. Unfortunately, we didn't have a GeForce GTX 970 at hand for comparisons but based on the performance relative to the GTX 980 the Asus R9 390 Strix is definitely a faster graphics card than a reference GTX 970. Overclocked GTX 970s, on the other hand, may prove more challenging for the Asus R9 390 Strix to shake off.



The performance of the Asus R9 390 Strix is compelling across the board, particularly at higher resolutions, but what cost does rebranding old technology have for power consumption and heat output? Not surprisingly, the Asus R9 390 Strix consumes a sizeable amount of power, about 20W more than the slower-clocked Sapphire R9 390 and approximately 70W more than a stock GTX 980. The GTX 970 shares a virtually identical TDP to the GTX 980 so we'd expect to see a similar comparison there.



In terms of temperatures the Asus R9 390 Strix runs notably hotter than some competing R9 390s, in the mid-80s rather than the low-70s we observed with Sapphire's Nitro model. Primarily this is due to a conscious design decision by Asus to minimise fan speeds at the expense of higher temperatures. Throughout testing, the fan speed stayed at 40 percent duty which translates into just 1,400 RPM - a virtually inaudible level of noise given the size of the fans. During low loading, the fans on the Asus R9 390 Strix stay switched off until a temperature threshold of 60 degrees Celsius is passed.

Conclusion

Asus charges a premium on its R9 390 Strix with a suggested retail price of £299.99, other vendors are occupying the £250~275 price bracket with their R9 390 offerings. For reference, good custom-cooled Nvidia GTX 970s start at approximately £270 while equivalent GTX 980s begin at £390. Asus is potentially walking a tightrope with the positioning of its R9 390 Strix in that the R9 390 GPU relies heavily on a price-advantage to remain competitive with Nvidia while the Strix DC3 package is intentionally designed to be a premium segmentation. Asus does, however, offer a slightly cheaper DirectCU II model to appeal to more value-minded buyers.



The Strix DC3 cooling with the R9 390 is an understated performer. Prospective buyers may be unimpressed by the temperatures, but it's important to consider the trade-off that is made in favour of a dual-slot solution and quiet operation, many users would happily sacrifice lower temperatures for less noise output and Asus has clearly invested in this idea. The overall aesthetics and build quality presented by the R9 390 Strix are also impressive considering this is not a flagship graphics card. Asus invests significantly more attention into the details and quality of components used than other vendors in the same price bracket.

Whether build quality, quiet operation and a premium finish will be enough to tempt prospective buyers remains to be seen in what is a very price-competitive market segment. Value-conscious buyers will note than they can pick up cheaper R9 390s, which sacrifice some build quality and cooling efficiency, for around £250 while old R9 290 stock is still clearing the channel for as little as £220.