Rx 580 strix review: Asus ROG Strix Radeon RX 580 Desktop Graphics Card Review

ASUS ROG STRIX RX580 Review


Rakesh Sharma
June 20, 2017   4429

ASUS ROG STRIX RX580 Review

ASUS ROG STRIX RX580 Review

We have earlier experienced the AMD’s new refreshed Polaris architecture for their new RX5 series of GPUs with Aorus RX570 GPU which was nothing more that slight higher clocked and refreshed version of older RX470 gpu targeted with gaming on a budget in mind.

Today we are reviewing the big brother of RX570 graphics card from ASUS ROG series a ASUS ROG STRIX RX580 OC edition with 8GB of GDDR5 memory along with Aura Sync RGB lighting.

Being a ROG product the ASUS STRIX RX580 is clocked higher that the reference RX580 with graphics engine clocked upto 1380 MHz in OC Mode and 1360MHz in Gaming Mode, all powered via a single 8-pin PCI-e power connector.

Now let’s see what this ASUS STRIX RX580 has for us.

Features

ROG Strix Radeon RX 580 gaming graphics cards are packed with exclusive ASUS technologies, including all-new MaxContact Technology that is 2X more contact with GPU for improved thermal transfer, and Patented Wing-Blade IP5X-Certified Fans for maximum airflow and longer fan lifespan. While ASUS FanConnect II features 4-pin, hybrid-controlled headers connected to system fans for optimal system cooling. ASUS Aura Sync RGB LED synchronization enables a gaming system personalization and VR-friendly HDMI ports let gamers easily enjoy immersive virtual reality experiences. ROG Strix Radeon RX 580 also has GPU Tweak II with XSplit Gamecaster that provides intuitive performance tweaking and instant gameplay streaming.

  • MaxContact Technology that is 2X more contact with GPU for improved thermal transfer.
  • Patented Wing-Blade IP5X-Certified Fans for maximum airflow and longer fan lifespan.
  • ASUS FanConnect II equips with hybrid controlled fan headers for optimal system cooling.
  • Industry Only Auto-Extreme Technology with Super Alloy Power II delivers premium quality and best reliability.
  • ASUS Aura Sync RGB LED synchronization enables a gaming system personalization.
  • VR-friendly HDMI ports let you enjoy VR experiences anytime without having to swap cables.
  • GPU Tweak II with XSplit Gamecaster provides intuitive performance tweaking and real-time streaming.

PREMIUM QUALITY AND BEST RELIABILITY — Auto-Extreme Technology

Industry-only 100% Automated Production Process. All ASUS graphics cards are now produced using Auto-Extreme Technology, an industry-exclusive, 100% automated production process that incorporates premium materials to set a new standard of quality. Auto-Extreme Technology ensures consistent graphics card quality as well as improved performance and longevity. Since the introduction of Auto-Extreme technology, reliability has improved by 30%. This new manufacturing process is also environmentally friendly, eliminating harsh chemicals and reducing power consumption by 50%.

7+1 Phase Super Alloy Power II
Enhanced Durability and Efficiency. ASUS engineers have integrated premium alloy components into their graphics card designs to reinforce overall reliability. Super Alloy Power II components greatly enhance efficiency, reduce power loss and achieve thermal levels that are approximately 50% cooler than previous designs.

ASUS Aura Sync — Outshine The Competition

Featuring Aura RGB Lighting on both the shroud and backplate, ROG Strix graphics cards are capable of displaying millions of colors and six different effects for a personalized gaming system. ROG Strix graphics cards also feature ASUS Aura Sync, RGB LED synchronization technology that enables complete gaming system personalization when the graphics card is paired with an Aura-enabled gaming motherboard.

VR-friendly HDMI Ports

Easily Enjoy Immersive Virtual Reality Experience. ROG Strix graphics cards have two HDMI ports for connecting a VR device and display at the same time, so you can enjoy immersive virtual reality experiences anytime without having to swap cables.

Specifications

  • Graphics Engine :AMD Radeon RX 580
  • OpenGL :OpenGL®4.5
  • Video Memory :GDDR5 8GB
  • Engine Clock: 1380 MHz (OC Mode) , 1360 MHz (Gaming Mode)
  • Stream Processors : 2304
  • Memory Clock : 8 Gbps
  • Memory Interface : 256-bit
  • Resolution : Digital Max Resolution:7680×4320
  • Interface : DVI Output : Yes x 1 (Native) (DVI-D), HDMI Output : Yes x 2 (Native) (HDMI 2.0), Display Port : Yes x 2 (Regular DP),HDCP Support : Yes
  • Power Connectors : 1 x 8-pin
  • Accessories : 2 x ROG Velcro Hook & Loop
  • Software : ASUS GPU Tweak II & Driver, Aura(Graphics Card) Utility
  • Dimensions: 11. 73 » x 5.28 » x 2.07 » Inch OR 29.8 x 13.4 x5.25 Centimeter

Package

The ASUS STRIX RX580 comes in a box securely packaged with graphics and features highlights on front and the back of the box.

Inside the box

Along with the GFX card box also includes Software installation disk and quick start guide.

Looks

ASUS STRIX RX580 with predominating black colour scheme with three fans and a nice back-plate with ROG logo lighting.

Inside

Removing the cooler reveals six heatpipes soldered onto a big base plate which makes a direct contact with the GPU core and are connected with an array of aluminum fin stack and three 80 mm brushless fans for cooling.

Testing

Test system configuration —

CPU Intel Core i7 6700K
Board ASUS ROG Maximus VIII Formula
RAM 4 X 4GB AVEXIR DDR4 3000Mhz
SSD ADATA XPG SX950 240GB SSD
Cooler Thermaltake Custom LCS
GFX 2 x ASUS Strix GTX1070
PSU Thermaltake 1250W
Display Asus PB287Q
OS Windows 10

Overclocking

Benchmarks

Temperatures

Room Temperature: 30C

In idle, the temperature is real good and at full load running 3D Mark Fire Strike temperature was ok and fans were slight loud.

Power Consumption

Wattage reading as per displayed by APC Pro 1000VA (Model no. BR1000G-IN) UPS.

Pros

  • Factory Overclocked
  • 8GB of Graphics RAM
  • Fan turns off on idle
  • Excellent temperatures
  • Back Plate with Aura Lighting
  • Internal Fan headers

Cons

  • Somewhat similar like older RX480

Conclusion

ASUS STRIX RX580 is based on RX580 GPU which is just a re-branded Rx480 with slight higher clock. But ASUS took a step forward and added superb build quality to their STRIX RX580 card with great selection of features including AURA lighting effects and bundled overclocking software. Making it a fair contender for decent 2560 x 1440 resolution gaming.

The price of AMD RX580 card recently gone very high due to its superb performance in Ethereum mining and crypto currency miners are buying these cards as cakes. Making AMD RX580 series as top seller for non gaming use.

At the conclusion ASUS STRIX RX580 video card is a good product for gamers but rather the best product for crypto currency miners as its great cooling design and OC mode will help miners in higher mining rate at lower temperature, making this card worthy of our PC TeK REVIEWS CHOICE Award.

Manufacturers Info

Site Link

Thanks.

Asus Strix RX 580 Gaming Top OC review: Proof that size matters

Reviews

Watch what happens when you put an enthusiast-class cooler on a mainstream graphics card.

By Brad Chacos

Executive editor, PCWorld

Brad Chacos/IDG

At a Glance

Expert’s Rating

Pros

  • Great 1080p, good 1440p, and solid VR gameplay
  • Very cool and quiet
  • Gorgeous design
  • Premium features

Cons

  • Very expensive compared to other midrange graphics cards
  • Gigantic in both length and thickness

Our Verdict

The Strix RX 580 Gaming Top OC delivers great performance in a gorgeous, cool, and quiet package. Unfortunately, it’s also giant and expensive.

Best Prices Today: Strix RX 580 Gaming Top OC

AMD’s release of the new-ish Radeon RX 500 series gives us a chance to tackle a topic that isn’t covered often here at PCWorld: The effectiveness and design of custom designs by different graphics cards makers.

While AMD and Nvidia create the graphics processors used in every Radeon and GeForce video card, respectively, the companies that actually sell graphics cards—like Asus, Sapphire, EVGA, XFX, Visiontek—et cetera—put their own spin on things by customizing the hardware with bespoke cooling solutions, factory overclocks, and the quality of internal components. Those “personal touches” can potentially create vast differences in thermals and gaming performance between two custom graphics cards built around the same GPU.

