Asus is one of the well-known company among PC gamers and hardware enthusiasts and here we are back with another graphics card review with their ASUS’s R9 270X DirectCU II Top Graphics Card. This card is based on AMD’s Radeon R9 270X which has been given the codename ‘Curacao XT’ and uses the 28nm design process.
Now, that product name itself is quite a mouthful so let me help break that for you. First off, Asus is the AIB partner of AMD for this product (no surprises there). Direct CU II is the custom cooler that Asus have been working on for several years now and this cooler is the most updated iteration of it. It is 20% cooler and 30% quieter that the reference design of R9 270x. The “TOP” indicates that it’s an overclocked card which means that Asus has gone thru the GPUs and tested them to ensure that it can run on overclocked speeds.
Since this is an Asus “TOP” card, the ASUS R9 270X DirectCU II Top has a factory overclocked GPU running at 1120MHz from 1050MHz while the 2 GB of onboard GDDR5 remains at the same 1400 MHz as the reference design. This gives the ASUS R9 270X DirectCU II Top an advantage compared to stock R9 270X performance. It also features ASUS’ high-end DIGI+ VRM digital voltage technology and high-end custom components which helps overclocking this card with a breeze.
TOP-selected edition
TOP-selected 1120MHz core – 70MHz higher than reference for smoother gameplay.
DIGI+ VRM with SAP
DIGI+ VRM with Super Alloy Power delivers precise digital power for superior efficiency, reliability, and performance.
GPU Tweak Streaming
GPU Tweak helps you modify clock speeds, voltages, fan performance and more, all via an intuitive interface. What’s more, a simple online-streaming option function lets you share gameplay live – so people can watch as you play!
AMD Eyefinity Technology
Extend the view across up to 6 displays to immerse yourself in gameplay and entertainment.
CrossFire Support
Multi-GPU technology for extreme performance.
AMD HD3D Technology
Optimize stereoscopic 3D gaming and movie-watching entertainment.
PCIE 3.0
Delivers double the bandwidth per lane of PCIe Gen 2 for faster GPU – CPU communication.
Microsoft DirectX 11.2 Support
Bring new levels of visual realism to gaming on the PC and get top-notch performance.
The ASUS R9 270X DirectCU II TOP is a dual slot graphics card cooled by two fans. Asus also went with a red and black color theme which matches nicely to Asus ROG motherboards if you happen to own one.
The card requires 2x 6-pin PSU connectors for it to run and the PSU connectors itself are inverted which I found quite unique. This simple changes on PSU connectors means you can easily remove the power connectors without any hassle.
Taking a look at the sides of the card you can see the large heat pipes sticking out. Talking about what’s under the hood this card feature’s ASUS’s DIGI+VRM design so you have a total of 8 power phases. The Super Alloy Power components allow for 20% cleaner power and a 2.5x longer lifespan. They also have a 30% higher voltage threshold for enhanced OC capability.
A great performing graphics card from Asus with one of the best custom cooling solution out in the market. It is currently priced at around Php 11,500 which is above average (as expected from Asus) compared to other brands but the difference is justified. If you are out looking for a high quality graphics card that runs cooler with less fan noise this is the graphics card to beat. Bottom-line is, you really can’t go wrong choosing this amazing R9 270X graphics card from Asus. If you play games just for fan, and don’t mind not playing on Ultra Settings, then this is a card for you, especially if you are a casual gamer. But if you have the money to burn, go for the higher end cards, the R9 280 series will be your best bet.
Shout out to Lloyd Lopez who did this review for the Asus R9-270X! If you are around the area of Tarlac visit his shop for a quick game of Dota 2!
