The smell of new hardware is very refreshing to me, especially the scent from that of a new graphics card. Of course, I am not just talking about any run-of-the-mill display adapter either. I am talking about those supercharged gaming graphics cards that are capable of pushing the frame rates and visual fidelity of our favorite PC games to the limit. The standouts and the champions are those that can do these wonderful things for us at minimal noise levels and power consumption; whilst occupying a small footprint inside of our living gaming rigs. The Radeon R9 285 OC WINDFORCE 2X from GIGABYTE accomplishes all of this in a price point that contends with NVIDIA’s GTX 760 and then leaves the latter in the dust when it comes to performance. That is what makes the Radeon R9 285 OC WINDFORCE 2X video card from GIGABYTE a winner.
The GIGABYTE R9 285 is based on the new Tonga Pro GPU, which is AMD’s next GPU architecture and is the follow up to Hawaii, bringing lower power consumption than that of Tahiti while still offering comparable performance. So what can we expect from this new GPU architecture? Why not get on with this review!
I would like to thank GIGABYTE for providing the review sample. This is a snippet from what GIGABYTE has to say about themselves on their website:
| GIGABYTE: Leader in IT Innovation
GIGABYTE was founded in 1986, establishing our uncontested position in continuous technological innovation. By focusing on key technologies and achieving strict quality standards, GIGABYTE has been regarded as an innovative and trusted motherboard leader in the globe. To keep pace in a rapidly changing world, we have offered a comprehensive product line covering Motherboards, Graphics Cards, PC Components, PC Peripherals, Laptops, Slate Devices, Desktop PCs, Network Communications, Servers and Mobile Phones. We are dedicated to building up a full-range digital life, responding promptly and sonorously to consumer needs and desires. Values in Consumer Experiences To”Upgrade Your Life” is the idea behind GIGABYTE which conveyed our core values of innovation and inspiration. We keep staying one step ahead of consumer needs, ensuring marvelous consumer experiences with products delivering performance, endurance, craftsmanship, and friendly interfaces. Our innovative designs and exclusive patents have constructed numerous valuable records and enhanced brilliant reputations with the public, including Ultra Durable™ 5 Technology, G1 Killer Gaming Motherboards with AMP-UP Audio Technology, Dual Port Thunderbolt™ Motherboards, WINDFORCE™ 5X SOC Graphics Cards, 2X Copper PCB, 24 Phase Power VRM Design and so forth. Furthermore, we continue to inspire consumer desires with products in multiple values, that include 15.6″ Ultrablade Gaming Laptop P35K and 11.6″ Tablet Padbook™ S1185. The P35K, with the swappable DVD-ROM/HDD slot, efficiently maximizes its storage capacity in the incredibly slim body of 21mm only. And the S1185, with its magnetically attached keyboard on the go, could be easily turned into laptop mode usage just in a snap. Services with Customer Satisfaction To offer professional and valuable services, GIGABYTE has built up a complete service network with hundreds of customer service centers, maximizing customer satisfaction around the globe. The delivery of customer experiences has been transformed into tangible and understood customer cares with online technical support and customer-friendly warranty program. We are customer-oriented from the very beginning of product development to the end of value chain. To achieve customer satisfaction, we not only deliver products in top quality but offer anytime-anywhere access of services and create new connections to customers with close, rapid and responsive services. Power of Continuous Inspiration As a Taiwan’s Top 20 Brand valued at over US$133 million, GIGABYTE has continually developed advanced technologies and innovative adoption to provide new ways of enhancing customer experiences. With over 10 thousand awards from media and authoritative organizations around the globe, GIGABYTE has gained reputation as a pioneer in motherboard and VGA innovation. As Asia’s Top 100 Tech Company in 2011 and with 100% award-winning of Taiwan Excellence, GIGABYTE has been delivering consistency and accuracy in response to consumer desires. In future, GIGABYTE commit to strengthening our unique position with key technologies, advanced innovations, quality assurance and customer services, leading pace to desires of consumers and the whole world beyond our door. |