Enter the Asus Strix RX 580 Gaming Top OC Edition (whew), which at $300 on Newegg, is the priciest custom Radeon RX 580 around. But as luck would have it, the highly tailored Asus card rocks the same 8GB memory capacity and default 1,411MHz clock speed as the $250 Sapphire RX 580 Nitro+ we reviewed just last week—giving us a stellar opportunity to compare the extensive customizations made by both companies.

Radeon RX 580 models with 8GB of memory start at $230. Can the Strix’s optimizations justify its whopping $70 premium? Let’s dig in.

Brad Chacos/IDG

The gorgeous Asus Strix RX 580 Gaming Top OC.

Meet the Asus Strix 580 Gaming Top OC

Mentioned in this article

Radeon RX 580 Nitro+

If you’re looking for an overview of the Radeon RX 580’s capabilities, be sure to check out PCWorld’s Sapphire RX 580 Nitro+ review, where we dive into the nitty-gritty details. For this review we’re focusing on the Strix’s extensive customizations and performance.

And Asus sure piled those customizations on thick. You witness the result the moment you pull the extra-long, 2. 5-slot-width Strix 580 Top OC from the box. It’s massive, especially for a graphics card with a mainstream price.

Brad Chacos/IDG

The Sapphire Nitro+ sitting on the Strix Top OC. The Asus RX 580 is much longer and slightly thicker.

That’s because the Top OC sports Asus’s full-fat, three-fan Strix design, rather than relying on dual fans like the Nitro+ (and most RX 580 variants). Those Wing-Blade fans feature IP5X-rated dust protection and shut down completely when the GPU isn’t under load. They’re also compatible with Asus FanConnect II, a nifty feature that connects to your case fans via a pair of 4-pin fan connectors on the side of the card. Those system fans then keep tabs on your GPU and CPU temperatures and automatically adjust speeds to keep the hotter component running cool.

Asus

The trio of fans sit atop a beefy heatsink that runs the length of the card. It features Asus’s MaxContact technology, which lays a massive nickel-plated copper plate directly over the GPU itself. There’s also a separate PCB contact plate that draws heat away from the memory and into the heatsink. The Strix 580 Top OC also packs a 7+1 power phase configuration built using Asus’s Super Alloy Power II components.

Brad Chacos/IDG

A hefty metal backplate protects the rear of this stunning, all-black card—a good thing, as the extra rigidity helps compensate for the Strix 580 Top OC’s gargantuan size. You don’t want your card to start to sag over time. The backplate features an RGB LED version of the Strix logo, matched by a glowing Republic of Gamers logo on the edge of the card. Both play nice with the Aura Sync lighting on Asus motherboards, and can be configured using the company’s Aura RGB software. (Asus also offers GPU Tweak II software that can be used to tinker with the Strix 580 Top OC’s clock and fan speeds.)

Brad Chacos/IDG

Port report.

Asus includes two DisplayPorts, a pair of HDMI ports, and a DVI-I connection. The pair of HDMI ports should come in handy for folks who want to use the RX 580 for virtual reality, as VR headsets rely on that connection. Power’s handled by a single 8-pin connector.

All in all, the Strix RX 580 Top OC is gorgeous, gigantic, and loaded with premium features. Asus is clearly aiming for the top of the heap here. But does that massive cooler result in something special? Let’s take it to the test bench.

Next page: System configuration, benchmarks begin

Our test system/Division benchmarks

We tested the Asus Strix RX 580 Gaming Top OC Edition on PCWorld’s dedicated graphics card benchmark system. It’s rocking high-end components to avoid bottlenecks in other parts of the PC, showing unfettered graphics performance.

  • Intel’s Core i7-5960X with a Corsair Hydro Series h200i closed-loop water cooler ($120 on Amazon).
  • An Asus X99 Deluxe motherboard ($230 on Amazon for an updated version).
  • Corsair’s Vengeance LPX DDR4 memory ($130 on Amazon), and 1,200-watt AX1200i power supply ($310 on Amazon).
  • A 480GB Intel 730 series SSD ($280 on Amazon).
  • Phanteks’ Enthoo Evolv ATX case ($190 on Amazon).
  • Windows 10 Pro ($158 on Amazon).

We’re comparing the $300 Strix RX 580 Top OC against Sapphire’s similarly clocked RX 580 Nitro+ ($250 on Newegg). We’re also including MSI’s older, overclocked 8GB RX 480 Gaming X, EVGA’s overclocked 6GB GeForce GTX 1060 SSC ($250 on Amazon), and Gigabyte’s overclocked Aorus RX 570 ($190 on Newegg) to show how the RX 580’s little sibling holds up. We’re also tossing in the GTX 1070 Founders Edition ($380 on Amazon) to show the next step up in performance.

The real thing to watch in these tests is how the competing Sapphire and Asus RX 580 cards stack up. Skip ahead to the power and heat section for the most interesting results.

Each game’s tested using its in-game benchmark at the mentioned graphics presets, with V-sync, frame rate caps, and all GPU vendor-specific technologies—like AMD TressFX, Nvidia GameWorks options, and FreeSync/G-Sync—disabled.

The Division

The Division, a gorgeous third-person shooter/RPG that mixes elements of Destiny and Gears of War, kicks things off with Ubisoft’s new Snowdrop engine. We test the game in DirectX 11 mode.

Brad Chacos/IDG

The Strix RX 580 Top OC and Sapphire 580 Nitro+ deliver virtually identical results, slightly faster than the 6GB GTX 1060.

Next page: Hitman

Hitman

Hitman’s Glacier engine historically favored AMD hardware. It’s no surprise; Hitman’s a flagship AMD Gaming Evolved title. That said, GeForce cards certainly don’t slouch after recent driver optimizations. We test in both DirectX 11 and DirectX 12 with SSAO disabled.

Brad Chacos/IDG

Yep, it’s a draw.

Next page: Rise of the Tomb Raider

Rise of the Tomb Raider

Whereas Hitman adores Radeon GPUs, Rise of the Tomb Raider performs much better on GeForce cards—and it’s absolutely beautiful. We only test the game’s DirectX 11 mode.

Brad Chacos/IDG Brad Chacos/IDG

Surprise! It’s yet another tie.

Next page: Far Cry Primal

Far Cry Primal

Far Cry Primal is another Ubisoft game, but it’s powered by a different engine than The Division—the latest version of the long-running and well-respected Dunia engine.

Brad Chacos/IDG Brad Chacos/IDG

Finally we see some separation! The Strix 580 Top OC edges ahead by a single frame at High graphics settings at 1080p resolution.

Next page: Ashes of the Singularity

Ashes of the Singularity

Ashes of the Singularity, running on Oxide’s custom Nitrous engine, was an early standard-bearer for DirectX 12, and many months later it’s still the premier game for seeing what next-gen graphics technologies have to offer. We test the game using the High graphics setting, as the wildly strenuous Crazy and Extreme presets aren’t reflective of real-world usage scenarios.

Brad Chacos/IDG Brad Chacos/IDG

These premium RX 580s are trading blows left and right.

Next page: Synthetic benchmarks

Synthetics, power, and heat

We also tested the Radeon RX 580 Nitro+ and its rivals using 3DMark’s highly respected DX11 Fire Strike and Fire Strike Ultra synthetic benchmarks, as well as 3DMark’s Time Spy benchmark, which tests DirectX 12 performance at 2560×1440 resolution.

Brad Chacos/IDG Brad Chacos/IDG

Once again, the two customized, overclocked RX 580s are in a dead heat. I’m running out of ways to say it.

Next page: Power and heat

Power

We test power under load by plugging the entire system into a Watts Up meter, running the intensive Division benchmark at 4K resolution, and noting the peak power draw. Idle power is measured after sitting on the Windows desktop for three minutes with no extra programs or processes running.

The Sapphire 580 Nitro+ delivers lower idle temperatures than even the GTX 1060, but it’s only a few watts less than the Strix, and both cards pull the same amount of power under load.

Heat

Things finally get interesting here!

We test heat during the same intensive Division benchmark at a strenuous 4K resolution after warming up the card, by running SpeedFan in the background and noting the maximum GPU temperature once the run is over.

