AMD Radeon R9 Nano Review

[jimmysmitty]

i wish people could understand this as well fanatic. just because there is something better, does not mean the product is useless and not worthwhile. the amd apu's have a great place in the market. it is just not the same place as an i5/i7.

this is kind of like comparing a ford to a mercedes. sure the mercedes is a better built car, but that does not mean that if you buy something less like a ford or chevy or hyundai, etc, you're just getting junk. it just means your budget was less or perhaps your needs were met by a lesser vehicle.

i don't need the $1000 high end i7 either but i'm not calling the $200 i5 junk either just cause there is a better cpu on the market. pretty much the same thing folks like to say about the amd apu's. if the $150 for the a10 is good enough, then so be it, that's why they make them.

The car analogy doesn't quite work. I worked in car sales for a while and after researching cars, those "better built" expensive cars have just as many recalls/problems if not more for some than lower cost cars. Unless it is a hand built car they normally will have the same issues possible. Mainly because most cars are built on an assembly line and all have a lot of electronics, which are the biggest cause of issues these days.

That said, the APUs are fine for low budget people. I wouldn't say they are crap, but they are hard to sell to anyone but the very low budget people.

The only thing I have against them is that AMD has been lacking on the upgrades around the CPU while Intel is boring full steam ahead with the other hardware upgrades. That stuff has a big effect on my buying decision and a lot of other peoples. Will I buy a system that has all the goodies available or one that doesn't have them? This can also extend the life of your system. PCIe 3.0, M.2 etc will allow you to continue to upgrade around the board and CPU.

Maybe AMD will catch up with Zen, maybe not. As for the Nano, it is a overpriced niche market product. I would not even build a mITX with it when I could built a mITX with a full sized GPU. But that is just me.

 

[cub_fanatic]

The car analogy doesn't quite work. I worked in car sales for a while and after researching cars, those "better built" expensive cars have just as many recalls/problems if not more for some than lower cost cars. Unless it is a hand built car they normally will have the same issues possible. Mainly because most cars are built on an assembly line and all have a lot of electronics, which are the biggest cause of issues these days.

That said, the APUs are fine for low budget people. I wouldn't say they are crap, but they are hard to sell to anyone but the very low budget people.

The only thing I have against them is that AMD has been lacking on the upgrades around the CPU while Intel is boring full steam ahead with the other hardware upgrades. That stuff has a big effect on my buying decision and a lot of other peoples. Will I buy a system that has all the goodies available or one that doesn't have them? This can also extend the life of your system. PCIe 3.0, M.2 etc will allow you to continue to upgrade around the board and CPU.

Maybe AMD will catch up with Zen, maybe not. As for the Nano, it is a overpriced niche market product. I would not even build a mITX with it when I could built a mITX with a full sized GPU. But that is just me.

I'm totally with you there. In fact, most mITX cases that support a full height expansion card and a full ATX size PSU also have at least one 120mm fan mount. So, you would be better off with the Fury X which is the same exact price and has only a slightly longer PCB which is still much shorter than most low to mid range cards out and about the same size as some so-called mITX cards. The Nano would have been absolutely mind blowing if they were able to fit it on a small form factor half-height PCB instead of a half-length one and keep it air cooled. I'm sure there are plenty of potential customers out there who own SFX Dell and HP OEM crap boxes who would love to be able to turn their flat little Sandy Bridge/Ivy Bridge i5 horizontal desktop or HTPC box into a full on pedal-to-the metal UHD gaming rig with two simple upgrades (you'll need one of the few available high wattage SFX PSUs to run it). Currently, there are very few SFX PCIe cards available and all of them are lower-end like the 750ti or R7 240/250. That instead of the actual Nano would have been truly game-changing.

 

[FormatC]

For your interest: I've modified a R9 nano with a new fan and cover - I was deeply impressed:

This is a short part from my upcoming article in Germany. I also oc'ed this better cooled card near to Fury X level (it takes then 280 Watts!). It makes no sense to increase the power target, but to decrease the noise level with the help of a better fan!

 

[freeuser62]

mehhhhhhhhh!!!!! this card is like zoltrix dial up modems!!

 

[littleleo]

When calling Anandtech a AMD fan site it's in regards to AMD GPUs, what can be said as a positive about AMD CPUs with a straight face.

There are a lot of positives, most of them having to do with their APUs, their great pricing and providing the only real competition to Intel in the consumer desktop market which is basically preventing a monopoly from charging us $600 for an i5 (ok, maybe a little exaggeration on the price). True, AMD doesn't have a CPU that beats Intel's flagship CPU in performance. The don't have a CPU that even come anywhere close to what could be considered Intel's midrange CPUs like the Core i7 6700K or even the last two i7's before it like the 4790k and the 3770k let alone anything in the Extreme series (basically anything in the Sandy Bridge/Ivy Bridge/Haswell Extreme lineup vs the FX-9000 series). They haven't been the top dawg in a while. But, all that means is that AMD isn't the absolute best. It doesn't mean that there isn't a single positive thing about their CPUs or APUs. In fact, their APUs could be what the future of gaming looks like for the masses. Intel still doesn't have an affordable single chip gaming solution that can drive a 1080p monitor in many games. Not everyone can afford a $200 GPU like the GTX 960 or a $225 CPU like an i5. The next gen lineup of APUs might include a chip with 8 CPU cores and a GPU that rivals an R7 370 or R9 270x for under $200. The work they are doing to bring cheap single chip gaming solutions to the masses can be considered nothing but positive.

