XFX R9 280 Black OC Edition Review

Allan 'Zardon' Campbell June 25, 2014 Featured Announcement, Graphics

The XFX R9 280 Black OC Edition ships in a tall box which doesn't show an image of the card inside.

The bundle inside includes a Crossfire cable, some power converters and literature on the XFX range of power supplies. We advise you to install the newest drivers directly from the AMD website, rather than using potentially outdated drivers on a disc.

This is certainly an eyecatching card. The matt black colour of the colour is enhanced with the silver/chrome style edges and red stickers on the fans. XFX have ensured the black PCB matches the overall appearance.

The card looks great from any angle, and would look fantastic displayed as part of a build in a windowed chassis with LED lighting.

The R9 280 Black OC Edition is Crossfire capable.

It takes power from a single 6 pin and a single 8 pin power connector.

Two DVI connectors, a full sized HDMI connector and two mini DisplayPorts. It is EyeFinity capable, as we would expect.

The cooler is removed easily, exposing the PCB underneath – which is passively cooled by some heatsinks in key positions. The cooler itself is formed around a substantial copper base with 6 heatpipes. These heatpipes run straight into a rack of aluminum fins on one side. Two of them bend backwards into another, smaller, completely separate heatsink.