Brad Chacos/IDG

Here we see the Strix 580 Top OC’s massive cooler and beefy heatsink shine. The Sapphire Nitro+’s 68 degrees Celsius temperature (rightfully) impressed us in our original review, but the Strix manages to run 12 degrees cooler than that in our test, peaking at a mere 56 degrees. That’s downright frigid, in a real-world test, and the card’s zero-decibel fans don’t even activate until GPU temperatures hit 53 degrees Celsius. Of course, Asus is throwing an enthusiast-class cooler at a mainstream graphics card, so it’s not entirely unexpected, and temperatures could be higher in other scenarios.

Neither card throttles under load. That said, there isn’t a noticeable real-world difference in acoustics between the two under load, either. Both Radeon RX 580s—as well as EVGA’s customized GTX 1060—are quiet in a closed case. Damned quiet.

Next page: Bottom line

Bottom line

Brad Chacos/IDG

The Strix 580 Top OC’s ferocious full-sized cooler would no doubt help in overclocking endeavors as well, and enthusiasts have been able to push high-end RX 580s between 1,450MHz and 1,500MHz depending on the silicon lottery. Asus also offers its GPU Tweak II software, which once installed, offers a one-click “OC mode” profile that painlessly increases clock speeds to 1,431MHz, or a 20MHz increase.

Mentioned in this article

Strix RX 580 Gaming Top OC

This exercise in comparing custom RX 580 designs has been illuminating, hasn’t it? Both the Sapphire RX 580 Nitro+ and the Strix 580 Gaming Top OC edition deliver similar overall gaming performance, but they take wildly different paths to get there.

Unfortunately for Asus, I don’t think the Strix holds up well in the light, which feels crazy to say out loud.

The Strix 580 Gaming Top OC is an impeccably designed graphics card that would look glorious in any case (that could fit it). It delivers top-notch performance for a Radeon RX 580 and stays remarkably cool and quiet while doing so. Size matters, it seems. This is one hell of a graphics card… but it feels over-engineered for the midrange price point.

Brad Chacos/IDG

All of the Strix optimizations drive the cost of the card up to $300—a sizeable premium over the $230 baseline for 8GB Radeon RX 580s, and only $40 less than the cheapest GTX 1070 currently on Newegg, the $340 Zotac GTX 1070 Mini. The GTX 1070 stomps the RX 580 in pure performance. Meanwhile, Sapphire’s 8GB RX 580 Nitro+ punches just as strong and just as quiet for $50 less, albeit with warmer—though still plenty cool—temperatures.

Mentioned in this article

Radeon RX 580 Nitro+

The pricing puts the Strix 580 Top OC in a weird sort of limbo. It’s undeniably a great graphics card, and maybe even the best Radeon RX 580 in a vacuum. But we don’t live in a vacuum, and here in the real world, we simply can’t recommend the $300 Strix 580 Top OC over the $250 Sapphire 580 Nitro+, no matter how impressive the Asus card’s cooling, performance, and design is. 

And that’s if you opt for an 8GB RX 580 over a 6GB GTX 1060. AMD and Nvidia’s dueling GPUs are very evenly matched at this price point, and the GeForce cards use much less power. All of these cards deliver uncompromising 1080p gaming performance, stellar 1440p performance at High graphics settings, and even enough oomph for virtual reality experiences—and none are worth upgrading to if you already own an RX 480. Check out PCWorld’s guide to the best graphics cards for PC gaming if you want to go deep down that rabbit hole.

Finally, this isn’t the end of our dive into graphics card designs. Sapphire’s “Pulse” RX 570 and 8GB RX 580 will be crossing our test bench next week, with budget-friendly designs that still offer custom coolers and factory overclocks. Stay tuned. 

Author: Brad Chacos, Executive editor

Brad Chacos spends his days digging through desktop PCs and tweeting too much. He specializes in graphics cards and gaming, but covers everything from security to Windows tips and all manner of PC hardware.

Asus ROG Strix Radeon RX 580 TOP Edition 8GB Review

At a Glance

Expert’s Rating

Our Verdict

The Asus ROG Strix Radeon RX 580 TOP Edition 8GB is one of the most expensive Radeon RX 580 cards available, but offers excellent performance delivering similar overall frame rates to an overclocked Nvidia GTX 1060, although this will of course depend on which games you play. The board offers superb build quality and a great selection of features including programmable lighting effects and bundled overclocking software. It’s sheer size may be a problem for some smaller cases, however, and audible coil whine can occasionally spoil the experience.

The Asus ROG Strix Radeon RX 580 TOP Edition 8GB takes the latest graphic card design from AMD and makes it into cooler, better looking and above all, faster.

Asus ROG Strix Radeon RX 580: Price

Although we’re reviewing Asus’ Strix model here, there are lots of RX 580 cards to choose between. Prices will vary a lot depending on the exact model you choose, but expect to pay around £240-£310 for an 8GB card.

This is the same price as the Radeon RX 480 was at launch and is in the same ballpark as a GeForce GTX 1060 which is the RX 580’s main competitor.

Versions of the Radeon RX 580 can be had for less than £200 if you opt for the 4GB version.

Check out our roundup of the
best graphics cards for alternatives.

What is the Radeon RX 580?

Based on the fastest of AMD’s
new RX 500-series GPUs, the Radeon RX 580 is now the go-to graphics card for AMD fans who demand the highest possible performance, but can’t necessarily stretch to the expense of a high-end RX Fury.

The Radeon RX 580 has 36 compute units, 2,304 stream processors and 144 texture units. If that looks a little familiar, it’s because it’s exactly the same spec as the previous generation RX 480.

The key point here is that, despite the change in leading digit form a ‘4’ to a ‘5’, both the RX 480 and the RX 580 are based on the same fourth generation Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture and are therefore essentially versions of the same product.

The RX 580 then is simply a fitter, more efficient version of the existing RX 480. While this will be a little disappointing for those itching to upgrade, all is not lost, because the the improved efficiency of the RX 580 allows it to run at higher clock speeds.

So, it’s noticeably faster than its predecessor, clocking in at a base frequency of 1,257 MHz and topping out at 1,340 MHz in boost mode where the RX 480 managed 1,120 MHz and 1,266 MHz respectively.

However, the card we’re reviewing here is no ordinary RX 580. The Asus Strix TOP Edition model comes clocked even faster, with a maximum core speed of 1,431 MHz.

Asus ROG Strix Radeon RX 580: Features and design

The Asus Strix RX 580 is a really big card, not just in length, which remains at 298mm, the same as the Strix RX 480, but also in width. Where its predecessor required 2 slots to accommodate its width, the new card needs 2.5 slots.

This means it won’t fit into all PC cases and there may be situations where it’s not a simple drop-in replacement for a the RX 480 version either.

The reason for the card’s large size lies in its pair of hefty new heatpipe coolers, topped by a trio of variable-speed cooling fans. The board also comes with a protective backplate which runs the full length of the card.

A single 8-pin connector powers the board, and a total of five video output sockets is provided, including DVI, 2x DisplayPort and 2x HDMI 2.0. At the opposite end of the board is a pair of fan headers for direct connection to external fans, typically mounted in your system case. Asus calls this feature, ‘Asus FanConnect II’.

Fans of lighting effects will love the AURA RGB lighting support which can work in conjunction with other Asus-branded products, such as motherboards, to produce coordinated lighting effects which can be choreographed across the whole system. Asus also throws in the control software to make it all happen.

The result is a very impressive looking card, with quite imposing looks which will suit many gaming PC builds – just as long as it fits. The build quality is excellent as we have come to expect from Asus Strix products and goes some way to justifying the rather high asking price for the board.

Asus ROG Strix Radeon RX 580: Performance

This card is factory overclocked to deliver superior performance and our benchmarks show it does just that. Easily outpacing the RX 480 and in some cases leapfrogging Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1060, although the latter has recently been made available in an upgraded version with faster memory which will be reviewed soon.

The supplied Asus GPU Tweak II software gives you the opportunity to push the card further – all the way to breaking point, but we tested the card using the fastest of three preset performance modes, known as ‘OC Mode’.

This is faster than the ‘Gaming Mode’ selected by default, but we feel most owners of this card are going to want to get as much performance as they can – after all, they’re paying extra for that massive cooling system, so why not use it?

Our results show excellent performance at 1080p where you’ll usually be able to select Ultra quality settings while maintaining a decent frame rate. You’ll often be able to do the same at 1440p, although this will vary from game to game.

