ASUS’ Republic of Gamers range of graphics cards has a great reputation because they have been designed by people who really do understand what the gamer wants. Today the RoG range has two new friends join the ranks – the Matrix R9 280X Platinum Edition and the Matrix R9 280X standard edition graphics cards. These are both powered by the AMD Radeon R9 20X graphics processing unit and have a bunch of cool technologies squeezed into the cracks for some extra oomph.
You will find their now famous copper-based thermal design for supreme functionality at high temperatures, the clever design ensuring that there is super-efficient cooling and airflow throughout so that gaming remains at peak. Another noteworthy feature is the RoG VGA Hotwire technology for overclocking buffs. Using this Hotwire system to wire your terminals to header connections on the motherboard, your card is set to overclock stun from the start.
There is an overclocking safe mode, however, for those of you who are still working on your overclocking skills. If you happen to make a mistake you can quickly restore default settings and the Matrix logo shows you the load level with a colour-changing lamp.
You will also find the DIGI+ voltage regulator modules and GPU Tweak and dual 100mm cooling fans. What these features add up to is two graphics cards that are up to 20% cooler and three times quieter than reference (you can find out the reference parameters here). Gaming is quiet, cool and stable. These are three elements that no gamer can really be without if they fancy enjoying themselves in any way at all. I think there are few things as annoying as roaring fans or overheating issues when you are in the midst of a great session.
Other notable elements include the exclusive RoG Edition of GPU Tweak that adds GPU load-line calibration, VRM frequency tuning and fine control over overclocking parameters and the Streaming tool that nets you the ability to share on-screen action over the internet in real time.
There is a bundle of fun wrapped in the Matrix R9 280X Platinum Edition and the Matrix R9 280X standard edition graphics cards making them well worth closer examination.
Tamsin