The R9 295 thread - Reviews are in - Quiet, cooler, fast, $1500

[wand3r3r]

4-8-14

Reviews list (alphabetical):

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7930/the-amd-radeon-r9-295x2-review

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonev...on-a-promise-with-exciting-liquid-cooled-gpu/

http://hardocp.com/article/2014/04/08/amd_radeon_r9_295x2_video_card_review

[DELETED]

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/R9_295_X2/1.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-r9-295x2-review-benchmark-performance,3799.html


The first review is in.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonev...on-a-promise-with-exciting-liquid-cooled-gpu/

“We won’t make the same thermal mistakes again.” An AMD executive uttered this promise — and did so quite passionately — to me weeks ago, way before whispering a word about the Radeon 295X2 to the press. We were discussing the company’s Hawaii GPU reference boards, their noisy cooling solutions, and the reliable but white-hot operating temperatures. I took the statement on faith.

AMD delivered a constant 1018MHz GPU clock with no dips in performance. Whether it’s a few minutes or a few hours, you’re getting 1018MHz. I tested this using a 2 hour Furmark stress test as well as an overnight session of Unigine’s Heaven. That clock speed was unwavering. Not only is this extremely reassuring, but in real-world scenarios this dual-card is clocked even higher than a reference 290x. That should give you an idea where our benchmarks are headed.

1: A Radeon 295X2 is slightly quieter under load than two GTX 780 Tis. It is dramatically quieter than a single reference 290x.

2: A Radeon 295X2 is significantly cooler under load than even a single GTX 780 Ti. Nvidia has very efficient air cooling, but the cards still operate at a max temperature of about 84 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, the 295X2 doesn’t crest above 60 degrees Celsius while under heavy load. And gone are the days of your 7990 blowing hot exhaust back into your chassis — with an assist from Asetek, AMD got the thermals right.

(The 295X2 launches on April 21st, and we don’t yet know how Radeon Rewards — AMD’s tiered free game program — will factor in.

Looks like a home run, the price being my only concern. Compared to the titanicly priced competition it looks pretty good.


Edit: 4-2-14

Added links to 2 articles on Videocardz.com

http://videocardz.com/50114/amd-radeon-r9-295x2-briefcase-day

http://videocardz.com/50130/exclusive-amd-radeon-r9-295x2-preview

----------------------------
Earlier speculation....

Radeon R9 295 is a 500W card

http://fudzilla.com/home/item/34347-radeon-r9-295-is-a-500w-card

 

[lehtv]

If it's a triple 8-pin card, then its theoretical power draw is indeed 525W maximum. Dual 8-pin only goes up to 375W, and that's clearly not enough for two 200 watt GPUs...

 

[parvadomus]

If it's a triple 8-pin card, then its theoretical power draw is indeed 525W maximum. Dual 8-pin only goes up to 375W, and that's clearly not enough for two 200 watt GPUs...

It was enough for 2xTahiti. Hawaii is a much more efficient chip, doing a simple 50Mhz underclock + proper undervolt might do wonders, it might even consume less power than a HD7990, and still be way faster.

 

[Mondozei]

Two 290X draw 290 Watts each, so 580 Watt in total.

Since 295X is rumored to be a "full Hawaii", that means they must have cut down power consumption through other ways than turning off SMX-clusters(yes using Nvidia terminology now, but whatever) or in other cases gimping it.

Nvidia launched their 800M-series and were able to get significantly faster speeds due to a more mature 28 nm process. It's possible that something similar has allowed AMD to retain the full power but decrease the draw it has on your PSU.

(Yes, I'm aware that underclocking is also an option, but the optimist in me hopes for a card that isn't gimped from a normal/standard 290X while still retaining the power savings).

 

[DownTheSky]

They should pick the best chips, clock them @ 800mhz and 0.8v and call it a day. But that's not the AMD way. :thumbsdown:

It was enough for 2xTahiti. Hawaii is a much more efficient chip, doing a simple 50Mhz underclock + proper undervolt might do wonders, it might even consume less power than a HD7990, and still be way faster.

This. Though I was unable do undervolt my 290 for mining (black screen), I'm sure AMD won't run in such issiues.

 

[Attic]

I don't see how they can remove enough heat.

Maybe 850/1200 type clocks with big undervolt, but then why not just go dual 290x a this price range?


Not seeing how to cool a 290x dual gpu at stock clocks.