Tough titles such as Deus Ex Mankind Divided will need a more powerful card, or perhaps a second Radeon RX 580, to achieve this kind of quality level, however.

In the DX12 tests for Mankind Divided, we saw a minimum frame rate of 27.6fps at the 2K Ultra setting, and 34.3fps on average. At 4K High, these dropped to 18fps and 22fps respectively.

At 1080p Ultra, the RX 580 managed 39.7fps minimum and 50.9fps on average, so that is probably the sensible quality limit for this particular card in Mankind Divided.

Should you buy a Radeon RX 580?

Whether or not you should buy a Radeon RX 580 depends on what graphics card you have already. If you’re starting from scratch, then the RX 580 offers great performance for the money and is good for gaming at 1080p and 1440p resolutions.

This overclocked model also comes in ahead of a standard Nvidia GTX 1060 in most tests, although an overclocked model such as the Asus Strix GTX 1060 is a much tougher opponent costing around the same as our Radeon review card.

If you’re firmly in the AMD camp, perhaps due to your choice of gaming monitor, then the RX 580 is certainly fast enough to stop you lusting after a GeForce 1060.

However, If you already own a Radeon RX 480 there’s little point in upgrading as the technology is essentially the same. Sure, it’s measurably faster, but not so much that it would warrant upgrading to the new card.

When it comes down to exactly which model of RX 580 to buy, things get a little more complicated. For example, Asus offers six different RX 580s in 4GB and 8GB configurations with varying features and clock speeds.

The model reviewed here is the top of the range model running at the highest speeds, which makes it really rather expensive. However, you can save around £30 by buying one of the lesser Asus Strix models which will give you the same features and the same build quality, just with a slower guaranteed factory overclock.

You can then overclock the card manually and see how far you can get on your own.

You can save even more by opting for one of the Dual series cards which come with a smaller cooler and twin, instead of triple, fans. These offer less headroom for overclocking as well as omitting many cosmetic features of the Strix models.

Spend some time comparing prices while paying very careful attention to exact model names as their identical physical appearance and packaging can easily lead to confusion, leading you to think you’re getting a bargain when you’re actually looking at a slower version of the card.

Ultimately the Asus ROG Strix Radeon RX 580 TOP Edition 8GB isn’t about delivering the best frame rates at the lowest price. It’s about delivering the ultimate performance, superior build quality and enhanced features, all of which it does quite admirably.

Specs

Asus ROG Strix Radeon RX 580 TOP Edition 8GB: Specs

  • AMD Radeon RX 580 GPU
  • Process: 14nm
  • Core clock: 1411MHZ (gaming mode), 1431MHz (OC Mode)
  • Memory Clock: 8Gbps
  • Memory bus width: 256-bit
  • Stream Processors: 2304
  • APIs: DirectX 12, Vulkan
  • Memory type and capacity: GDDR5 8GB
  • Power connectors: 1x 8-pin PCIe
  • Ports: 2x HDMI 2.0, 2x DisplayPort DVI-D
  • Card width: 2. 5 slots
  • Dimensions: 298 x 53 x 135mm
  • Cosmetic enhancements: AURA Sync RGB lighting
  • Cooling: Asus heatsink with 3x IP5X-certified fans
  • Warranty: 3 years

ASUS ROG Strix Rx 580 O8G Gaming OC Edition Review

Rx 500 series of the graphics cards are based on the AMD’s Enhanced Polaris architecture (XTX in the case of Rx 580) that combines the latest FinFET 14 process technology and AMD’s advanced power, gating and clocking technologies to deliver a superior cool and quiet gaming experience. Powerful Async shaders and new geometry capabilities enable unique support for DirectX® 12 and Vulkan™ in the best version of Graphics Core Next yet with the capability of streaming and recording your favorite games up to 4K, H.265, 60 FPS with virtually no performance impact.

Rx 480 is a 5th gen GCN architecture which comprises of 32 ROPs, 144 Texture units, 36 compute units based on 2304 stream processors clocked at 1257MHz base clock with 1340MHz boost clock with up to 6. 2 TFLOPS. Video card memory is 8GB GDDR5 with 256-bit interface. We have 5.7 Billion transistors count with peak pixel fill rate of 42.880 GP/s and peak texture fill rate of 192.960 GT/s.

When it comes to PC Components, AsusTek is among one of the best names we have in the market. It was founded in 1989 in Taiwan. Ever since its foundation, Asus has seen a phenomenal growth and diversity in its business line. When it comes to Asus, the first associated name that comes to mind is ROG or Republic of Gamers. ROG brand was introduced in 2006 and it focuses on mainstream gamers/enthusiasts with products ranging from Motherboard, Graphics Cards to Peripherals. ROG is now the pinnacle of the Asus products lineup. Strix has been a new addition to the ROG lineup and here is what Asus is saying about it: “ROG Strix is the newest recruit into the Republic of Gamers. A series of specialized gaming gear designed for the rebel in all of us, Strix exemplifies ROG’s premier performance, innovative technology, and leading quality, but with its own confident and dynamic attitude. Featuring bold designs and bright colors, this exciting new series possesses a spirit of fierce individualism that charges every gaming experience with thrilling energy. ROG Strix equips players with the necessary speed and agility to dominate their game. A new generation of force has arrived. Join the Republic and experience the power of ROG Strix.”

I will be reviewing Asus ROG Strix Rx 580 O8G today. This is a first Rx 580 on our bench. This is going to be an interesting comparison as I reviewed the Asus ROG Strix Rx 480 O8G earlier and that card performed very well on our bench. I will include the Crossfire results of both the cards in this review for our readers.

Product: ROG Strix Rx 580 O8G Gaming OC Edition

Manufacturer: Asus

Price: $279.99 (at the time of the review)

 

Specifications

Graphics Engine AMD Radeon RX 580
OpenGL 4.5
Video Memory 8GB GDDR5
Engine Clock 1380 MHz (OC Mode)

1360 MHz (Gaming Mode)

Stream Processors 2304
Memory Clock 8 Gbps
Memory Interface 256-bit
Resolution Digital Max Resolution:7680×4320
Interface DVI Output : Yes x 1 (Native) (DVI-D)

HDMI Output : Yes x 2 (Native) (HDMI 2. 0)

Display Port : Yes x 2 (Regular DP)

HDCP Support : Yes

Power Connectors 1 x 8-pin
Accessories 2 x ROG Velcro Hook & Loop
Software ASUS GPU Tweak II & Driver

Aura(Graphics Card) Utility

Dimensions 11.73 ” x 5.28 ” x 2.07 ” Inch

29.8 x 13.4 x5.25 Centimeter

 

Packing

The graphics card comes in a standard cardboard box. On the front side, we have a ROG brand name and the logo printed on the top left side. The graphics card model is printed on a red color background at the bottom right side. Asus, AURA Sync, and OC edition are printed on the bottom left side. Strix is printed in multi-color diagonally crossing from the upper left side to the bottom mid. It signifies the RGB effect on the card. Stunning picture of the graphics card is printed on the main section.

The graphics card model is printed on the top left side followed by the ROG brand name and logo. STRIX GAMING GRAPHICS CARD is printed right next to the ROG logo. There are 6 pictures highlighting the salient features like MaxContact technology, Wing-Blade IP5X certified fans, AURA SYNC etc. Product specifications are printed in white color with red background on the bottom left side followed by the VR picture.

The left side of the packing box has Minimum system requirements info printed in 14 different languages. UPS, EAN, Part No, Serial No label are printed on the right side of the box. These requirements are: –

  • Minimum 500W PSU.
  • PCIe Compliant motherboard.
  • 8GB or higher System memory
  • Microsoft Windows 7, Windows 10 (32bit or 64bit)
  • 1×8-pin PCIe connectors

The right side of the box has ROG brand name and logo printed on the left side while the graphics card model no is printed on the right side.

Opening the box would reveal another container box with the STRIX printed in the middle.

Opening that container box would reveal the contents of the packing. We can see a black color container with the Asus brand name printed on the middle. This is nicely placed inside the top protective covering. This container has the User Installation guide and the installation disk.

Removing the top protective container would reveal the graphics card wrapped inside a protective antistatic sheet. Two stylish Velcro strips with Republic Of Gamers name and logo printed on them are included.

Accessories

Accessories include the installation guide, the Installation CD, Velcro Strips.

