AMD Radeon R9 280 GPU $279.99 Price Point Roundup
AMD has launched their Radeon R9 280 graphics card to try and capture the $279.99 price point, competing directly with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760. If you are familiar with the AMD Radeon HD 7000 series, then the Radeon R9 280 is basically a better version of the AMD Radeon 7950 GPU. The AMD Radeon R9 280 is based on the 28 nm “Tahiti” chip. The R9 280 features higher clock speeds and PowerTune over its predecessor.
AMD Radeon R9 280 GPU Specifications |
|
|---|---|
| GPU Architecture | 28 nm |
| API Support | DirectX 11.2, Mantle, OpenGL 4.2 |
| PCI Express Version | 3.0 |
| AMD PowerTune Technology | Yes |
| 4K Resolution Support | Yes |
| DDMA Audio | Yes |
| HDMI (With 4K, Stereo 3D, Deep Color & x.v.Color™) | Yes |
| TrueAudio Technology | No |
| AMD Eyefinity Technology (Maximum displays) | 3 with DVI/HDMI, 4 using DisplayPort, 6 with an MST hub |
| Video Codec Engine (VCE) (with H.264, MPEG-4 ASP, MPEG-2, VC-1 & Blu-ray 3D) | Yes |
| GPU Clock Speed | Up to 933MHz |
| Memory Bandwidth | Up to 240 GB/s |
| Memory Amount | Up to 3GB GDDR5 |
| Stream Processing Units | Up to 1792 |
| Required Power Supply Connectors | 1 x 6-pin + 1 x 8-pin |
| AMD CrossFire® Support (Maximum number of GPUs and CrossFire Bridge Interconnect required) | 4, Yes |
| Form Factor | Full height, dual slot |
Now lets get on to the custom models of the AMD Radeon R9 280!
ASUS Radeon R9 280 DirectCU II Edition
ASUS has released their version of the Radeon R9 280 with a reference design and their own DirectCU II variant. ASUS sticks to the AMD design for their reference model. The DirectCU II variant has slightly higher clock speeds of 874 MHz core clock speed, 980 MHz boost clock speed, custom PCB, and the ASUS DirectCU II cooling design. The DirectCU II cooling design features a conventional fan impeller combined with a lateral blower.
ASUS Radeon R9 280 DirectCU II GPU
Club3D Radeon R9 280 royalKing Edition
As part of the Club3D PokerSeries brand is the royalKing edition of the Radeon R9 280 graphics card. The Club3D Radeon R9 280 royalKing is factory overclocked to 960 MHz core clock speed, has a custom PCB, 210 W power consumption, and CoolStream cooling for maximum performance and minimum noise production per Club3D.
Club3D Radeon R9 280 royalKing
Sapphire Radeon R9 280 Dual-X Edition
Clocking in at 850 MHz and 940 MHz boost clock is the Sapphire Radeon R9 280 Dual-X graphics card. The Dual-X cooling solution has two aerofoil fans and graduated heatpipes for a efficient and quiet designed cooler.
Sapphire Radeon R9 280 Dual-X Graphics Card
PowerColor Radeon R9 280 TurboDuo OC Edition
The PowerColor Radeon R9 280 TurboDuo OC graphics card features a core clock of 855 MHz factory overclocked and a boost clock of 960 MHz. This card also features PowerColor’s Gold Power Kit which is a multi-phase design, DirectFET, and Digital PWM which helps with the overclocking abilities of this graphics card. The TurboDuo cooling design features GSG-shaped heat pipes, aluminum cooling fins, and dual 90 mm fans. PowerColor claims that this cooling design can decrease temperatures by 23% and noise by 19% compared to the AMD reference design.
XFX Radeon R9 280 Double Dissipation Edition
XFX has released two Radeon R9 280 GPUs. One is a strictly reference model based on AMD designs and the other is the Double Dissipation edition that is XFX’s own custom design. The double dissipation edition features a 1000 Mhz core clock speed without any boost settings that is factory overclocked.
XFX Radeon R9 280 Double Dissipation Graphics Card
The AMD Radeon R9 280 graphics card will be available this week and more to come later on. While AMD has set the price point at $279.99 I would assume that this price will fluctuate based on specific manufacturer and models as they start arriving on shelves. I haven’t seen anything from Diamond, Gigabyte, HIS, MSI, or VisionTek but you can be sure they will be launching their own card soon.