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XFX Radeon R9 380 4GB Double Dissipation Review, Better than GTX 960?

When NVIDIA first released the GeForce GTX 960, they said that it was the best graphics card for 1080p in terms of price and performance. But when AMD released their Radeon R9 300 series, the GTX 960 may have a challenger in the form of the Radeon R9 380. Today, we are going to take a look at and review the XFX Radeon R9 380 4GB Double Dissipation graphics card. Like the GTX 960, the R9 380 also has a 2GB version and a 4GB version. Luckily the sample we got, thanks to XFX, is the 4GB variant. Can the GeForce GTX 960 hold its ground, or do we have a new winner for 1080p gamers in the $200 price range? Find out in our XFX Radeon R9 380 review below.
XFX Radeon R9 380 4GB Review

XFX Radeon R9 380 4GB Review

XFX released several versions of the Radeon R9 380. They have the 2GB and a 4GB variant, and each has its own Black Edition and Double Dissipation models. All of them looks exactly the same actually, and features the same cooling technology. But the Black Edition comes with a higher clock and memory speeds (out of the box) compared to the Double Dissipation variants.

The XFX Radeon R9 380 4GB Double Dissipation, the one that we have here, features 1792 stream processor with a core clock speed of 990MHz, just a tad higher from the reference one (970MHz), and a 4GB of memory clocked at 5700MHz, running on a 256 bit memory interface. The Radeon R9 380 is definitely not a graphics card for 4K gaming, it’s more suitable for 720p and 1080p gaming. It’s also applicable to 1440p gaming, but you will need to tone down the graphics settings to get better frame rates. However, it doesn’t mean you can’t use the R9 380 with a 4K monitor. You can use it; however, depending on the games that you play, you may not be able to get a playable frame rate at 4K resolution.

The Radeon R9 380 fully supports Microsoft Windows 10 and is compatible with the newest DirectX 12 Technology. DirectX12 is pretty much a hot topic right now, and it seems that according to latest reports, AMD may have an advantage or edge when it comes to DirectX12 with their current graphics card lineup. It also supports Vulkan cross platform. “Vulkan is the new generation, open standard API for high-efficiency access to graphics and compute on modern GPUs. This ground-up design, previously referred to as the Next Generation OpenGL Initiative, provides applications direct control over GPU acceleration for maximized performance and predictability.”

The XFX Radeon R9 380 4GB also features AMD Eyefinity Technology, Mantle and GCN Architecture and AMD Crossfire technology. When it comes to its core architecture, the Radeon R9 300 series isn’t actually based on a new technology, unlike the Fury (X / Nano) series graphics cards that are based on HBM technology. The Radeon R9 300 is very similar with the previous R9 200 series in many ways. But it doesn’t mean that the R9 300 series are not faster or any better than their predecessors.

The Radeon R9 380 also features the following:

  • 28nm Process Technology
  • Virtual Super Resolution
  • AMD LiquidVR Technology
  • AMD FreeSync Technology
  • AMD HD3D Technology
  • Display Flexibility
  • HDMI 1.4a
  • Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio Support
  • AMD App Acceleration
  • AMD PowerTune technology.
  • PCI Express® 3.0
  • Up to 6 displays supported, may require the use of DP1.2 MST Hubs.
  • Advanced GDDR5 Memory Technology
  • Enhanced Internet Applications
  • AMD App Acceleration
  • AMD TrueAudio Technology
  • Frame Rate Target Control(FRTC)

Aside, from the common features that all Radeon R9 380 graphics cards share, XFX’s Radeon R9 380 offers a number of unique features. I’ll discuss more of these features as we take a closer look at the graphics card on the next page.

XFX Radeon R9 380 4GB Specifications

Bus TypePCI-E 3.0
Chipset versionAntiqua
GPU CoreTonga Pro
Stream Processors1792
GPU Clock990 Mhz
Memory Bus256 bit
Memory Clock5.7 GHz
Memory Size4GB
Memory TypeGDDR5
Display Output1x HDMI 1.4a
1x DisplayPort 1.2
2x DVI
Dimensions23.4cm x 11.5cm x 3.81cm
Highlight FeaturesDouble Dissipation
Unlocked Voltage

AMD Radeon R9 380 Specifications

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Author
Peter Paul
Peter is a PC enthusiast and avid gamer with several years of hands-on experience in testing and reviewing PC components, audio equipment, and various tech devices. He offers a genuine, no-nonsense perspective, helping consumers make informed choices in the ever-changing world of technology.

5 thoughts on “XFX Radeon R9 380 4GB Double Dissipation Review, Better than GTX 960?”

  1. You shouldn’t be able to easily hit 80’C without really limiting airflow and holding a constant 100% load… furmark could probably do it. if you think you may have a fan issue or fan failure, we can send replacements free of charge. please let us know. xfxsupport.com

    Mark at XFX

    Reply
    • That’s right, 80C was the maximum possible temp and the fans were set to auto. The 80 is not constant as well, probably it went 80 at one point. We find the cooler to be very effective and they shouldn’t hit that temp on a normal basis. The temp should be just around 50C to 70C, depending on the environment.

      Reply

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