Asus ROG Strix Rx 580 O8G is a beautifully designed graphics card. It is a triple slot design yet with aesthetically pleasing looks and feels to it. Aura Sync adds the subtle touch when in operation and it speaks for itself. This design really complements the ROG series motherboards from the Asus. My test bench features the Asus ROG Rampage V Edition 10 and this card has complemented the looks of the motherboard very well.

Let’s dig deep in the design elements of this card and explore the mighty and the beauty of it. This card has the unique and stylish cooler shroud. The cooler shroud is made of plastic. Top and bottom cutouts on the cooler have LEDs on them which can be controlled with AURA Graphics Card software available on Asus website. The Central fan has ASUS brand name sticker pasted in white color on its fan hub whereas the other two fans have ROG Eye stickers pasted on the fan hub. With the curves, edges and grooves Asus not only has able to maintain the typical Strix looks it is known for but has given the user what could be described as one of the most stunning design.

Asus has taken a different approach with the ROG Strix Rx 580 O8G cooler design. They have increased the width of fin stack by 40% which has enabled them to have more surface area for effective heat dissipation across the complete surface. By doing that they have made the card to be effectively a 2.5 slot design. Asus is claiming this design to bring 30% more cooling and 3X quieter gaming performance.

Asus MaxContact is an industry-first GPU cooling technology that features an enhanced nickel plated copper plate that makes direct contact with the GPU. This plate is 10 times flatter than the traditional plates. MaxContact utilizes precision machining to provide a surface that makes up to 2X more contact with the GPU than traditional heat spreaders, resulting in the improved thermal transfer.

This card has 3 90mm fans with wing-blade design. The Central fan has Asus sticker pasted on the fan motor hub. The left and the right fans have ROG sticker pasted on them. These fans have an IP5X certification which means they are more dust resistant which would improve their reliability and a longer lifespan. Patented wing-blade fans delivers maximum air flow and 105% greater static pressure over the heat sink while operating at an up to 3X quieter volume than reference cards.

Innovative 0dB technology stops the fan completely when the GPU temperature remains below a defined thermal limit, letting you enjoy light gaming in complete silence. Please note that thermal limit would vary from model to model and brand to brand. 55C is the thermal limit for the Asus ROG Strix Rx 580 O8G.

Let’s take a look on the top side of the graphics card. STRIX is printed on the lower left part of the shroud. Fins are straight not angular as can be seen from the fin stack. Shroud is not fully covering the fin stack which is a must for effective heat dissipation. “Republic of Gamers” brand name and logo are on the top left side of the shroud. They have LED underneath and light up under operation.

The card requires one 8-pin power connector to power it up. The power connector has LED beneath it to indicate their status. Static white color would mean the normal power. Red color would indicate the power related issue.

Let’s have a look at the top front side of the graphics card. Shroud end is not fully covering the heat sink. Heads or terminating ends of the 5 heat pipes are visible. Fin stack run parallel in length to the PCB. Underneath we have two PWM fan headers. ASUS FanConnect II features two 4-pin, hybrid-controlled headers that can be connected to both PWM and DC system fans for optimal system cooling. The connected fans reference both the GPU and CPU, operating automatically based on the one with the higher temperature. One fan power connector and the RGB LED power connector are visible on the left side.

This end of the shroud has extended over the PCB and the heat sink which adds to the looks of the card from the front side and gives the impression of one complete design.

On the back side of the graphics card, we have a same metal back plate as has been on the Rx 400 series cards. It has printed lines in a pattern to signify Strix concept. We’ve large size ROG Eye in white background. This section is implemented with RGB LED and really adds to the cool looks of the card when in use. We can see one 8-pin power connector. There are what seem to be soldered overclocking tweaking points right next to the power connectors which are labelled from the inside or on the front side of the PCB. One of the screws on the GPU bracket is covered with the white sticker. Peeling or tearing that would void the warranty.

The rear side has the IO panel for the output. We have two HDMI ports, two Display Ports, and a DVI-D port. This configuration allows the user enjoy immersive virtual reality experiences anytime without having to swap cables by having a VR Device connected with other displays at the same time. Backside implementation allows the better cable management as well.

The bottom side of the card clearly shows the two fin stacks on the cooler. Thermal pads have been used to the possible point of contacts between PCB and the cooler. PCB color is black. This card has 7+1 power phases using Super Alloy Power II components. These components would enhance the efficiency, reduce the power loss and would achieve sustained thermal levels.

All ASUS graphics cards are now produced using Auto-Extreme Technology, an industry-exclusive, 100% automated production process that incorporates premium materials to set a new standard of quality. Auto-Extreme Technology ensures consistent graphics card quality as well as improved performance and longevity. This new manufacturing process is also environmentally friendly, eliminating harsh chemicals and reducing power consumption by 50%.

Following test bench setup was used to test the performance of the graphics card:

  • Intel i7 6850k
  • Asus Rampage V Edition 10
  • Corsair Vengeance Red LED 8x8GB @ 2666MHz
  • Reeven Justice RC-1204
  • Corsair AX1200i
  • Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD for OS
  • Samsung 840 EVO 1TB SSD for Steam Games
  • WD Black 6TB for Origin and Uplay games

Previously, Battlefield 4, Call of Duty Black Ops 3 and Gear of Wars 4 were the part of the test games. They have been dropped from this test and onwards. Metro Last Light Redux will continue to be featured as this game based on its rich environment and taxing effects on the graphics card are handy to measure the performance of any given graphics card. Following games have been tested: –

  • Battlefield 1
  • DOOM
  • Grand Theft Auto V
  • Metro Last Light Redux
  • Far Cry 4
  • Far Cry Primal
  • Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
  • The Witcher 3
  • Rise of the Tomb Raider

Microsoft Windows 10 x64 version 1607 was used. AMD Crimson drivers 17.4.4 were used. MSI Afterburner 4.3.0 was used to monitor the FPS. The action was used in Battlefield 1 as it was the only monitoring software that was working with this game in DX12 mode. All other apps were crashing the game. Game settings were set from within the games. Battlefield 1 and the Rise of the Tomb Raider were tested in DX11 and DX12 modes. All the reported frame rates are average FPS.

Following synthetic benchmarks were used:

  • 3dMark
  • Unigine Superposition

Previously Unigine Heaven and Valley were a part of our testing but they have been dropped and only superposition will be featured from onwards.

CF

I was able to create Crossfire between the Asus ROG Strix Rx 580 O8G and the Asus ROG Strix Rx 480 O8G. CF operated at 1400MHz. Both cards were overclocked to match 1400MHz clock.

3dMark

The Asus ROG Strix Rx 580 O8G achieved 3.6% performance boost over the Asus ROG Strix Rx 480 O8G while the Crossfire (CF) results are very impressive.

The Asus ROG Strix Rx 580 O8G achieved only a 2.8% performance boost over the Asus ROG Strix Rx 480 O8G. Crossfire (CF) results are again impressive.

Unigine Superposition

The Unigine Superposition does not support Crossfire (CF) out of the box. Crossfire (CF) profile needs to be activated in the Radeon settings.

The Asus ROG Strix Rx 580 O8G achieved 3% performance boost over the Asus ROG Strix Rx 480 O8G. Crossfire (CF) results are impressive.

Battlefield 1 DX11

The Asus ROG Strix Rx 580 O8G achieved 7% performance boost over the Asus ROG Strix Rx 480 O8G. Overall scaling was better in this game under DX11.

Battlefield 1 DX12

The Asus ROG Strix Rx 580 O8G achieved 3% performance boost over the Asus ROG Strix Rx 480 O8G. Crossfire (CF) results could not be achieved as the game crashed on every attempt to measure the performance.

DOOM

DOOM was tested using Vulcan API and Ultra settings using TSSAA8FX. The Asus ROG Strix Rx 580 O8G achieved 3.7% performance boost over the Asus ROG Strix Rx 480 O8G. I observed no scaling in this game.

Metro Last Light Redux

The Asus ROG Strix Rx 580 O8G achieved 6% performance boost over the Asus ROG Strix Rx 480 O8G.

Grand Theft Auto – V

Grand Theft Auto – V was tested with maxed out settings on Ultra with 4x MSAA and on High settings with 2x MSAA. The Asus ROG Strix Rx 580 O8G achieved 9% performance boost over the Asus ROG Strix Rx 480 O8G in the Ultra settings while 15% performance boost in the High settings.

