Asus GeForce GTX 950 Strix Review

[RedJaron]

Joex, the GTX650, 650Ti, 750, and 750Ti do not support SLI.

I think he was meaning that those older cards would not have been improved had they included SLI support.

 

[Mousemonkey]

370x, it's It's incoming, thought it was launched. 380 4gb should be wiping the floor with 960 and 950...seems off. Of course they use the slowest smallest 380 2gb they could find.

As the 380 is little more than a tweaked 7950, it's difficult to believe that you expected more from a GPU that's nearly four years old.

That's the sad thing, a GPU as old as the R9 380 is still most relevant for its price.
4GB is a must at this point of time btw. Every game engine maker is doing massive rich texture games, due to the 4-5GB available in consoles and their slower GPUs. This paradigm will not change anytime soon - it is much cheaper to make massive fast memory today, and future console RD will have even larger memory, i.e. which means larger rich texture emphasized game engines....NVidia should not cheap out on memory, but they do, and target their GPUs toward online casual gamers. This is a GPU dedicated to MMOG as Leage of Legends.

The R9 380 is not that old, it's Tonga. Much, much newer than the R7 370. Less than a year old, in fact, where the R7 370 is 3½ years old.

Is it really that easy to pull the wool over your eyes? :lol: It's a good thing you don't review graphic cards for a living is all I have to say.

The Radeon R9 380 is a rehash of the R9 285 which means it is based on the latest Graphics Core Next architecture. Still at its roots you will find a graphics card that is almost three years old now (the Radeon HD 7950).

http://www.legionhardware.com/articles_pages/his_iceq_xsup2_oc_radeon_r9_390xr9_390_r9_380,4.html

 

[logainofhades]

Tonga is still newer than Pitcairn or Tahiti. It is a redesign, and not a rebadge. It is more efficient, has features that the old rebadges lack, and and supports a higher level of DX12. Tonga is a new chip, no matter how you slice it.

 

[Mousemonkey]

Tonga is still newer than Pitcairn or Tahiti. It is a redesign, and not a rebadge. It is more efficient, has features that the old rebadges lack, and and supports a higher level of DX12. Tonga is a new chip, no matter how you slice it.

It has the same amount of Stream Processors, Texture Units and ROPs so that makes it a 7950 with a few tweaks in my book and I'm not alone in feeling that way about it.

 

[RedJaron]

Is it really that easy to pull the wool over your eyes? :lol: It's a good thing you don't review graphic cards for a living is all I have to say.

I'd like to think a Mod would be above insulting the forum users.

It has the same amount of Stream Processors, Texture Units and ROPs so that makes it a 7950 with a few tweaks in my book and I'm not alone in feeling that way about it.

Feel however you want, it doesn't make it fact. Perhaps you ought to read a review that goes beyond strict numbers and actually analyzes the silicon and resource arrangement.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-radeon-r9-285-tonga,3925.html

Despite what its specifications may suggest, Tonga is not a spin on the Tahiti GPU in the Radeon R9 280 and 280X. Rather, it is a new and condensed version of the Hawaii GPU in the Radeon R9 290 and 290X. Among other things this means it has four times the number of asynchronous compute engines, that's eight instead of the Radeon R9 280/280X's two. According to AMD this can improve tessellation performance from two to four times, and facilitates effects that rely on GPU compute. In addition, the Radeon R9 285 inherits the 290 series' quad-shader layout, allowing four primitives to be rendered per clock cycle instead of two. Also note the CrossFire XDMA block, which provides the possibility of multi-card operation without a bridge connector.

Tonga features four shader engines, each carrying seven compute units (CUs). Just like previous GCN-based GPUs, every CU is host to 64 shaders and four texture units, adding up to a total of 1792 shaders and 112 texture units in the Radeon R9 285. These numbers are equal to the cut-down Tahiti chip in the Radeon R9 280, but the arrangement of resources is different.

So, more async CUs, new quad-shaders, XDMA, and a different memory bus. But yeah, it's totally the same silicon. Saying two GPUs are the same just because they have the same shader count is like saying two car engines are the same just because they share the same displacement and valve count. If anything, you have shown that you should not be reviewing hardware for a living.

 

[Mousemonkey]

Is it really that easy to pull the wool over your eyes? :lol: It's a good thing you don't review graphic cards for a living is all I have to say.

I'd like to think a Mod would be above insulting the forum users.

It has the same amount of Stream Processors, Texture Units and ROPs so that makes it a 7950 with a few tweaks in my book and I'm not alone in feeling that way about it.

