Sapphire R9 390 Nitro 8GB (Rev 2 w/ backplate)

This is an unusual review – in that we have already reviewed the original Sapphire R9 390 Nitro 8GB, back in July this year. I was very impressed with this solution although I did note that the lack of backplate did cause a few hotspots to appear after intensive gaming sessions.

Sapphire have since then updated the card, pushed the core clock further, and added a custom ‘Sapphire' branded backplate to the PCB.

Sapphire asked us to revisit the ‘Rev 2 backplate' version of the hardware before Christmas and our thermal imaging camera shows a temperature reduction of almost 30c from the PCB to backplate. The Thermometer page earlier in this review has more information on this, along with direct captures from the thermal imaging camera.

The R9 390 may not be the fastest card that AMD sell in their current lineup, however I am still convinced that it is their best product. When you factor in the £269.99 price point and the overclocking capabilities of the hardware, you can save money over the 390X and overclock it to the same performance level. The latest Fury range of cards are certainly faster, but they are still very expensive and out of reach for most gamers.

You will be able to buy the Sapphire R9 Nitro 390 8GB Rev 2 with backplate from Overclockers UK for £269.99 inc vat HERE.

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Pros:

• fantastic looking solution.
• decent out of the box overclock.
• faster than the first revision card.
• triple fan cooler performs well.
• quality backplate included.
• no coil whine.
• faster than GTX970 for the same money.

Cons:

• demands more power than a GTX980 ti

Kitguru says: At £270 this is one of the finest graphics cards currently on the market.

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