14 DAY TRIAL // ASUS has just revealed the ROG Poseidon GTX 780 DirectCU H2O graphics adapter, but it's not about to overlook AMD fans, so it has put together a pair of Radeon R9 290X video boards as well.
Even though high-end graphics cards don't really sell that much in comparison to mainstream and low-end ones, OEMs still launch lots of them.
Case in point, ASUS has presented both a stock-clocked Radeon R9 290X DirectCU II model as well as one with factory-overclocked speeds.
So while one is “limited” to a GPU frequency of 1 GHz and a memory clock of 5 GHz (4 GB GDDR5 VRAM over 512-bit interface), the other reaches 1050 MHz for the GPU and 5.4 GHz for the VRAM.
Both have a non-stock PCB though (printed circuit board) because while one might be left at normal settings, it's likely that buyers will be willing or even eager to overclock it themselves.
Same for the other one, with factory boosts. Sure, the lack of a second 8-pin PCI Express power might limit things, but with one 8-pin and one 6-pin, there's still plenty of headroom.
On that note, the cards have 10 phase VRM (voltage regulation module), which owners can use to manually tweak clocks.
As for the cooler itself, it combines the benefits of several 8 mm-thick nickel-plated copper heat pipes with those of a large aluminum fin-stack heatsink.
The heat is dissipated evenly among the fins, while two 92 mm fans (lateral+axial hybrid impeller design) disperse it, to much greater effect than the reference cooler.
A back plate is included with the cooling module, and red and gold stickers decorate the shroud as well, which is otherwise all black. Prices could go as low as £499.99 / €598 / $689 – $699. Check your local retailer or online stores to see if it's there.