On a side note, this is coming from someone who has 8 Intel PCs and laptops in my house at this moment and only one old rig with an AMD CPU in it from the mid-2000's (an Athlon 64 X2). I've another AMD, a Sempron, and a motherboard in a box somewhere in my garage that I know works but that one doesn't really count just like the half dozen Pentium II/III/IV's next to it in don't count either.

So how many APUs are you running? I my garage I had like 5 AMD motherboards and with CPUs from the old Athlon 3200 to the x2s and x4s and took them to goodwill and told the guy they still worked and I included RAM for them. They told me they would probably throw them away. Man, I was heart broken I couldn't even give them away, but the old lady said they go or I go, lol. Oh for the day when AMD made a decent CPU, and not this APU crap.

FYI, Microcenter is selling the i5-4790K for $199, not $600.

How many APUs have I ever owned is the better question. None. I'm not part of the class that needs cheap gaming chips. That is why I don't even buy consoles anymore. Consoles is the current gaming platform of the masses. How many original Xbox and PS2s are your local Goodwill accepting? That is my point, the APU is almost a disposable chip. It costs $100-150 and gives you solid gaming performance for around 3 years and then you go buy an updated one. The chipsets last longer so people spend less on intermediate upgrades. Also, reading comprehension helps: I said if Intel was a monopoly, their i5s would cost $600 (and I even acknowledged that was an exaggeration). Oh, and an APU is a CPU. Technically every consumer level CPU that Intel makes is an APU as well since they all have HD Graphics GPUs in them. The other part of my point is that being inferior to Intel doesn't mean there are no positives about anything AMD does in the CPU market. You are essentially trying to argue who is better and who has better resale value. That has nothing to do with positive attributes.

Don't start on the all CPUs are APUs deal again that is ridicules. APU is a marketing name by AMD it may even be trademark for all we know. Intel has never ever called their CPUs, APUs, and due to the amount of positive feed back on them I doubt they ever will.

The top of the line APU right now I think is the AMD A10-Series APU A10-7870K 3.9Ghz Quad core CPU with Radeon R7 Graphics priced around $129.99. THis is good for entry level gaming to low Mid level. If that is all you need I agree it's fine. If you plan to use a mid ranged GPU and want to be able to upgrade it's not a good choice.

 

[littleleo]

For your interest: I've modified a R9 nano with a new fan and cover - I was deeply impressed:

This is a short part from my upcoming article in Germany. I also oc'ed this better cooled card near to Fury X level (it takes then 280 Watts!). It makes no sense to increase the power target, but to decrease the noise level with the help of a better fan!

So I take it if you can modify the Nano you are getting to keep it?

 

[FormatC]

It works really, but I removed the mod last week because I need the original card for my reviews and not a "custom" card. The best way to get a perfect cover is to print it in 3D

 

[Tylerr]

why wouldn't you just buy a new case? It would be cheaper than this...

 

[FormatC]

But not so small.

 

[littleleo]

I sell more mATX towers more then anything else, then Midtowers, then Full size ATX, then once in a very great while mini-ITX. Wish more bought mini-ITX those parts are the most expensive in most cases.

I just can't understand AMD going with the HDMI 1.4 connector instead of the 2.0. on the Fury Nano and the Fury X. Most people use their TVs for their 4K display and just about all of those use HDMI inputs not display ports.

 

[Compuser10165]

I heard that they could have made the card an inch shorter but were limited by the length of a PCI-E slot.
Still, not worth 650$.

 

[littleleo]

Well I'm sure there are some for whom this is a dream come true I just think that segment is very small and isn't going to save AMD from sinking further into the red.

 

[MoonPAlm]

I agree with yuka, but i cant decide if it is or isnt worth the $650 price tag

 

[Kevin Davidson]

i wish people could understand this as well fanatic. just because there is something better, does not mean the product is useless and not worthwhile. the amd apu's have a great place in the market. it is just not the same place as an i5/i7.

this is kind of like comparing a ford to a mercedes. sure the mercedes is a better built car, but that does not mean that if you buy something less like a ford or chevy or hyundai, etc, you're just getting junk. it just means your budget was less or perhaps your needs were met by a lesser vehicle.

i don't need the $1000 high end i7 either but i'm not calling the $200 i5 junk either just cause there is a better cpu on the market. pretty much the same thing folks like to say about the amd apu's. if the $150 for the a10 is good enough, then so be it, that's why they make them.

 

[Kevin Davidson]

I agree I find that in most discussion's lead to AMD bashing like everyone is a rock star and can afford an I7 or an I5 for there daily driver my fx 8350 gets the job done just fine and has done the job three yrs now what about that in real world application and all for 185.00 no if that desn't make good common sense I don't what does! Well said Math Geek!

 

[littleleo]

I think i5s are not as expensive as you think if you can afford $185 you can get a good i5 model. It's not the top of the line but neither is the FX 8350.

Intel Core i5-4460 LGA 1150 CPU - BX80646I54460 Price: $184.99 & FREE Shipping

http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Core-i5-4460-1150-BX80646I54460/dp/B00JIJUBAS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1444782213&sr=8-1&keywords=intel+core+i5+4460+32ghz


It would be nice if AMD hits a home run with it's new Zen CPUs coming out next year.