ASUS STRIX R9 380 2GB Graphics Card Review

Introduction

ASUS is one of the biggest names in the enthusiast technology market; with a product range including motherboards, AIO PC’s, and even internet routers, they know a thing or two about what makes a good product. They produce some of the best graphics cards on the planet with such innovative designs and production processes, it can make other companies shake.

Today we have in an ASUS STRIX R9 380 2GB. ASUS has introduced an entirely new production method with the R9 300 series, called Auto-Extreme. This new process introduces a highly automated production line, increasing longevity by removing all possible human error and with the eradication of flux; this increases the quality of joints and components. The R9 380 also brings new technology and features to the table, with the full support of DX12, Free sync technology, and passive cooling; this is set to be a great enthusiast graphics card. Why not take a look at the Auto-Extreme process here:

The R9 380 range, in general, is based on the slightly ageing R9 285 graphics card PCB, this can only lead you to think why AMD want to push older technologies; is it to push more resources into new technology? We’ll find out today in this review.

The box follows a similar design to the rest of the newly introduced STRIX range. A striking outer sleeve with the key information and the essential documents to get you up and running.   

The cooling shroud follows a similar design to that of the previous STRIX cooler designs, this model also runs passively under low load circumstances.

Something ASUS always pleases me with is the backplate. Even on the lower models such as this, you get a stunning backplate that not only strengthens the card, but provides cooling support for the rear mounted components. Here we can see the behemoth 10mm cooling pipe, iconic of the DIRECT CU coolers from ASUS.

A close up on the power connection shows that this card gets all of its power from a single 8-pin PCI cable, great news for those looking for an upgrade with a lower wattage power supply.

At the business end of the card, we see the usual connections of 2x DVI, 1x HDMI and 1x DisplayPort.