Far Cry 4

This game was tested with maxed out settings and 4x MSAA at Ultra and 2x MSAA at High settings. The Asus ROG Strix Rx 580 O8G achieved 6.8% performance boost over the Asus ROG Strix Rx 480 O8G in the Ultra settings while 5% performance boost in the High settings.

Far Cry Primal

The Asus ROG Strix Rx 580 O8G achieved 10.9% performance boost over the Asus ROG Strix Rx 480 O8G in the Ultra settings while 12.9% performance boost in the High settings. Scaling was tested on the Ultra settings in this game. Though scaling is very marginal but it is better than the negative scaling which I observed with Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1080Tis SLI.

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

The Asus ROG Strix Rx 580 O8G achieved 9% performance boost over the Asus ROG Strix Rx 480 O8G. Scaling was better on 1440p than on the 1080p.

Rise of the Tomb Raider DX11

The Asus ROG Strix Rx 580 O8G achieved 19% performance boost over the Asus ROG Strix Rx 480 O8G. I observed negative scaling on this game.

Rise of the Tomb Raider DX12

The Asus ROG Strix Rx 580 O8G achieved 13% performance boost over the Asus ROG Strix Rx 480 O8G. Under DX12 game crashed continuously with Crossfire (CF) enabled hence I was not able to record any performance measure with the Crossfire (CF).

The Witcher 3

The Asus ROG Strix Rx 580 O8G achieved 15% performance boost over the Asus ROG Strix Rx 480 O8G. Scaling was better and the Crossfire (CF) beats the single GeForce GTX 1080Ti score on our bench.

Overclocking

I have initially faced difficulties with the driver 17.4.4. My every attempt on overclocking the card failed initially. Every time I was met with the message that WattMan settings have been restored to their default due to an unexpected system error. I suspected the driver for this behavior and downgraded to 17.4.3. With 17.4.3 there was no longer that particular message but apps like 3dMark and Unigine’s Superposition were randomly crashing. The third driver that was tested was 17.10. This driver was downloaded from the Asus website. I was met with the same fate. The card was not overclocking beyond 1410MHz on initial attempts. Where overclocking was successful the over performance of the system lowered indicating the unstable overclocks.

Driver 17.4.4 was installed again. Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) was used every time drivers were needed to be removed. With second time installation of the 17.4.4 card was overclocked to the 1440MHz. This was the max that could be achieved which left me with the impression that silicon lottery is still in effect and my review sample got poor silicon. As this card has 7+1 power phases, I don’t see any issue with the power delivery unless something the VRM was wrong. My Corsair AX1200i showed appropriate values under the testing on 12V rails.

To overclock the memory, I would need to reduce the Core clock further down but the overall system performance was negligible. Hence, I dropped the memory overclock in favor of the more core clocks.

These settings were tested on 96% voltage tweak.

Here are the results of the synthetic benchmarks and gaming performance with overclocked graphics card:

3dMark

Unigine Superposition

Battlefield 1

Acoustics

Fans were left on default fan curve. Foneso Digital Sound Level Meter version A0 was used to test the sound level. 40dB is quite impressive.

Thermals

Room temp was 37C at the time of the testing. In an open bench table, the maximum temperature hit by the graphics card was 68C on stock clocks. With overclocking, the max temperature was 75C.

Power Consumption

The Corsair AX1200i is a digital PSU with monitoring enabled on the power consumption. Corsair Link was used to checking the power consumption under stock clocks and overclocked clocks. Unigine Heaven and AIDA64 were run at the same time to check the combined power consumption of the system. On stock clocks the maximum power that PC draws from the PSU was 459W. With overclocked graphics card the maximum power drawn was 500W. Bear in mind that CPU was also overclocked to 4.3GHz at 1.350V. Please note that this is complete system’s power draw figure, not just the graphics card’s.

Software

The Asus ROG Strix Rx 580 O8G features the Aura RGB Lighting on both the shroud and the backplate, ROG Strix graphics cards are capable of displaying millions of colors and six different effects for a personalized gaming system. ROG Strix graphics cards also feature ASUS Aura Sync, RGB LED synchronization technology that enables complete gaming system personalization when the graphics card is paired with an Aura-enabled gaming motherboard. There are 6 modes which user can configure and select for the color effect.

  • Static mode. A single color of user’s choice would remain lit.
  • Breathing mode would fade in and out the user’s selected color.
  • Strobing mode flashes the user’s selected color.
  • Music Effect mode would produce the pulses of user’s selected color.
  • Breathing mode will enable the user to select the color which will be then faded in and out.
  • GPU Temperature will change the color depending on the load and the temps under those loads.

Asus has designed comprehensive software to control and monitor their graphics cards. This software is known as GPU-Tweak-II. It has typical red and black color theme on it which represents ROG traditional colors. Though in recent times, ROG has taken a deviation from the Red/Black combo and is setting yet another tradition when it comes to colors on the brand.

The main window of the software shows three main indicators which are: –

  • VRAM Usage
  • GPU Speed
  • Temperature

The red bar on these circles shows the corresponding value of the indicator. On top, we have model no of the graphics card on the left side with three buttons to its right, Home, Info, and Tools.

The home button is the default and can be clicked at any time to bring the main window back on the screen. Info button will show the Graphics Cards specs with built-in GPU-Z implementation. Tools button has Game XSplit Game Caster, AURA Graphics Card and the ROG Furmark buttons to launch the corresponding app.

Below the model no, we have a triangle featuring the blend of most important factors that end user would want. They are Performance, Coolness, and Silence. A perfect combination of these three is what Strix is all about. One can have an utmost performance with exceptional cooling yet silent operations. Red color span within triangle would vary with each profile showing how the card would manage all three with the respective profile.

Next, we have 4 profiles which are OC Mode, Gaming Mode, Silent Mode and My Profile. Gaming is a default mode with the boost clock of 1360MHz. OC Mode will increase the Power factor of the card and it has the boost clock of 1380MHz. My Profile will allow the user to create a custom profile based on user’s own settings. This can be done in Professional Mode where all the settings like Voltage Control, Power Level, Base Clock, Memory Clock, and Fan Speed can be configured. The fan can be set on Auto or Custom fan curve.

Monitoring window can be activated by clicking on the Monitoring button at the bottom left side of the main window. Monitoring window shows all the critical variables for monitoring. Values are mentioned in Min, Max and Current value is shown on the graph. The user has the option to monitor only the desired variables. Monitoring window can be disconnected from the main window by clicking once on the chain button between both windows.

Gaming Booster option is at the bottom of the main window. Clicking this would open a new window. Here we’ve three options. Visual Effects, System Services, System Memory Defragmentation. Visual effects reduce the windows visual flares like animations, animated themes to reduce the performance hit these settings could have on the performance. System Services would allow stopping the not needed services to boost the performance. System memory defragmentation would help restore the wasted memory space and would boost the application handling.

In crux, this software has everything, the user would have dreamt of to monitor and control their graphics cards. Plus, the interface is easy to understand and once, you have launched it, it will get you going.

AMD with Enhanced Polaris has given the gamers, higher clocks out of the box than the predecessor in same Polaris architecture. Polaris combines the latest FinFET 14 process technology and AMD’s advanced power, gating and clocking technologies to deliver a superior cool and quiet gaming experience. I earlier reviewed the Asus ROG Strix Rx 480 O8G graphics card and it won our performance award. Today, I have tested the Asus ROG Strix Rx 580 O8G graphics card on the same bench. This card has got powerful power delivery system based on 7+1 Power Phases using Super Alloy Power II. It has a very effective cooler based on the MaxContact technology where heat pipes have large nickel-plated copper plate making a direct contact with the GPU for effective heat dissipation. Asus has increased the surface area of the fin stack by 40% which complements the MaxContact technology. Three 90mm fans are based on their wing-blade with IP5X certification for dust resistance hence prolonging their life and durability. Though, to that, Asus has to make the card form factor to b 2.5 slots one. This card has FanConnectII technology whereby Asus has implemented two PWM fan headers on the front side thus enabling the users to connect and control the airflow inside the PC Chassis based on the thermals from the graphics card not from the CPU. To enhance the cooling performance further, Asus has implemented Die-Casting on the PCB that fully covers for the heat dissipation and reinforcement. All these mighty powerful features are coupled with the Aura Sync Lighting Backplate and Aura Sync Lighting on the cooler’s shroud.