Feel however you want, it doesn't make it fact. Perhaps you ought to read a review that goes beyond strict numbers and actually analyzes the silicon and resource arrangement.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-radeon-r9-285-tonga,3925.html

Despite what its specifications may suggest, Tonga is not a spin on the Tahiti GPU in the Radeon R9 280 and 280X. Rather, it is a new and condensed version of the Hawaii GPU in the Radeon R9 290 and 290X. Among other things this means it has four times the number of asynchronous compute engines, that's eight instead of the Radeon R9 280/280X's two. According to AMD this can improve tessellation performance from two to four times, and facilitates effects that rely on GPU compute. In addition, the Radeon R9 285 inherits the 290 series' quad-shader layout, allowing four primitives to be rendered per clock cycle instead of two. Also note the CrossFire XDMA block, which provides the possibility of multi-card operation without a bridge connector.

Tonga features four shader engines, each carrying seven compute units (CUs). Just like previous GCN-based GPUs, every CU is host to 64 shaders and four texture units, adding up to a total of 1792 shaders and 112 texture units in the Radeon R9 285. These numbers are equal to the cut-down Tahiti chip in the Radeon R9 280, but the arrangement of resources is different.

So, more async CUs, new quad-shaders, XDMA, and a different memory bus. But yeah, it's totally the same silicon. Saying two GPUs are the same just because they have the same shader count is like saying two car engines are the same just because they share the same displacement and valve count. If anything, you have shown that you should not be reviewing hardware for a living.

I don't! :lol:

I do use the cards for folding though and the 380 IS just a 7950 with better power consumption figures than the card/GPU that it's "based" on.

 

[logainofhades]

But it is not, as it is a derivative of Hawaii, not Tahiti. Also the 380 is faster than a 7950/280. It will probably pull even further, with DX12, as it supports a higher level of DX12.

 

[Mousemonkey]

But it is not, as it is a derivative of Hawaii, not Tahiti. Also the 380 is faster than a 7950/280. It will probably pull even further, with DX12, as it supports a higher level of DX12.

Not according to http://www.anandtech.com/show/9387/amd-radeon-300-series/2

AMD R9 380 (Tonga/Tahiti) Specification Comparison
AMD Radeon R9 380 AMD Radeon R9 285 AMD Radeon R9 280 AMD Radeon HD 7950 w/Boost
Stream Processors 1792 1792 1792 1792
Texture Units 112 112 112 112
ROPs 32 32 32 32
Core Clock N/A N/A 827MHz 850MHz
Boost Clock 970MHz 918MHz 933MHz 925MHz
Memory Clock 5.5Gbps GDDR5 5.5Gbps GDDR5 5Gbps GDDR5 5Gbps GDDR5
Memory Bus Width 256-bit 256-bit 384-bit 384-bit
VRAM 2GB 2GB 3GB 3GB
FP64 1/16 1/16 1/4 1/4
TrueAudio Y Y N N
Transistor Count 5.0B 5.0B 4.31B 4.31B
Typical Board Power 190W 190W 250W 250W
Manufacturing Process TSMC 28nm TSMC 28nm TSMC 28nm TSMC 28nm
Architecture GCN 1.2 GCN 1.2 GCN 1.0 GCN 1.0
GPU Tonga Tonga Tahiti Tahiti
Launch Date 06/18/15 09/02/14 03/04/14 08/14/12
Launch Price $199 $249 $279 $329

 

[spentshells]

My goodness clearly the 285 is a derivative of Tahiti not of Hawaii..
Take a 350 engine, lower fuel displacement (memory bus) and add a turbo charger (mem compression engine like the one on Hawaii) that doesn't make it a v10.

 

[RedJaron]

Not according to Looks]http://www.anandtech.com/show/9387/amd-radeon-300-series/2

Looks like you didn't bother actually reading that article either. Nowhere did they say that Tonga = Tahiti. Anand put them in a comparison table because they're meant for similar markets and price points and thus they are very comparable. But they did not same they were the same. Did you even bother looking at those numbers before you copied them? Different memory bus width, different VRAM, different FP64, different audio abilities, different transistor count, a much lower TDP, and a different GCN generation.

Whatever happened to your vaunted claim that "these forums are here to dispel rumours and myths not perpetuate them."? Perhaps you should take your own advice and stop perpetuating myths.

My goodness clearly the 285 is a derivative of Tahiti not of Hawaii.

No, it's not. Try rereading that comparison table or better yet go read the original 285 review I posted.

