The large Radeon RX480 test roundup (Update)

Endless Roundup and Depth Testing Many will of course wonder why we made the roundup for the Radeon RX480 only now, or why we did the roundup for the Radeon RX480. have begun. But firstly, we have fundamentally changed the division of labour within the editorial office, as well as new... Apart from the fact that AMD appears at the front in the alphabetically sorted order, we also deliberately put the reference map of the Radeon RX480 first. Although these cards always have to fight with their reputation, worse than Boardp... Better to be really big and just do nothing wrong! The Asus RX480 Strix is not only an impressive visual appearance with three fans, but also a very successful compromise of reason and performance. Why we use this as an introduction to... Noun est Omen? With the Roaring Turbo, HIS performs well at GPU clock speed, but the fans will certainly get a lot to do. In the end, the fearful question remains whether the roaring is now based on performance, noise or ... MsI relies on tried-and-tested radiator technology for the RX480 Gaming X 8G and remains reasonably true to itself. With the clock, the predetermined 1303 MHz sets the boost to a good, but not the highest possible factory overclocking. Additionally... One thing you have to leave Powercolor: you are often pleasantly surprised. Instead of smashing the last spark of efficiency out of the Polaris 10 card, like many others, the Red-Devil has really found a really successful compromise, the Ell... The Sapphire RX480 Nitro+ was one of the first cards to be available relatively shortly after launch, albeit initially in fairly manageable quantities. Compared to the simpler (and slightly newer) Nitro, it also offers a wide-world... With the XFX RX480 GTR Black Edition (BE) we are now testing a card that is almost identical to the HIS RX480 IceQ X2 Roaring Turbo. The biggest difference is in the radiator cover and the installed fans, as well as a slightly different firmware. mal... Introduction We test all cards generally in closed housing and in completely warmed up condition to eliminate unfair differences in boost clock. In addition, all benchmarks generally run with six runs - the first of which is always... Power consumption First of all, we compare all graphics cards in direct comparison in a gallery in terms of power consumption in the main areas of gaming loop, stress test and idle, all of which are in exactly this order as balk... Summary In general, even after the test, exactly the same as we wrote in the introduction applies. Whoever buys a Radeon RX480 will certainly have its legitimate reasons for doing so. But while the differences between the individual...

Summary

In general, even after the test, exactly the same as we wrote in the introduction applies. Whoever buys a Radeon RX480 will certainly have its legitimate reasons for doing so. However, while the differences between the individual board partner cards in terms of clock (and thus also the gaming performance) are quite small, the overall concepts of the manufacturers are all the more different for the individual models. This applies to cooling and noise emission, as well as efficiency and compliance with existing specifications and standards.

That's why we don't judge AMD's Polaris GPU as such, which may have its advantages but also disadvantages compared to Nvidia's comparison model, but only the technical implementation of the concrete graphics card as such. For a better overview, we will therefore list all models tested so far and their most important features and will of course add to this list when we have added new maps to this roundup.

AMD RX480 Reference

We can recommend the reference card to all those who have little space in the housing and who would like to know the waste heat almost completely directly via the back of the housing. The noise is good average, the gaming performance is also. Result: Approved (Tested)

Per	Cons
Space-saving and lightweight Direct waste heat dissipation Even under load not too loud Relatively economical Sufficient gaming performance	Only with the driver option enabled an overload on the PCIe Mainboard connection avoided

Asus RX480 Strix

The map of Asus scores with its very balanced overall concept and very good and quiet cooling. Hardly slower than the fastest cards in the test, it is much more efficient and economical. Result: Editor's recommendation if it is to be a Radeon RX480.

Per	Cons
Barely audible even under load Relatively economical, despite factory OC Good gaming performance Balanced overall picture	Pretty long Cooling of the memory modules could be improved

HIS RX480 IceQ X2 Roaring Turbo

Why the manufacturer ignores the existing standards in load distribution is not logically understandable. Although this card is the fastest card in the test so far, the cooling of which also offers hardly any real criticisms, it simply suffers from the fact that a nearly 30% exceedther of the permissible maximum currents on the motherboard slot is simply not acceptable. Result: no recommendation, despite good approaches.

Per	Cons
Acceptable volume Good cooler Good gaming performance Striking Extra	Acute standard violation (PCI SIG) Unsuitable for older motherboards

MSI RX480 Gaming 8G

MSI actually does almost everything right with this card and just clings a little too aggressively to a target temperature set too low in the fan control. With manual adjustment to your own circumstances, the card can quickly become the ideal companion if you want it to be quiet and fast. With the factory settings, however, it requires a very well ventilated housing, so that it does not act too loudly at the end under a longer load. Result: Solid buying tip for experimenters.

Per	Cons
Very good cooler Relatively quiet as long as the airflow is correct Good gaming performance Very balanced overall picture	Requires a well-ventilated housing Manual reworking of the fan curve is necessary Power limit set too high

Powercolor RX480 Red Devil

The Powercolor card is the most efficient in the field, with a very balanced overall concept and has a very quiet cooling, even if the GPU should have been a little cooler. Power consumption and efficiency even undercut the reference card with slightly better gaming performance. Here, the best and good quality win over squeezing out the last FPS.

Per	Cons
Barely audible even under load Relatively economical, despite factory OC Acceptable gaming performance Very good overall picture	Pretty long Two radiator screws do not have enough Thread length for maximum contact pressure

Sapphire RX480 Nitro+

Actually pleasantly small and cuddly, the card must then leave very clearly audible springs during cooling. The factory clock is set far too high for the rather small cooler and the Silent-BIOS is hardly suitable to operate the card really quietly. If you really use this option, you would almost be better served with the reference card. Result: acceptable and space-saving racing with an unaudiued demeanor.

Per	Cons
Small dimensions Good gaming performance	Undersized cooler Far too loud Clock drops under long full load

XFX RX480 GTR Black Edition

Since both boards are identical in construction, this card has the same problem as the HIS card. Why the manufacturer ignores the existing standards in load distribution is not logically comprehensible and so the Black Edition ledier becomes a blackout edition. This card, along with his sister, is the fastest card in the test field, but it simply suffers from the 27% exceedther allowable maximum currents on the motherboard slot. This is simply unacceptable and prevents any recommendations from the editors.

Per	Cons
Low operating noise Good cooler Good gaming performance Interchangeable fan inserts	Acute standard violation (PCI SIG) Unsuitable for older motherboards

Conclusion

A Radeon RX480 can also be operated quietly and reasonably efficiently if the manufacturer does not overdo it pointlessly in terms of factory specifications. The Roundup also shows very clearly how differently the manufacturers interpret this task and what comes out in the end. The cards are not and will not be overclocking wonders. Knowing this circumstance, Powercolor and Asus obviously understood the goal best and delivered a really balanced and above all reasonable product.

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