This card has the boost clock of 1360MHz in Gaming Mode and 1380MHz in OC Mode with Gaming Mode being the default one. This is a factory overclocked card which has got all the bells and whistles to give you utmost gaming experience. Yet, Asus has not compromised on the VR aspect. This card has two VR-Friendly HDMI ports that allow the users to connect multiple displays and a VR Device simultaneously. I like this approach of providing two HDMI ports on the rear IO panel as it helps to reduce the cable clutter.

Yet, with these Pros, this particular card seems to have very little headroom for the overclocking. While, the many reviewers and the users have reported getting 1480-1500MHz with overclocking, our sample struggles to give us stable overclocking even at 1440MHz which makes it fall on the lower OC potential side of the Rx 580 series cards. But, I am hopeful that this was the case with this particular sample only. Silicon lottery is still up. Other than that, I have no complaint with the Asus ROG Strix Rx 580 O8G.

Value

This card is listed at $279.99 at the time of the review. This is the best value you can have from the Polaris based factory overclocked card with higher clocks out of the box to give you ultimate gaming experience.

Performance

When it comes to the performance of this card, it enhances the performance of the Rx 480 series of cards but based on the overclocked clocks as there is a marginal difference between the Polaris and the Enhanced Polaris. The Enhanced Polaris has taken the chip to its max potential. It handles games on 1080p like a charm and with few adjustments in the graphics settings, one can have a similar experience on the 1440p. In some games, the performance boost was like 3-4% over the Rx 480 while in few games it reaches as high as 15%. The Crossfire (CF) of the Asus ROG Strix Rx 580 O8G and the Asus ROG Strix Rx 480 O8G has scaled very well and results are speaking for it.

Verdict

Now comes a time when I would be summing it all up in few lines. If you are a user or owner of the Rx 480 then I don’t see any need for you to consider upgrading your card to the Rx 580 but if you are in the market looking for a mid-range budget graphics card then look no further as the Asus ROG Strix Rx 580 O8G has got what you are looking for.

It should not be a surprise if the Asus ROG Strix Rx 580 O8G Gaming OC Edition has won our performance award.

I am thankful to Asus Pakistan for giving me the opportunity to review the Asus ROG Strix Rx 580 O8G Gaming OC Edition graphics card.

Asus ROG Strix Radeon RX 580 Gaming OC review

50points

Asus ROG Strix Radeon RX 580 Gaming OC

Asus ROG Strix Radeon RX 580 Gaming OC

Why is Asus ROG Strix Radeon RX 580 Gaming OC better than the average?

  • GPU memory speed?
    2000MHzvs1569.63MHz
  • VRAM?
    8GBvs6.27GB
  • OpenCL version?
    2vs1.73
  • Semiconductor size?
    14nmvs17. 69nm
  • HDMI ports?
    2vs1.14
  • DVI outputs?
    1vs0.79
  • Supported displays?
    5vs3.96

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Price comparison

User reviews

Performance

1. GPU clock speed

1257MHz

The graphics processing unit (GPU) has a higher clock speed.

2.GPU turbo

1380MHz

When the GPU is running below its limitations, it can boost to a higher clock speed in order to give increased performance.

3.pixel rate

43.52 GPixel/s

The number of pixels that can be rendered to the screen every second.

4.floating-point performance

6.27 TFLOPS

Floating-point performance is a measurement of the raw processing power of the GPU.

5.texture rate

195.8 GTexels/s

The number of textured pixels that can be rendered to the screen every second.

6.GPU memory speed

2000MHz

The memory clock speed is one aspect that determines the memory bandwidth.

7.shading units

Shading units (or stream processors) are small processors within the graphics card that are responsible for processing different aspects of the image.

8.texture mapping units (TMUs)

TMUs take textures and map them to the geometry of a 3D scene. More TMUs will typically mean that texture information is processed faster.

9.render output units (ROPs)

The ROPs are responsible for some of the final steps of the rendering process, writing the final pixel data to memory and carrying out other tasks such as anti-aliasing to improve the look of graphics.

Memory

1.effective memory speed

8000MHz

The effective memory clock speed is calculated from the size and data rate of the memory. Higher clock speeds can give increased performance in games and other apps.

2.maximum memory bandwidth

256GB/s

This is the maximum rate that data can be read from or stored into memory.

3.VRAM

VRAM (video RAM) is the dedicated memory of a graphics card. More VRAM generally allows you to run games at higher settings, especially for things like texture resolution.

4.memory bus width

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.

A wider bus width means that it can carry more data per cycle. It is an important factor of memory performance, and therefore the general performance of the graphics card.

5.version of GDDR memory

Newer versions of GDDR memory offer improvements such as higher transfer rates that give increased performance.

6.Supports ECC memory

✖Asus ROG Strix Radeon RX 580 Gaming OC

Error-correcting code memory can detect and correct data corruption. It is used when is it essential to avoid corruption, such as scientific computing or when running a server.

Features

1.DirectX version

DirectX is used in games, with newer versions supporting better graphics.

2.OpenGL version

OpenGL is used in games, with newer versions supporting better graphics.

3.OpenCL version

Some apps use OpenCL to apply the power of the graphics processing unit (GPU) for non-graphical computing. Newer versions introduce more functionality and better performance.

4.Supports multi-display technology

✔Asus ROG Strix Radeon RX 580 Gaming OC

The graphics card supports multi-display technology. This allows you to configure multiple monitors in order to create a more immersive gaming experience, such as having a wider field of view.

5.load GPU temperature

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.

A lower load temperature means that the card produces less heat and its cooling system performs better.

6.supports ray tracing

✖Asus ROG Strix Radeon RX 580 Gaming OC

Ray tracing is an advanced light rendering technique that provides more realistic lighting, shadows, and reflections in games.

7.Supports 3D

✔Asus ROG Strix Radeon RX 580 Gaming OC

Allows you to view in 3D (if you have a 3D display and glasses).

8.supports DLSS

✖Asus ROG Strix Radeon RX 580 Gaming OC

DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) is an upscaling technology powered by AI. It allows the graphics card to render games at a lower resolution and upscale them to a higher resolution with near-native visual quality and increased performance. DLSS is only available on select games.

9.PassMark (G3D) result

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value.

This benchmark measures the graphics performance of a video card. Source: PassMark.

Ports

1.has an HDMI output

✔Asus ROG Strix Radeon RX 580 Gaming OC

Devices with a HDMI or mini HDMI port can transfer high definition video and audio to a display.

2. HDMI ports

More HDMI ports mean that you can simultaneously connect numerous devices, such as video game consoles and set-top boxes.

3.HDMI version

HDMI 2.0

Newer versions of HDMI support higher bandwidth, which allows for higher resolutions and frame rates.

4.DisplayPort outputs

Allows you to connect to a display using DisplayPort.

5.DVI outputs

Allows you to connect to a display using DVI.

6.mini DisplayPort outputs

Allows you to connect to a display using mini-DisplayPort.

Price comparison

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Which are the best graphics cards?

Asus Radeon RX 580 Strix Gaming Top OC Review

Written by

Matthew Lambert

April 18, 2017 | 13:59

Tags: #polaris #radeon #rx-480 #rx-580

Companies: #amd #asus

1 — Asus Radeon RX 580 Strix Gaming Top OC Review2 — Asus Radeon RX 580 Strix Gaming Top OC Review — The Card3 — Asus Radeon RX 580 Strix Gaming Top OC Review — Test Setup4 — Asus Radeon RX 580 Strix Gaming Top OC Review — 3DMark and VRMark5 — Asus Radeon RX 580 Strix Gaming Top OC Review — Deus Ex: Mankind Divided6 — Asus Radeon RX 580 Strix Gaming Top OC Review — Doom7 — Asus Radeon RX 580 Strix Gaming Top OC Review — Fallout 48 — Asus Radeon RX 580 Strix Gaming Top OC Review — Total War: Warhammer9 — Asus Radeon RX 580 Strix Gaming Top OC Review — The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt10 — Asus Radeon RX 580 Strix Gaming Top OC Review — Power and Thermals11 — Asus Radeon RX 580 Strix Gaming Top OC Review — Overclocking12 — Asus Radeon RX 580 Strix Gaming Top OC Review — Performance Analysis and Conclusion

The Card

Asus has long been considered a premium GPU brand, and its Strix family is a clear reflection of that, often loaded with features and making very few sacrifices when it comes to performance and cooling. We won’t know the full range of SKUs on the market until you do, but the card we have here, the RX 580 Strix Top OC, is the company’s flagship model, and if the RX 480 is anything to go by, it’s likely to sit at the very top in terms of pricing.