 

[Mousemonkey]

Not according to Looks]http://www.anandtech.com/show/9387/amd-radeon-300-series/2

Looks like you didn't bother actually reading that article either. Nowhere did they say that Tonga = Tahiti. Anand put them in a comparison table because they're meant for similar markets and price points and thus they are very comparable. But they did not same they were the same. Did you even bother looking at those numbers before you copied them? Different memory bus width, different VRAM, different FP64, different audio abilities, different transistor count, a much lower TDP, and a different GCN generation.

Whatever happened to your vaunted claim that "these forums are here to dispel rumours and myths not perpetuate them."? Perhaps you should take your own advice and stop perpetuating myths.

My goodness clearly the 285 is a derivative of Tahiti not of Hawaii.

No, it's not. Try rereading that comparison table or better yet go read the original 285 review I posted.

Okay lips, prove it to me. Show me the chip at a hardware level, actual pictures of the silicon not a "graphic representation" I want to see the two chips side by side so the actual changes can be seen. I for one don't give a rats about PR bumf and whilst a may be a Mod here my views are my own and the compute abilities of a 380 do not scream "new silicon" to me. If the tweaks have been done by reallocating resources at BIOS level or lower then that could account for this "brand new" and way better GPU is no better than a 7950, if anyone reading this is folding with 7950 please post your average PPD.

 

[Sakkura]

Tonga is neither Tahiti nor Hawaii. It has the size of Tahiti and the architectural changes of Hawaii (and then some). You can look at it as an improved Tahiti or a scaled-down Hawaii; it's both.

 

[Mousemonkey]

Tonga is neither Tahiti nor Hawaii. It has the size of Tahiti and the architectural changes of Hawaii (and then some). You can look at it as an improved Tahiti or a scaled-down Hawaii; it's both.

Or it's Tahiti with more transistors that work thus more of the chip can be enabled.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

I just read about 25 posts of the most stupid argument.

 

[CRITICALThinker]

Tonga is neither Tahiti nor Hawaii. It has the size of Tahiti and the architectural changes of Hawaii (and then some). You can look at it as an improved Tahiti or a scaled-down Hawaii; it's both.

Or it's Tahiti with more transistors that work thus more of the chip can be enabled.

I will bold the important differences

AMD R9 380 (Tonga/Tahiti) Specification Comparison
AMD Radeon R9 380 AMD Radeon R9 285 AMD Radeon R9 280 AMD Radeon HD 7950 w/Boost
Stream Processors 1792 1792 1792 1792
Texture Units 112 112 112 112
ROPs 32 32 32 32
Core Clock N/A N/A 827MHz 850MHz
Boost Clock 970MHz 918MHz 933MHz 925MHz
Memory Clock 5.5Gbps GDDR5 5.5Gbps GDDR5 5Gbps GDDR5 5Gbps GDDR5
Memory Bus Width 256-bit 256-bit 384-bit 384-bit
VRAM 2GB 2GB 3GB 3GB
FP64 1/16 1/16 1/4 1/4
TrueAudio Y Y N N
Transistor Count 5.0B 5.0B 4.31B 4.31B
Typical Board Power 190W 190W 250W 250W
Manufacturing Process TSMC 28nm TSMC 28nm TSMC 28nm TSMC 28nm
Architecture GCN 1.2 GCN 1.2 GCN 1.0 GCN 1.0
GPU Tonga Tonga Tahiti Tahiti
Launch Date 06/18/15 09/02/14 03/04/14 08/14/12
Launch Price $199 $249 $279 $329

 

[RedJaron]

Oh good night, I wish there was an ignore feature on the forum. This is the last I will say on the topic because clearly you have no interest in actually listening to anyone except the voices in your head.

Okay lips, prove it to me.

I and others have already done that multiple times over. As have you, but apparently you don't bother paying attention to what you copy and paste. The technical specifications are clearly quite different, but you can't understand why that makes chips different.

the compute abilities of a 380 do not scream "new silicon" to me.

Ahh, so as long as you can't tell the difference, then it must mean they're the same? So among all the computer tech out there, if two components don't "feel" different to you, then it must mean they're exactly the same. Huh, good to know.

