ASUS ROG Matrix R9 290X Platinum - Performance Test
IntroductionHaving assessed the recently launched R9 290X DirectCU II OC from ASUS, we now turn our attention to the ASUS ROG Matrix R9 290X Platinum as the top-of-the-line offering from the Republic of Gamers graphics cards series. This graphics card features factory overclocked GPU and memory, a 14-phase Super Alloy Power, Black Metallic Capacitors, along with ASUS' proprietary DIGI+ VRM digital power delivery design that was first featured on their motherboards. Besides that, ASUS also gives extreme overclockers the exclusive Memory Defroster, LN2 Mode, VGA Hotwire and many more features to break the world records. To keep the graphics card running cool, the Matrix R9 290X Platinum features the innovative DirectCU II cooling solution, coupled with a pair of 95 mm cooling fans. ASUS claims that the runs up to 20% cooler, three times quieter and 6% faster than reference Radeon R9 290X.
Specifications
GPU-Z Information
The Matrix R9 290X Platinum offers 2816 unified shaders, 64 ROPs, 176 TMUs, and 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 512-bit memory bus. Besides that, this card is factory overclocked to 1050 MHz for the GPU and 1350 MHz (5400 MHz effective) for the video memory, as compared to reference Radeon R9 290X (1000 MHz/ 5000 MHz).
Unboxing
The Matrix R9 290X Platinum ships in a large red box featuring Republic of Gamers theme.
The back of the box describes some of the key features and specifications of the graphics card as well as an awesome picture of the DirectCU II cooler broken down by each of its layers showing a little of what is behind the cover.
The Matrix R9 290X Platinum is a dual-slot solution measuring 11.7" x 6" x 1.6", which is slightly larger than the R9 290X Direct CU II OC series and comes with two 95 mm fans. One of the fans has a unique CoolTech design, which carries hybrid blade and bearing. This fan is capable of providing a multi-directional flow, to dissipate the heat effectively.
The Radeon R9 290X GPU chip is soldered at the middle of the graphics card. Based on AMD’s Hawaii XT, the R9 290X will support AMD's TrueAudio, Mantle, DirectX 11.2, and bridge-free Crossfire technology using CrossFire Direct Memory Access aka XDMA.
The custom PCB features DIGI+ VRM with 14-phase Super Alloy Power’s Japanese-made 10K Black Metallic Capacitors, concrete-core chokes and hardened MOSFETs to deliver a precise digital power for superior efficiency, stability, and performance.
The Safe Mode button resets the graphics card back to default frequencies and voltages. This is useful to get the card back to its original working condition and get the system working normally. The Memory Defroster jumper switch is ASUS’ brand new technology that will help extreme overclocking on the memory modules. This awesome feature defrosts the video memory during subzero overclocking to ensure stability and prevent cold bugs.
The memory chips are based on Elpida-BBBG GDDR5 that are said to have overclock ability not as good as the Hynix-AFR chip. It is disappointing that ASUS decided to use these memory chips on such a high end graphics card. It is very unfair for AMD lovers because ASUS is reportedly provides Hynix chips to the NVDIA-based Matrix GTX 780 Ti.
The graphics card requires a pair of 8-pin power input. It is an upgrade from the R9 290X DirectCU II OC which has 8+6-pin connectors. You can also see the VGA Hotwire terminals to wire the Matrix R9 290X Platinum card to the solder points on compatible ROG motherboards and you’re ready to overvolt and overclock. With this cool feature, you can gradually and safely adjust voltages to the GPU, video memory and phase-locked loop (PLL), either via the UEFI BIOS or from the operating system in real time.
There is no CrossFire connector found on the graphics card. With R9 290 Series, AMD started transferring multi-GPU data via the PCIe slot interface of the card. Also spotted, a tiny jumper switch that allows you to toggle between two modes: “LN2” mode and “Standard” mode. The liquid nitrogen (LN2) jumper switch unlocks restrictions on power target, voltage and overcurrent protection so you can unleash full power from the GPU.
The ROG Color-coded Load Indicator offers an instant and easy-to-understand display of current GPU load levels. For starters, if the LED glows red, this means the Matrix R9 290X Platinum is under extreme load, Blue for light loading and orange for medium loading. If the card is operating in safe mode, the LED will turn to green.
The rear I/O panel includes a pair of DVI-D ports, a HDMI port and a DisplayPort. These interfaces support up to three monitors simultaneously for Eyefinity setup.
The black anodized aluminum backplate’s unique design does add some aesthetic looks to the graphic card as well as provides extra rigidity to the PCB.
Now let’s take a look under its cover to see the build of the DirectCU II cooler.
The cooler comes with a huge radiator, which is connected with five anodized black heat pipes. ASUS utilizes the Vapor Chamber technology which is known to have a better performance than regular cooling systems.
Included in the box is a pair of dual 6-pin PCIe to 8-pin PCie Y-adapters, a ROG metal sticker, a quick setup guide and the driver/ utility disk.
Test Setup
Testing MethodologyThe Intel Core i7 4770K processor was overclocked to 4.625 GHz while all the graphics cards used were operating at stock clocks and stock cooler on air cooling. The Matrix R9 290X Platinum was set to “Standard” mode. Ambient temperature was around 31°C throughout the benchmarks.
The settings for in-game benchmarks are listed in the table above.
Software & Tools
ASUS GPU Tweak - an overclocking tool with GPU and memory tuning, overvolting, GPU load-line calibration and VRM frequency tuning, allowing for the most extensive control and adjustment parameters for maximum overclocking potential.
ASUS GPU Tweak Streaming - allows you to share on-screen action in real-time. Add scrolling text, pictures, and webcam images to the streaming window easily.
