- 4GB 256-Bit GDDR5
- Core Clock 970 MHz
- 1 x DL-DVI-I 1 x DL-DVI-D 1 x HDMI 1 x DisplayPort
- 1792 Stream Processors
Pretty decent
10/07/2015
This review is from: MSI Radeon R9 380 4GB GDDR5 CrossFireX Support ATX Video Card R9 380 GAMING 4G LE
Pros:
1) Looks nice.
2) Good price.
3) 4gb ram
4) CrossfireX ready [ I don't see any chip on the card to hook up a crossfire cable but if I'm not mistaken, crossfire X doesn't require a cable only a CFX capabale motherboard ( I could be wrong )]
5) Wont need to upgrade for at least another 1-2 years (hopefully)
6) 4k ready and VR ready
7) I dont have a 4k monitor but the upscaling factor in this card is great. I pumped my resolution up to 3840x2160 and checked out a few 4k res youtube videos and i was blown away at the clarity
8) This card should handle most current and upcoming video game titles ( even with mods, thanks to the 4gb of ram)
9) The packaging for this card is very nice, but the foam container could use more thickness on the bottom ( In case of a shipping/handling accident )
Cons:
1) This thing runs hotter than advertised. I mean really hot, like 100F idle ( at times ) so my fans are always at 100% and i have 10 total case fans ( including the 2 on the gpu and the one in the psu )
2) The software that comes paired with this card doesn't even support this model. The only program I can use is the MSI Afterburner ( which is really the only one that matters )
3) It's really slow without overclocking.
4) Cannot overclock too high or your screen will go green and freeze your computer ( be careful not to set your profile to auto run at start up or you are locked out of your computer without a backup card to change those settings back to default)
5) This thing is massive in size and weight. My case is large enough to house it, but this thing is like 4 pounds and I am surprised it doesn't come with some sort of stand/mount to take some of the load off of the motherboard.
6) Doesn't come with any 6-pin pci-e power adapters ( it requires two ) luckily my 750w psu is semi-modular and I have several extras laying about.
7) The white LED behind the logo could've been RGB. The card is black and red and it would be nice to have an option to change the color accordingly. Its actually more of an off-white color and kind of looks a bit blueish.
8) For the price, you would think it would come with a little extra ( maybe an MSI Decal or Poster or some sort )
9) AMD is notorious for their shotty driver support, but when it comes to patching drivers for bugs, they are committed.
Overall Review:
I upgraded to this card from a Gtx 750Ti 2gb Ftw Edition.
So far i really don't see much difference, in fact, I've actually lost FPS in some of my games ( Diablo 3 Reaper of Souls, GTAV, FarCry4 )
Really wish the included programs worked. ( Using Windows 10 64-bit )
Hardly any support online about safe overclocking speeds with this card ( its not even 6 months old yet )
I wound up setting my OC to 1050Mhz Core and 1500Mhz Memory stable and I am just going to leave it at that for now.
I've been buying products from newegg for years and I have yet to receive any type of promo codes via email even though i am signed up. I did however, receive a Newegg sticker randomly in the mail one day. ( big whoop )
I was debating between this card and the GTX equivalent ( 960/970) and I kind of think i should've spent the extra on the other card but I am satisfied with this card, may grab another in the future for CrossfireX, although I doubt that I will since SLI/CFX isn't supported in a lot of titles ( yet )
Overall this a good card for the price, but if you've got a little extra money i would personally recommend something else a little beefier!
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- Lawrence M.
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Verified Owner
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Owned For:
1 week to 1 month
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