If the tweaks have been done by reallocating resources at BIOS level or lower then that could account for this "brand new" and way better GPU is no better than a 7950

Go ahead and backtrack if it makes you feel better, but you're not fooling anyone. You said Tonga and Tahiti were the exact same chip and card. That's not true. Neither me, Logain, nor Sakkura ever argued the 285 and 7950 didn't offer very similar performance. We said the chip and lithography were two different designs. It's no mystery that many companies often rework their products so they offer similar levels of performance but do so in different ( and usually cheaper ways ).

if anyone reading this is folding with 7950 please post your average PPD.

This is laughable. So it doesn't matter how different chips are, if they post similar folding results they must be the same? If they post near identical gaming fps, then they must me the same?

 

[spentshells]

Refining something in no way makes it new, I mean the 380 even actually has the 384bit interface just like the 280/x with part of it disabled or at least the 285 did. I'm astounded at the persistence to the contrary as it's baffling.

 

[jeremymau]

Disappointed at the launch price of around $220-$240 CAD. Nothing video card related here has any good price.

I will say it once and I will even say it twice, the best value in video cards today is the AMD R9 280x, it trounces all of the cards listed here with a price under $200. I actually got mine for $175 with discounts. If you are hard up for money, you can buy a refurbished card from gpushack.com which comes with solid 2 year warranty.

hard to get hold of new now - if you can theyre overpriced.
second hand you really really have to watch out for ex bitcoin minig cards that havent been looked after well

Yes, I don't see why jeremymau is downvoting you for no reason. It is true, just look at all these 280X's on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/MSI-Computer-Corp-280X-GAMING/dp/B00FR6XPL8

http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Version-PCI-Express-Graphics-11221-00-20G/dp/B00FLMKNE0/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1440104715&sr=1-1&keywords=280x

http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GDDR5-3GB-Graphics-GV-R928XOC-3GD-REV2/dp/B00H34J64M/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1440104715&sr=1-5&keywords=280x

Most are about $240.

He got a down vote because his claims of bit coin mining cards being sold on gpushack.com is not true. Bit mining cards don't come with retail boxes and accessories. Video cards are not even used for bit coin mining much anymore either since they use too much power, instead they use lower power ASIC setups. Also Nvidia cards are not really used in mining operations either, which gpyshack.com sells. Oh and they sell new cards as well. So once again, he got a down vote for making claims that he knows nothing about. I have bought cards from gpushack and they are in like new condition. Some of them have minute scratches and dings on the heat sinks which tells me they are factory seconds. Companies will not sell cards with such defects, they get sent to the pile that does not pass quality control. Either way, they owner of the company is reputable and the cards I have bought come with the factory warrant in addition to the gpushack.com 2 year warranty which they honor. You can buy an R9 280X for less than 175 dollars

 

[madmatt30]

Disappointed at the launch price of around $220-$240 CAD. Nothing video card related here has any good price.

I will say it once and I will even say it twice, the best value in video cards today is the AMD R9 280x, it trounces all of the cards listed here with a price under $200. I actually got mine for $175 with discounts. If you are hard up for money, you can buy a refurbished card from gpushack.com which comes with solid 2 year warranty.

hard to get hold of new now - if you can theyre overpriced.
second hand you really really have to watch out for ex bitcoin minig cards that havent been looked after well

Yes, I don't see why jeremymau is downvoting you for no reason. It is true, just look at all these 280X's on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/MSI-Computer-Corp-280X-GAMING/dp/B00FR6XPL8

http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Version-PCI-Express-Graphics-11221-00-20G/dp/B00FLMKNE0/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1440104715&sr=1-1&keywords=280x

http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GDDR5-3GB-Graphics-GV-R928XOC-3GD-REV2/dp/B00H34J64M/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1440104715&sr=1-5&keywords=280x

Most are about $240.

He got a down vote because his claims of bit coin mining cards being sold on gpushack.com is not true. Bit mining cards don't come with retail boxes and accessories. Video cards are not even used for bit coin mining much anymore either since they use too much power, instead they use lower power ASIC setups. Also Nvidia cards are not really used in mining operations either, which gpyshack.com sells. Oh and they sell new cards as well. So once again, he got a down vote for making claims that he knows nothing about. I have bought cards from gpushack and they are in like new condition. Some of them have minute scratches and dings on the heat sinks which tells me they are factory seconds. Companies will not sell cards with such defects, they get sent to the pile that does not pass quality control. Either way, they owner of the company is reputable and the cards I have bought come with the factory warrant in addition to the gpushack.com 2 year warranty which they honor. You can buy an R9 280X for less than 175 dollars

not that i care at all about the downvote but your attitude is a bit off imo.
I didnt even mention gpushack which is a purely USA site,these forums are worldwide not just the USA you know??

