AMD Radeon RX480 Polaris 8GB Review

[NeverBackDown]

I'm mad at Nvidia atm BUT: Asus PG279Q gsync working range 30-165HZ. MG279Q Freesync range 35-90HZ. Maybe that's why they 're cheaper?

They have 30-144hz ones too.

 

[BigDaddyKong]

Great review. Can't wait to see the aftermarket units when they come out.

 

[Dark NighT]

I'm mad at Nvidia atm BUT: Asus PG279Q gsync working range 30-165HZ. MG279Q Freesync range 35-90HZ. Maybe that's why they 're cheaper?

I have the MG279Q and on an nvidia card, and as long as i dont go over 144hz, which is highly unlikely on 2k and on a gtx 970, i dont need v or g or freesync.

 

[SeekaX]

imo Gsync isn't really relevant. I think FS is but barely and only because you can get FS 1080p monitors for the same price as a normal 144hz monitor. But in regards to 480, the 8GB version is $239 instead of $229 like they said, probably because of markups and demand. But still pretty darn good. Just bought my brother one for his Bday actually. I'm waiting for aftermarket coolers, as i'm moving to ITX.

Installing lightboost gets rid of motion blur and tearing as well and it's free and not limited to either manufacturer.
If i had to choose between the 240€ EVGA 970 and a 270€ reference 8GB 480 i'd probably choose the former, at least at 1080p, if the 4GB model wouldn't exist. A 50€ markup for some extra memory i couldn't justify at that pricepoint. What are 970 prices like in the US?

 

[NeverBackDown]

Installing lightboost gets rid of motion blur and tearing as well and it's free and not limited to either manufacturer.
If i had to choose between the 240€ EVGA 970 and a 270€ reference 8GB 480 i'd probably choose the former, at least at 1080p, if the 4GB model wouldn't exist. A 50€ markup for some extra memory i couldn't justify at that pricepoint. What are 970 prices like in the US?

Ranges anywhere from $280-350 but atm the cheaper ones have promo codes, presumably Nvidia trying to clear stock for 1060 along with hurting AMD sales of the 480. But the 480 is selling for $240 for 8GB models. XFX has one for $270 with a backplate and an OC, not worth it though. Either way all 480s are sold out or on back order for next shipment. I know Newegg gets one next week, but seeing how fast they went on backorder, that'll probably be gone to sold out soon enough. Funny enough, Newegg is the only etailer atm that has 480s on there website. Amazon or any chain stores don't either

 

[Tolemac]

IF this card surpasses my ageing R9 290X Vapor X "which is still a very capable card even at 1440" I will be impressed. We all know AMD cards are like a fine wine they mature well with age . This leads me to a number of options as to what I buy very soon

 

[NeverBackDown]

IF this card surpasses my ageing R9 290X Vapor X "which is still a very capable card even at 1440" I will be impressed. We all know AMD cards are like a fine wine they mature well with age . This leads me to a number of options as to what I buy very soon

I'm awaiting a more performance focused driver update for Polaris tbh. In some games it's better than a 970/390 but in others performance is way off, expected with a new card but still.

 

[Agost]

I had high hopes for this RX 480... but AMD has disappointed me again.

 

[NeverBackDown]

I had high hopes for this RX 480... but AMD has disappointed me again.

It performed exactly where it needed to? What did you expect? Fury levels of performance? I mean I wish it did but being truthful we knew it wouldn't, they are still great cards. Only disappointment I feel is temps. If they got that fixed the bad OC would have fixed itself and not be thermal throttling. That heatsink just isn't efficient at all. Just shows even with sipping power it still needs to be cooled

 

[Agost]

It performed exactly where it needed to? What did you expect? Fury levels of performance? I mean I wish it did but being truthful we knew it wouldn't, they are still great cards. Only disappointment I feel is temps. If they got that fixed the bad OC would have fixed itself and not be thermal throttling. That heatsink just isn't efficient at all. Just shows even with sipping power it still needs to be cooled

It's on 970 (a 2014 card) levels of both performance AND power consumption while being on a smaller node. It costs quite a bit more than expected ( €300 for the reference 8GB ) and it looks like it has a power delivery issue on the PCIe slot, since it's pulling more than the rated 75W from the motherboard thus potentially comproming system reliability; under OC it reaches 100W from the slot and 100+ from the 6 pin PCIe, which is not good since it's overclocking poorly.

AMD was clearly addressing it as a $200 card with $500 card performance. And it's not, we expected 980 levels of performance...

Moreover, currently 970s are cheaper than the 8GB RX 480 reference model, at least in Italy.

 

[shambles1980]

im a bit confused now..
but in valley my 780 )non ti) out performs the 480 pretty handily. stock it manages to beat the 480 oc. (although i have edited the bios a bit so my boost may be a bit higher than normal stock)
but with my OC i get a fps score of 75. when the 480 oc only manages 60.4 even at stock i manage 62.

Is something wrong some where?

 

[NeverBackDown]

It's on 970 (a 2014 card) levels of both performance AND power consumption while being on a smaller node. It costs quite a bit more than expected ( €300 for the reference 8GB ) and it looks like it has a power delivery issue on the PCIe slot, since it's pulling more than the rated 75W from the motherboard thus potentially comproming system reliability; under OC it reaches 100W from the slot and 100+ from the 6 pin PCIe, which is not good since it's overclocking poorly.

AMD was clearly addressing it as a $200 card with $500 card performance. And it's not, we expected 980 levels of performance...

Moreover, currently 970s are cheaper than the 8GB RX 480 reference model, at least in Italy.

