The PowerColor PCS+ R9 390 provides a great gaming performance at 1440p. It comes with 8GB of GDDR5 memory and quiet custom cooler with three fans and a backplate.
Today we’ll take a closer look at the R9 390 card from PowerColor. The full name of the card is PowerColor PCS+ R9 390 8GB GDDR5, with the part number AAXR9 390 8GBD5-PPDHE. It uses nicely designed, but oversized 2.5 slots cooler and a custom PCB.
Actually, a huge cooler is a must have in this case because the R9 390 is closely related to the R9 290, which is based on Hawaii GPU, the second fastest single GPU in the previous generation of AMD graphics cards. The Hawaii GPU gets really hot, but it provides a good gaming experience at 1080p+ resolutions.
The recently introduced R7 300 and R9 300 series graphics cards are not based on new GPUs, instead AMD is using rebranded older GPUs. Only the flagship Fury card comes with an all new GPU. The new lineup is depicted in the image below and it consist of Radeon R7 300 graphics card which should hold the entry-level, the Radeon R9 380 for the mid-range market segment, the Radeon R9 390/R9 390X for the AMD's higher-end lineup, and the flagship Fury a.k.a. Fiji lineup.
The AMD Radeon R9 390 graphics card is based on the Grenada GPU, previously known as Hawaii GPU, used in R9 290 lineup. It uses AMD's Graphics Core Next 1.1 architecture and to differentiate it from the older GPU, Grenada comes with a slight overclock for the GPU. Compared to the 947MHz on the R9 290, the R9 390 works at 1000MHz for the GPU.
The Radeon R9 390 [called the Grenada Pro GPU] packs 2560 Stream Processors in 40 Compute Units, 160 Texture Units and 64 ROPs.
The faster Radeon R9 390X packs 2816 Stream Processors, 176 Texture Units and 64 ROPs, just like the Radeon R9 290X. The GPU on the R9 390X got bumped up to up to 1050MHz from 1000MHz on the R9 290X.
The rebranded Radeon R9 290 also got a higher memory clocks and more memory. There is now 8GB of GDDR5 memory clocked at 6GHz, compared to 4GB of GDDR5 memory clocked at 5GHz on the R9 290 series. The memory still uses a 512-bit memory interface, delivering memory bandwidth of up to 384 GB/s.
The TDP on both R9 390 and R9 390X graphics cards is set at 275W and they both need 6+8-pin PCI-Express power connectors.
The PowerColor PCS+ 390 8GB got a very small GPU overclock, which is only 10MHz over the reference clock. This comes as surprise since the PCS+ R9 290 was clocked at 1040MHz for the GPU. Probably the memory overclock of +150MHz [600MHz effective GDDR5] is to blame for lower GPU overclock. In some cases in combination with the memory overclock it is necessary to lover GPU overclock to get better overall performance or stability. The memory is left at reference clocks as confirmed by GPUZ, shown in the screenshot below. Don’t be confused here, it is AMD who raised memory clock on the R9 390 card, not PowerColor.
The PCS+ 390 8GB cooler was originally designed to meet the demands of the flagship R9 290X and afterwards it was used on the R9 290. With minor changes it is in action again, on the R9 390. We expect it to do a great job cooling the PCS+ R9 390.
The PCS+ R9 390 8GB comes with a nice backplate too.
Below is the image of the PCS+ 290 4GB, and as you can see there is slight difference in the looks of the front shroud.
The current PowerColor’s R9 390 lineup includes only the PCS+ R9 390. The R9 290 lineup also includes R9 290 TurboDuo, a slower version clocked at 975MHz for the GPU. However due to the increased reference GPU clock from 947MHz to 1000MHz for the R9 390, we are not sure that the TurboDuo cooler will be used this time due to the higher thermal requirements of the new GPU. However, it is now used on the PCS+ R9 380, which is based on the less powerful Tonga GPU [also used on the R9 285].
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Reviews » Video Cards
Price: $329
PowerColor PCS+ R9 390 8GB Introduction:
AMD just updated its product stack with the R300 series cards and just about every AIB partner has their own special take on the series. Traditionally, PowerColor puts together some strong offerings that include the mild to the really wild as we have seen with some of the Devil 13 cards put out on the market. The card I am looking at today, the PCS+ R9 390, is closer to the wild side than the mild side. It includes PowerColor exclusives such as the Professional Cooling System to take care of the thermals, Gold Power Kit to take care of the power supply requirements, and a history of performance-based good looks.
This launch for AMD is about updating the product stack with tweaked and tuned tech from the R200 series cards, with increased clock speeds and improved feature sets to get ready for DirectX 12 and all the new tools it offers game developers that they have not had before. All things that really improve performance along with the user experience. The PCS+ R9 390 is shot out of the factory with the core and memory clock speeds boosted up 1010MHz on the core and 1500MHz on the 8GB of GDDR5 memory. Enough of a boost to really drive performance levels up a notch. The key is how competitive will it be out of the gate and when overclocked to its maximum potential? Only one way to find out!
PowerColor PCS+ R9 390 8GB Closer Look:
The outer packaging PowerColor is using for the PCS+ R9 390 is more reminiscent of the high end Devil 13 cards that usually sit at the top of the PowerColor product stack. A much better package visually than the basic packaging we normally see. A black and red theme is used to effect with the model listed prominently in the center of the box. Along the top and bottom are the list of technologies and features the PCS+ R9 390 8GB is equipped with or utilizes. The back side of the box is where you see some detailed information on the feature set, including PowerColor's Gold Power Kit and PCS+ cooling solution.
Inside the outer sleeve is a black box that holds the object of this review: the PCS+ R9 390 8GB. Held in a static bag in a tight cardboard enclosure, it is fairly resistant to shipping induced damage. The accessory bundle is about normal for PowerColor, unless we are talking about the Devil series cards. A driver and utility disc, quick installation guide, and 6-pin to 8-pin PCIe power adapter make up the entire accessory bundle.
Packaging, check! Time to dig into all that PowerColor has to offer with the PCS+ R9 390 8GB video card.
Is MSI R9 390 8GB good for gaming?
In our testing, the MSI R9 390 Gaming 8G manages to put up a very playable 44.3 FPS. This is a great result as it beats out the 780Ti, GTX 970 AND the GTX 980. A good showing against the competition here for sure.
What does the R9 390 compare to?
AMD Radeon R9 390 performance comparison.
What is the recommended power supply for R9 390?
The recommended PSU for an R9 390 is 750Watts but mine is only a 650W.
What games can R9 390 run?
Spiritfall..
The Sims 4 Crystal Creations..
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III - BlackCell [Season 2].
Age of Wonders 4: Primal Fury..
Astro Duel 2..
RAWMEN: Food Fighter Arena..
F1 24..
The Witch of Fern Island..