 

[el etro]

good cooled 290x draw on gaming 220-240 DC watts on Techpowerup test. 500w TDP seems to be a bit low rating for this dual-chip card.

 

[Vesku]

Summed up the two most plausible scenarios given 2 full Hawaii on one card:

1. Underclock and undervolt to come in at or under the 375W of (2) 8 pins.
2. Slap a hybrid air+water cooling unit on it and maximize clocks, blow past 375W

I'm leaning towards 1, myself, it means AMD can put on a quality cooler and counteract some of the complaints from the 290X launch. Then again AMD has a tendency to push their cards, with the 7970 being a bit of an anomaly that actually earned them some negative feedback.

 

[3DVagabond]

Not a card for the weak of heart. If power usage is a concern then move along, there's nothing to see here.

Considering one of the clues the press was sent was 2 cans of Pringles potato chips and a bottle of Hawaiian volcano water, I'd say the chances of it being water cooled are pretty good.

 

[realibrad]

AMD could underclock and undervolt the card, and still include enough pins to overclock and overvolt if desired. That would enable the card to use dual 8pin for stock, and the extra power would only be used when doing OC.

 

[Vesku]

AMD could underclock and undervolt the card, and still include enough pins to overclock and overvolt if desired. That would enable the card to use dual 8pin for stock, and the extra power would only be used when doing OC.

"Not quite quiet mode" and "Uber Uber mode"? Would go along with their 2 is better than 1 marketing, rofl.

 

[rtsurfer]

It is actually possible to draw more than 375W of power with 2 x 8 - pins & PCI-e slot.

People OCing their 780 Classys with modified skyn3t Bios have reported more than 500W drawn through the PSU, so I don't think that should be an issue.

 

[Vesku]

It is actually possible to draw more than 375W of power with 2 x 8 - pins & PCI-e slot.

People OCing their 780 Classys with modified skyn3t Bios have reported more than 500W drawn through the PSU, so I don't think that should be an issue.

Yes, but so far the GPU makers try to stick to standards with their out of the box cards. If there is a manufacturer provided mode, no user tweaking besides selecting it, where it draws more than 375W then it will probably have more than 2 x 8 pins.

 

[3DVagabond]

It is actually possible to draw more than 375W of power with 2 x 8 - pins & PCI-e slot.

People OCing their 780 Classys with modified skyn3t Bios have reported more than 500W drawn through the PSU, so I don't think that should be an issue.

Designing a card to do that could be an issue, though. I don't see the problem with throwing 3x8 pin connectors, a waterblock, and calling it a day. Maybe even try and make it single slot? That would add some coolness factor.

 

[Mondozei]

Chiphell, a Chinese site with a mixed record, is now leaking pics of the card on the internet. They looking plausible, and it would appear that there is a hybrid cooling solution instead of water only. The price is rumored at 1499 dollars, so half Titan Z's price. Interestingly enough they hint at a TDP of 375, instead of 500. This sound strange but maybe AMD can pull it off, stranger things have happened. (Or there could be two models).

http://www.chiphell.com/thread-1002731-1-1.html

I think the pics look genuine, but Im skeptical of the TDP value above all.

 

[NTMBK]

Water cooling may mean that they can keep the temperatures down, and lower transistor temps = lower power consumption. Just a theory.

 

[parvadomus]

It is 2 x 8 pin

 

[Skurge]

That is one ugly card.

 

[Rvenger]

It is 2 x 8 pin

I'm calling this one fake.

 

[sushiwarrior]

Underclocking? Don't think so. Now, I don't know about you guys, but those pics look pretty believable to me :whiste: :whiste: :whiste:

 

[VulgarDisplay]

I must be weird, but it doesn't look that ugly to me. Just looks functional.

 

[Rvenger]

The backside is what concerns me. The water cooling leads have no fittings on the ends which would limit flexibility by a substantial amount and you wouldn't even be able to reach it to the rear exhaust. Looking at the rear PCB, it looks like it was photo chopped towards the end since it appears to be more narrow.

 

[Subyman]

Oh boy, that is one terrible looking card.

 

[parvadomus]

The quality of the pic is bad, but I think its real.

 

[Face2Face]

It is 2 x 8 pin

Pretty sure that's real. This is what AMD posted on Twitter.

I think they are trying just a little too hard to look like a Titan cooler.... I wonder if one 120/140mm thin rad is going to be enough to cool two Hawaii gpu's?