PowerColor R9 295X2 Review

PowerColor R9 295X2 Review

Introduction

It’s not often that we get to kill two birds with one stone here at OC3D. Today, however, is one such day.

Dual-GPU cards have been in danger of becoming extinct as the performance capabilities of a single GPU reach undreamed of heights. Whereas once the 3870X2 and GTX590s of this world were the weapon of choice if you wished for the highest frame-rates, now the influx of games that were first born on consoles and thus are optimised for a single GPU is so prevalent and the performance of the top end cards such as the R9 290X and the GTX780Ti are such that a dual-GPU doesn’t appear to be something that the manufacturers are putting too much development towards. Instead we’re reliant upon third-parties to create the monsters that we knew and loved.

One such extraordinary piece of engineering is today’s review, the PowerColor R9 295X2. A card boasting twin Hawaii XT GPU cores on a single dual-slot card. We have to confess we’re drooling at the possibilities.

Secondly, it can’t have escaped your notice that the big push in screen terms is towards 4K displays. Even the most stubborn person will have realised that 3D was always going to be a gimmick that never gained traction. Any technology that makes half the marketplace feel sick will be shunned in favour of ever-more crisp definition. However, we know from our experience that all consoles and the majority of graphics cards struggle with anything above the regulation 1080P, so the 295X2 is the perfect card to see how realistic this “you must have a 4K display” thing is. Let’s face it, when HD TV is still broadcast at 720P, the infrastructure for 2160P is hardly there.

Technical Specification

It almost doesn’t matter what number you believe to be a high one, the 295X2 definitely has you covered. 4K support? Yes sir. More shaders than you can shake a stick at? You better believe it. The power requirements are enormous and, as we’ll see on the next page, not something that PowerColor take lightly. That 4096×2160 resolution is tasty though, huh.

Graphics Engine RADEON R9 295X2
Video Memory 8GB GDDR5
Engine Clock up to 1018MHz
Memory Clock 1250MHz x 4 (5.0 Gbps)
Memory Interface 512bit X2
DirectX® Support 11.2
Bus Standard PCIE 3.0
Standard Display Connectors Dual-link DVI-D / 4 X mini DisplayPort
OpenGL Support
CrossFireXâ„¢ Technology Support
ATI Stream Technology Support
ATI Eyefinity Technology Support
DVI Output Dual Link DVI-D x1
DisplayPort On Board(Mini DP) x4
HDMI Single (By Adapter)
HDCP Support Support
DVI 2560×1600
DisplayPort 4096×2160
HDMI 4096×2160
Board Dimensions 305mmx110mmx38mm
Minimum System Power requirement (W) 1000W (Power connectors capable of supplying 28A of dedicated current per connectors)
Extention Power Connector two 8-pin PCI Express Power connectors

 

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