“I have been getting a lot of questions from the PCDIY community on if or when ASUS would be releasing a non reference version of the R9 290X. I am very excited to report that the wait is almost over. To further this update I have what you are really interested in photos! So with that noted lets get into it and check out the new ASUS R9 290X DirectCU II.
ASUS graphics RD have been and continue to be hard at working taking the FPS beast that is the R9 290X and are tweaking it, tuning it and bringing all of our ASUS design magic to this card. What will come out of this process is another DirectCU II monster, in all the right ways. As always you can expect the quality to be top notch while retaining the hallmarks of cool and quiet operation, great build quality and overall attention to detail. The ASUS R9 290X will of course feature all the same cutting edge specifications and technology support featured on current reference R9 290X cards but will be improved upon helping to assure non reference also means superior than reference. This is no easy task as you know the R9 290X is a powerhouse and features no less than 6.2 billion transitors and 2,816 stream processors. When packing this type of power heat output and control of heat and ensuring nominal performance under load are very important factors. As such the R9 290X is FPS powerhouse but does have a high game load temperatures and the acoustics are reasonable but not quiet. Our goal as always is to ensure the experience of gaming is improved upon in all the ways that matter. This means giving you a consistent level of performance, lower operating temperatures in game and overall quieter operation. This trifecta when paired with the pure FPS performance afforded by the 290X really enables an outstanding gaming experience…” ~Source: Asus
As you can see it is a classic DirectCU II design with aggressive but clean red and black styling. Featuring a metal shroud and an advanced heatsink and fan assembly the R9 290X DirectCU II is readying to jump into some 2560 gaming glory or even 4K for some truly immersive and impressive gameplay. This is only a preview, so while I will not being going into complete specifics on the card or performance details I can flesh out some points.
Partial feature list of ASUS R9 290X DirectCU II
- High performance but carefully tuned and optimized dual fan design, ensures outstanding thermal dissipation while offering quieter operation. In addition features two dust proof fans for improved reliability.
- High quality and high performance non reference power delivery. Featuring Digi+ VRM which includes an advanced digital PWM for power delivery and control. The VRM is also comprised of SAP power components which include 5K SAP Capacitors, SAP ( fully molded ) high amperage chokes, SAP mosfets.
- A large heatsink assembly with advanced heat dissipation design featuring extensive internal fins and multiple direct contact continuous heatpipes. This includes a large 10MM heatpipe for further improved thermal dissipation.
- A VRM heatsink to ensure cooling for the critical VRM components.
- A backplate in classic high end DirectCU II design that not only offers a clean visual aesthetic but also aides in thermal dissipation.