Bit mining cards don't come with retail boxes and accessories

??? you think bitcoin mining cards are some special versions or something?? a refurb or returned card could have been used for bitcoin mining & nobody would know at all - why wouldnt it come with its original box or accessories??

& youre right nobody uses these cards for mining anymore which is why there are shedloads of them all over ebay second hand (still expensive though for a second hand card) & there is a good chance of them being abused ,especially when a seller has 6 or more to sell.

gpushack may/may not be decent - I have no idea as like 50-60% of the forum members Im not from the USA so the site is of no use to me.
& if you check at the moment they have a grand total of 0 cards in stock anyway so the point is moot.

 

[Henk van dommelen]

@ mousemonkey

So a i7 920 is the same as a i7 6700k because they both have 4 cores with hypertreading?

 

[Mousemonkey]

Oh good night, I wish there was an ignore feature on the forum. This is the last I will say on the topic because clearly you have no interest in actually listening to anyone except the voices in your head.

Okay lips, prove it to me.

I and others have already done that multiple times over. As have you, but apparently you don't bother paying attention to what you copy and paste. The technical specifications are clearly quite different, but you can't understand why that makes chips different.

the compute abilities of a 380 do not scream "new silicon" to me.

Ahh, so as long as you can't tell the difference, then it must mean they're the same? So among all the computer tech out there, if two components don't "feel" different to you, then it must mean they're exactly the same. Huh, good to know.

If the tweaks have been done by reallocating resources at BIOS level or lower then that could account for this "brand new" and way better GPU is no better than a 7950

Go ahead and backtrack if it makes you feel better, but you're not fooling anyone. You said Tonga and Tahiti were the exact same chip and card. That's not true. Neither me, Logain, nor Sakkura ever argued the 285 and 7950 didn't offer very similar performance. We said the chip and lithography were two different designs. It's no mystery that many companies often rework their products so they offer similar levels of performance but do so in different ( and usually cheaper ways ).

if anyone reading this is folding with 7950 please post your average PPD.

This is laughable. So it doesn't matter how different chips are, if they post similar folding results they must be the same? If they post near identical gaming fps, then they must me the same?

This just proves your arrogance, it doesn't prove they are different chips so waffle away.

 

[logainofhades]

So basically the review at Tom's that said it is not a spin off of Tahiti was lying, in your opinion?

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-radeon-r9-285-tonga,3925.html

Despite what its specifications may suggest, Tonga is not a spin on the Tahiti GPU in the Radeon R9 280 and 280X. Rather, it is a new and condensed version of the Hawaii GPU in the Radeon R9 290 and 290X. Among other things this means it has four times the number of asynchronous compute engines, that's eight instead of the Radeon R9 280/280X's two. According to AMD this can improve tessellation performance from two to four times, and facilitates effects that rely on GPU compute. In addition, the Radeon R9 285 inherits the 290 series' quad-shader layout, allowing four primitives to be rendered per clock cycle instead of two. Also note the CrossFire XDMA block, which provides the possibility of multi-card operation without a bridge connector.

 

[Mousemonkey]

So basically the review at Tom's that said it is not a spin off of Tahiti was lying, in your opinion?

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-radeon-r9-285-tonga,3925.html

Despite what its specifications may suggest, Tonga is not a spin on the Tahiti GPU in the Radeon R9 280 and 280X. Rather, it is a new and condensed version of the Hawaii GPU in the Radeon R9 290 and 290X. Among other things this means it has four times the number of asynchronous compute engines, that's eight instead of the Radeon R9 280/280X's two. According to AMD this can improve tessellation performance from two to four times, and facilitates effects that rely on GPU compute. In addition, the Radeon R9 285 inherits the 290 series' quad-shader layout, allowing four primitives to be rendered per clock cycle instead of two. Also note the CrossFire XDMA block, which provides the possibility of multi-card operation without a bridge connector.

I remain unconvinced and if that is a problem for you or the author then so be it, my views are my own and that's not a breach of the rules as far as I'm aware.

 

[logainofhades]

No you are entitled to your opinion, but I don't want to mislead others into believing false information.

 

[Mousemonkey]

No you are entitled to your opinion, but I don't want to mislead others into believing false information.

I'm sure folk out there in Interweb land are smart enough to make their own minds up, hardware numbers and compute numbers being being pretty much exactly the same is a bit of a strange coincidence I reckon but it's up to people out there to believe what they want to. And as for false info you better have a word with Anandtech as I just linked to their article, I didn't write it.