Wth? Where did you manage to think of that? It's pulling 75watts from the motherboard and the rest from the 6pin.

It overclocks poorly because the cooler can't cope with it. Has nothing to do with power consumption.

it does 980 levels of performance provided you can cool it and overclock it. It's just how the 970 could do that when OC'd. Prices are more than likely becuase of etailers marking them up like crazy to make more. The US prices are exactly where they should be.

 

[SeekaX]

Wth? Where did you manage to think of that? It's pulling 75watts from the motherboard and the rest from the 6pin.

It overclocks poorly because the cooler can't cope with it. Has nothing to do with power consumption.

it does 980 levels of performance provided you can cool it and overclock it. It's just how the 970 could do that when OC'd. Prices are more than likely becuase of etailers marking them up like crazy to make more. The US prices are exactly where they should be.

I don't think saying the 480 reaches 980 performance by overclocking it is really a fair statement, because the 980 can be overclocked as well and then it's far ahead again. Either you compare stock vs stock or oc vs oc.
AMD did oversell it a little, but i certainly wouldn't consider it a disappointment. Anyone who has been involved with PCs for a while knows to take AMD's advertisement (or any manufacturer's really) with a large grain of salt, if you adjust your expectations accordingly i'd say except for the cooler it's performing within reason.

 

[NeverBackDown]

I don't think saying the 480 reaches 980 performance by overclocking it is really a fair statement, because the 980 can be overclocked as well and then it's far ahead again. Either you compare stock vs stock or oc vs oc.
AMD did oversell it a little, but i certainly wouldn't consider it a disappointment. Anyone who has been involved with PCs for a while knows to take AMD's advertisement (or any manufacturer's really) with a large grain of salt, if you adjust your expectations accordingly i'd say except for the cooler it's performing within reason.

You can compare it, a 980 level of performance for the money you get with the 480 is pretty impressive. Sure it won't beat an OC 980, but you still reached it's area of performance which is crazy at the price and power consumption. I'd wait till more mature drivers and AIBs before I make a concrete decision on it's closest Nvidia rival. I was expecting AMD to release a big driver for the 480, but all we got instead was a World of Tanks Xfrie profile lol

 

[Agost]

Wth? Where did you manage to think of that? It's pulling 75watts from the motherboard and the rest from the 6pin.

It overclocks poorly because the cooler can't cope with it. Has nothing to do with power consumption.

it does 980 levels of performance provided you can cool it and overclock it. It's just how the 970 could do that when OC'd. Prices are more than likely becuase of etailers marking them up like crazy to make more. The US prices are exactly where they should be.

Look at the rail analysis by Tom's. It's out of spec on the pcie slot

Sure it's thermally limited, but there's an issue with power too if a 40 MHz OC leads to 30-40W higher power consumption... and highly offloaded to the motherboard, too

 

[Kushiro]

Those DX12 results tho?

Still, doesnt seem like much of an improvement over a hypothetical 290x on the 14nm process and designed to support newer DP standards

 

[NubTurtle]

It's NOT the value king like many reviewers said so... if compared to last year, maybe yes. But now that the AIBs GTX970 price has gone down, with the already quieter and better performance in current gen games, then RX480 8G is NOT that impressive anymore.

Wait for the AIBs version with better cooling and overclocked?? It will just make the price higher to maybe $280- $300? and with worse power consumption also reduce the perf/dollar value... I better wait and save a few more to get reference or cheap AIBs GTX1070 with far higher performance after the price stabilized.

Also, if we look at the 14nm RX480 power consumption/performance, compared to the 16nm GTX1070. RX480 lost by a huge margin....

AMD latest technology is only comparable to a generation back of Nvidia's... not the current one... AMD is always one step behind.

So, is AMD BACK? I said, NO... AMD is still sucks.

I'm hyped up and really want to buy this card before, but luckily there is no available stock/pre-order at my place... I'll definitely regret after watching the reviews if I buy one...

For now, I'll better wait for the GTX1060 to come, or save a few more to get GTX1070 after the price stabilized.

 

[Doomslayer]

IMO AMD has improved from where they were but i still think Nvidia still have some cards up their sleeve.

I still think the 1060 will be the RX 480 killer maybe, same again will Nvidia price the 1060 around the same price as the 480 only time will tell.

AMD will gain some market share but i can't see them gaining enough to put any pressure on Nvidia.

 

[NeverBackDown]

It's NOT the value king like many reviewers said so... if compared to last year, maybe yes. But now that the AIBs GTX970 price has gone down, with the already quieter and better performance in current gen games, then RX480 8G is NOT that impressive anymore.

Wait for the AIBs version with better cooling and overclocked?? It will just make the price higher to maybe $280- $300? and with worse power consumption also reduce the perf/dollar value... I better wait and save a few more to get reference or cheap AIBs GTX1070 with far higher performance after the price stabilized.

Also, if we look at the 14nm RX480 power consumption/performance, compared to the 16nm GTX1070. RX480 lost by a huge margin....

AMD latest technology is only comparable to a generation back of Nvidia's... not the current one... AMD is always one step behind.

So, is AMD BACK? I said, NO... AMD is still sucks.

I'm hyped up and really want to buy this card before, but luckily there is no available stock/pre-order at my place... I'll definitely regret after watching the reviews if I buy one...

For now, I'll better wait for the GTX1060 to come, or save a few more to get GTX1070 after the price stabilized.

to the tally of people who think the 480 was supposed to be a revolution in GPU computing.
Midrange apparently beats enthusiast range everyone

 

[Tolemac]

I'll reserve my full judgement on the RX480 when I see results from one that has a waterblock on it and please Sapphire make a Vapor X variant of this card.