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XFX RADEON Double D R9 280X 1000MHz BOOST Ready 3GB DDR5 2XmDP HDMI 2XDVI Graphics Cards R9-280X-TDFD

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#1 ·
XFX RADEON Double D R9 280X 1000MHz BOOST Ready 3GB DDR5 2XmDP HDMI 2XDVI Graphics Cards R9-280X-TDFD

Description:
The XFX R9 280X combines extreme graphics power with style and beauty. AMD Boost ready to ensure you get the maximum performance when you need it most and supports up to four monitors when both mini Display Ports are utilized.

Details:
DetailValue
BindingPersonal Computers
BrandXFX
EAN0778656065062
FeatureFeatures XFX Enhanced Double Dissipation Cooling3GB DDR5 MemoryXFX Lifetime Warranty - Registration within 30 days of purchase required
LabelXFX
ManufacturerXFX
ModelR9-280X-TDFD
MPNR9-290X-TDFD
PublisherXFX
StudioXFX
TitleXFX RADEON Double D R9 280X 1000MHz BOOST Ready 3GB DDR5 2XmDP HDMI 2XDVI Graphics Cards R9-280X-TDFD
UPC778656065062
CatalogNumberList - CatalogNumberListElementR9-280X-TDFD
Item Height4.4 inches
Item Length11.1 inches
Item Width1.5 inches
Package Height3.9 inches
Package Length13.3 inches
Package Weight2.6 pounds
Package Width6.5 inches
PackageQuantity1
PartNumberR9-290X-TDFD
ProductGroupPersonal Computer
ProductTypeNameVIDEO_CARD
UPCList - UPCListElement778656065062
Item Weight2.2 pounds
 

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#2 ·
XFX RADEON Double D R9 280X , Everyone likes a little Dissapation

review by f3ers 2 ash3s

Although there are many other reviews out for this card from other sites.. I have not research and found most of them are almost mirror images of each other and I don't feel that this card got a specifically good deal when getting reviewed. Which that brings me here, I have recently purchase this new beauty, a hefty upgrade from two gtx 460's in SLI.

EDIT: Currently purchased a new one This review is based on REV 1.0 The new Revision I got is 1.6 The Voltage IC and 2 resisters are missing confirmed to be part of the rev change from XFX directly MEANING at this time ALL REV 1.6 is VOLTAGE LOCKED


First off this card comes with 1x molex to 6pin and 1x molex to 8 pin power adapters. The adapters are a bit stiff but have un wrapped individual wires which can help with the looks of the case. I wasn't too worried as I have power pins that came with my PSU.
With the adapters the card did come with a CrossFire connector. It is of the tooth design. Although I do not have dual cards at this time. It looks like the card needs a longer cable.


The card it self has a sleek black design with dual 100mm fans. It bar far has to be one of the best looking options I have seen as far as graphics cards go. Just opening the box and pulling this out of the static bag felt like I was stepping into a high end Porsche or Audi. the black is accented with a silver trim that has been absolutely well done. The plastic seems to be a a little on the flimsy side, but is sturdy enough to where I feel comfortable that it will not crack.


The size was a lot larger than the GTX 460s that I had for comparison. The XFX 280x DD is an 11.1 inch card. So for any of you who have smaller cases make sure that you measure it out first.


The backside shows a true Black PCB. Not like some other manufacturers that the black looks like a dark brown. This only adds to the aesthetics that this card can bring to any build. There are 4 screws that hold the actual heat sink and top half of the card together, The rest of the screws hold a portion of the plastic in place and an internal heat bracket which will be shown later on.


The actual connectors that this card has for video output and sound is 2x DVI (there is a red and grey one. The red DVI is for the primary display) 1x HDMI and 2x Display port. This card will run 3 monitors however you must use adapters for the Display ports to achieve this.


As for the tear down, Here is a shot with the top heatsink removed. As you can see there is a well amount of paste sitting on the chip (a bit more than my what I like.) In the middle covering the Memory and VRMs you see a metal bracket. (this is held in place by the screws on the back side and 2 other screws on the front of the card where the display connectors are.) I do like this Idea as it adds to the thermal dissipation from those components.


Here is the heat sink. You can see that there are 6 heat pipes 2 are in a U like shape the other 4 are all in a straight fashion connecting to 2 sets of fins for the fans, Combined with the 2 100mm fans this is the true heart of why this card gets such low temperatures in comparison with remaining in a two slot form factor.
As you can see there is still an excess of thermal compound as well after removing the heat sink which although stock performs well can always be improved. Temps under full load at stock settings did not reach over 70c which is a huge improvement over other cards of a similar nature.


With the bracket removed you can see the general lay out of the memory modules with 3GB of GDDR5, Unfortunately I did not take a full examination of all of the memory modules however the ones that I did see where Elpida.





This is a close look at the VRMS and layout. I tried to get the best pictures I could however I have not yet had the time to investigate the quality of them. XFX states that they use a Digital Power.

The below is my attempts and what I needed to do. This is not a suggestion to do so and thus you of course with any type of overclock do so at your own risk
As for overclocking this bad boy, I had noticed the same results that other reviews had put stating that they have had issues getting anything more than a 50-100Mhz Overclock. Although the temperatures had remained very cool. One thing that they did not fully go through is the added voltage. It had taken me a bit to get the voltage roaring with more volts. Unfortunately I was limited by time so this section is not as detailed as I would like.

In MSI AfterBurner I had to check extend official overclocking limits and check Disable ULPS with the unofficial mode set to without Power Play support. These results are with an FX 8350 OC'd to 5.1GHz on an ASUS Sabertooth 990 FX R2.0 and Crucial Ballistix Tactical Tracer 1866 ram Overclocked to 2088 At Cas 8

Before doing that I was limited to a Clock speed Max of 1100 and I was able to however at that point to get the memory Overclocked to 1850.

http://www.3dmark.com/3dm/2089816 normal preset firestrike 7020 2k more than my SLI 460s OCd to 900

After ( I ran into issues with 3DMark test so I had to revert back to 3DMark11 Which personally seems to be harder to be stable.) I was able to hit 1210 clock and 1750 on the memory http://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/7769051

Both are Valid results and show that the other review on this Graphics card have not done any justice. As far as my overall experience I am quite impressed I have not reached higher than 72c with 1.3v applied which is pretty amazing for stock cooler on air. The only other card I have heard of doing this would be the ASUS equivalent but that is a 3 slot card.

The pros by far revolve around the looks and the temps due to the design. It not only is a beautiful looking card it houses a cooler of the same quality and though design. Overall the engineers have produced an amazing alternative to the way that graphics card.

As for the cons I would have to say the size of the card. Although this is becoming a standard size in the industry, for many people with smaller cases you have to do your research and make sure that it will fit. The wopping 11.1 inches is a snug fit even in my Haf 912 case

This may not be a most complete review, but I do feel that it has gone over some key tops. I in the end will be looking at picking up 2 or 3 more of these as the time and money allows. Even though the 280x is a rebrand on the 7970Ghz edition. It is a very well placed offer. Currently it is sitting at the $419 price point due to the mining rush for crypto currencies. I was fortunate enough to find a deal on it.

ProsCons
Aesthetic, Dissipation, Temperature, Size, Thermal paste.

Ratings
Overall4
 
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