This is a tricky proposition for a product like the RX 580, costing a wallet-stripping £320 in this instance, where price-performance enters into the buying decision much more than it does for something like a GTX 1080, for instance, but there’s no denying Asus’s continued success and weight as a brand, and there’ll always be those that want the best. Without further ado, let’s see what’s on offer.

Click to enlarge

We’ll start with clock speeds, and Asus runs this card out-of-the-box at a boost clock of 1,411MHz, a 71MHz (just over five percent) improvement over stock, although the memory is left at the default 8Gbps.

The Strix design is familiar by now, so the all-black, angular shroud is an unsurprising choice. We think it looks pretty great ourselves – aggressive without getting silly or excessive. The colour scheme is also sensible given that RGB LEDs adorn both the front fascia and the backplate. These are controlled through the Asus Aura software, and Aura Sync allows you to match them to compatible Asus motherboard lighting.

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The card is a real whopper, with the depth extending it to the point where it will occupy three expansion slots, and the height and length are both meaty, as well. The huge cooler makes things very weighty, so that thick metal backplate is a necessity for rigidity, and you might also want to consider a motherboard with a reinforced PCI-E slot.

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Asus continues to use its VR-friendly I/O ports, dropping one DisplayPort connector in favour of a second HDMI port. It also includes a dual-link DVI-D port for legacy monitors.

A single 8-pin PCI-E connection is needed to power the card, giving it a maximum available power of up to 225W.

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The RX 580 Strix Top supports Asus FanConnect II, a nifty little feature that has a couple of side-facing, four-pin fan headers on the PCB. These can be connected to standard case fans, which will then have their speed modulated based on the GPU temperature, just like the fans on the card itself – potentially useful if you have fans that specifically target the graphics card.

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Asus isn’t just copying its RX 480 Strix design here and has switched to a new, larger cooler – not a bad choice given the higher power requirements of the RX 580. The big change is a move from DirectCU cooling, where the heat pipes made direct contact with the GPU, to what the company has termed MaxContact, whereby a massive, nickel-plated copper contact plate is used instead for up to twice the amount of contact with the GPU. You also have a separate PCB contact plate which draws heat away from each of the memory chips (though some are only partially covered) and MOSFETs, transferring heat to the main heatsink via more thermal padding.

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The heatsink is cooled by a trio of Asus’s patented Wing-Blade fans, which have IP5X certification, indicating a solid degree of protection against dust ingress. The vertical-fin arrangement means that air will be guided towards your motherboard and back into your case, with only a little likely to make it directly out of the rear I/O panel. The fans are semi-passive, so they’ll only turn on when things get too hot and switch back off for silent operation when the card is cool enough (i.e. during idle and low load situations).

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The PCB appears unchanged from the Strix 480, which makes sense and is likely to be common across partners. This being an Asus Strix part, we see that the 7+1-phase power configuration uses the company’s Super Alloy components for cleaner, more efficient power than ‘standard’ parts. The PCB is also manufactured on a fully automated process (Asus Auto-Extreme), which explains just how neat it looks.

Specifications

  • Graphics processor AMD Radeon RX 580, 1,411MHz boost
  • Pipeline 2,304 stream processors, 144 texture units, 32 ROPs
  • Memory 8GB GDDR5, 8Gbps effective
  • Bandwidth 256GB/sec, 256-bit interface
  • Compatibility DirectX 12, Vulcan, OpenGL 4.5
  • Outputs/Inputs 2 x DisplayPort 1.4, Dual Link DVI-I, 2 x HDMI 2.0b
  • Power connections 1 x 8-pin PCI-E, top-mounted
  • Size Triple-slot
  • Warranty Three years

1 — Asus Radeon RX 580 Strix Gaming Top OC Review2 — Asus Radeon RX 580 Strix Gaming Top OC Review — The Card3 — Asus Radeon RX 580 Strix Gaming Top OC Review — Test Setup4 — Asus Radeon RX 580 Strix Gaming Top OC Review — 3DMark and VRMark5 — Asus Radeon RX 580 Strix Gaming Top OC Review — Deus Ex: Mankind Divided6 — Asus Radeon RX 580 Strix Gaming Top OC Review — Doom7 — Asus Radeon RX 580 Strix Gaming Top OC Review — Fallout 48 — Asus Radeon RX 580 Strix Gaming Top OC Review — Total War: Warhammer9 — Asus Radeon RX 580 Strix Gaming Top OC Review — The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt10 — Asus Radeon RX 580 Strix Gaming Top OC Review — Power and Thermals11 — Asus Radeon RX 580 Strix Gaming Top OC Review — Overclocking12 — Asus Radeon RX 580 Strix Gaming Top OC Review — Performance Analysis and Conclusion

Review and testing of ASUS ROG Strix Radeon RX 580 8G: Polaris version 1.

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Table of contents

  • Introduction
  • Review ASUS ROG Strix RX 580
    • Packaging and delivery
    • Appearance and dimensions
    • Cooling system
    • PCB
  • Test stand
  • Instrumentation and Test Method
  • Test results
    • Standard frequencies and overclocking
    • Test ASUS ROG Strix RX 580
    • Video card experiments
    • Cooling System Potential Study
    • Electricity consumption level
  • Conclusion

Introduction

The ASUS ROG Strix RX 580 video card from the Republic of Gamers series stands out not only from its classmates, but also from its own series. The novelty is based on the original printed circuit board with a reinforced power supply and cooling system used on the top solution from the neighboring camp — ROG Strix GeForce CTX 1080 Ti.

Add to this a lot of proprietary technologies that improve the quality characteristics of the product, and we get one of the best models in the AMD camp.

In addition, the developers have tried to «squeeze» all the juice out of the Polaris 20 GPU, while providing the video card with all the relevant functions.

These improvements enable the ASUS ROG Strix RX 580 to operate at record-breaking performance, delivering high levels of performance with low noise and heat.

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ASUS ROG Strix RX 580 review

Full name: ASUS ROG Strix RX 580 8G, manufacturer code: ROG-Strix-RX580-O8G-Gaming.

Packaging and delivery

ASUS ROG Strix RX 580 came to our lab in an unmarked black package. In this form, only samples intended for reviews were sent out, and retail models will receive bright and recognizable polygraphy of the Republic of Gamers line.

The box is large enough. Inside, the video card and the delivery kit are placed in a soft material that protects the contents during transportation.

Accessory kit includes:

  • User installation envelope;
  • ASUS driver and software disc;
  • Two branded ROG cable ties.

Appearance and dimensions

Model ASUS ROG Strix RX 580 continues the history of the famous series, whose representatives are made in black colors and equipped with a massive cooling system. The developers did not disregard any aspect, ensuring the quality of performance at a high level.

Getting to know the video card begins with the fact that it is carefully protected from «external irritants»: in an antistatic bag, with a film and protective caps on the interfaces and connectors.

Let’s start with the main advantage of ASUS ROG Strix RX 580 — the cooling system. It is built using a large two-section heatsink and three 92mm fans each. On the ASUS slides, I was not able to identify my own name for the CO, but there are plenty of other subtleties and details.

The cooler’s decorative plastic shroud has multiple curves and cutouts that serve as space for customizable ASUS Aura RGB lighting. The latter perfectly harmonizes and tunes in time with the motherboard and connected peripherals, so modding fans will be delighted.

On the reverse side we are greeted by a massive «backplate», which was also touched by the designer’s hand. Geometric patterns and diamond-shaped cooler mounting holes are accompanied by the Republic of Gamers logo on the front. It is part of the ASUS Aura backlit decoration.

The interface panel has been redesigned and differs from the reference model. The video card received the following video outputs:

  • One DVI-D;
  • Dual HDMI;
  • Two DisplayPorts.

The following resolutions are supported:

  • Digital — up to 7680 x 4320.

ASUS ROG Strix RX 580 is powered by one 8-pin connector on the edge of the PCB. Two LEDs, white and red, indicate that the connection is working.

To the left are six voltage measurement points, which will appeal to enthusiasts and overclockers, but the signatures are placed on the back of the PCB, and we will return to them in more detail later.

Dimensions ASUS ROG Strix RX 580 is one of the shortcomings of the model. It could not be otherwise, if we remember that three 92 mm fans were included in the cooling system.

The length of the video card is about 297 mm, width — 134 mm, in the system unit it will cover two and a half expansion slots.