Review

ASUS ROG Strix RX 470 OC 4GB Review

After a month of official AMD announcement of AMD's Polaris GPUs and waiting a lot to get our hand on one, today we can finally reveal the performance of the second SKU based GPU on “Polaris" architecture the AMD RX 470 GPU targeted on the most voluminous main stream market segment..

We like to thanks ASUS India for providing us the ASUS ROG Strix RX 470 4GB graphics card for review. The RX 470 is based on the same Polaris 10 "Ellesmere" silicon as the RX 480, but features fewer shaders and lower clock speed where as memory bus is kept untouched at 256-bit GDDR5, and ROP count stays at 32. The ASUS Radeon RX 470 STRIX 4 GB is a custom-design and overclocked RX 470 graphics card with a boost frequency of 1270 MHz.

Now let's see what this ASUS RX 470 has for us.

Features

• 1270 MHz engine clock in OC mode for outstanding performance and gaming experience.
• DirectCU II with Patented Wing-Blade 0dB Fan Design delivers maximum air flow with 30% cooler and 3X quieter performance.
• ASUS FanConnect features 4-pin GPU-controlled header connected to system fans for optimal thermal performance.
• Industry Only Auto-Extreme Technology with Super Alloy Power II delivers premium quality and best reliability.
• Aura RGB Lighting to express personalized gaming style.
• GPU Tweak II with XSplit Gamecaster provides intuitive performance tweaking and lets you stream your gameplay instantly.

OUTSHINE THE COMPETITION
ROG Strix RX 470 gaming graphics cards are packed with exclusive ASUS technologies, including DirectCU II Technology with Patented Wing-Blade Fans for up to 30% cooler and 3X quieter performance, and Industry-only Auto-Extreme Technology for premium quality and the best reliability. Aura RGB Lighting enables a gaming system personalization. ROG Strix RX 470 also has GPU Tweak II with XSplit Gamecaster that provides intuitive performance tweaking and instant gameplay streaming.

LEVEL UP PERFORMANCE

DirectCU II Technology with Direct-GPU Contact Heatpipes
30% Cooler and 3X Quieter Performance. Exclusive DirectCU II cooling technology features direct-GPU contact heatpipes that transports more heat away from the GPU and outperform reference designs, achieving up to 30% cooler gaming performance.

Patented Triple Wing-Blade 0dB Fans
Max Air Flow with 105% More Air Pressure -DirectCU II features dual 0dB fans engineered with a patented wing-blade design that delivers maximum air flow and improved 105% static pressure over the heat sink, while operating at 3X quieter volumes than reference cards. The 0dB fans also let you enjoy games in complete silence and make DirectCU II the coolest and quietest graphics card in the market.

ASUS FanConnect
30% Cooler and 3X Quieter Performance - When gaming, GPU temperatures are often higher than CPU temps. However, chassis fans usually reference CPU temperatures only, which results in inefficient cooling of the system. For optimal thermal performance, ROG Strix RX 470 graphics cards feature a 4-pin GPU-controlled header that can be connected to system fan for targeted supplemental cooling.

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. This new manufacturing process is also environmentally friendly, eliminating harsh chemicals and reducing power consumption by 50%.

5+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.

Aura RGB Lighting
Where Style Meets Performance - Featuring Aura RGB Lighting on both the shroud, ROG Strix graphics cards are capable of displaying millions of colors and six different effects for a personalized gaming system.

Your Need for Speed, Fulfilled
The Best Combo Ultra-smooth Gameplay - AMD FreeSyncâ„¢ technology resolves the communication issues between processor and monitor, eliminating image tears and choppiness for effortlessly smooth gameplay. With ROG Strix gaming graphics cards and ASUS MG gaming monitors, scenes appear instantly, objects look sharper, and gameplay is super smooth, giving you a stunning visual experience and a serious competitive edge.

GPU Tweak II with XSplit Gamecaster
Tweak Till Your Heart's Content - Redesigned with an intuitive, all-new UI, GPU Tweak II makes overclocking easier and more visual than ever, while still retaining advanced options for seasoned overclockers. With one click, the new Gaming Booster function maximizes system performance by removing redundant processes and allocating all available resources automatically.

Gaming Booster
One-click Performance Up

XSplit Gamecaster
Instant Gameplay Streaming - An included 14-day XSplit Gamecaster premium license lets you easily stream or record gameplay via a convenient, in-game overlay. The overlay also displays GPU clock speed, temperature, and VRM usage, and has GPU Tweak II controls, so gamers can choose a gaming profile and boost performance with just one click.

Specifications

Package

The ASUS RX 470 comes in a black colored box with STRIX logo highlighted on front of the box . Back of box covers details about the product features along with specifications.

Inside the box

Along with the GFX card box also includes driver installation CD, quick start guide, ASUS Cable ties, ASUS stickers and World of Warships coupon.

Looks

ASUS ROG Strix RX 470 4GB graphics card features a full black colour theme with two super silent fans for cooling. Top side features a ROG logo with the AURA RGB lighting . Card also features a 4 pin (PWM) fan header to hook an external fan , which can be controlled via bundled software.

The back I/O plate is having two DVI connectors (dual link), a HDMI (2.0) connector and a DisplayPort (1.4) connector.

Testing

Test system configuration -

Bundled Softwares

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 not loud at all.

Power Consumption

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

Pros

• Factory Overclocked
• RGB LEDs
• Fan turns OFF when idle
• On board 4 pin fan Header
• Great looks

Cons

• Slight Expensive at approx Rs.25K
• No backplate

Conclusion

Market sales price plays a big role in determining the success of a product, and same goes true with this ASUS ROG Strix RX 470 4GB graphics card. We are still waiting for the price of AMD RX 480 4GB variant, but from the international market evaluation it seems there will be very slight price difference between this Strix RX 470 4GB and RX 480 4GB variant and best is that even by just adding another 3-4K in your budget one can get a RX 480 8GB graphics card.

Still being a STRIX product with factory Overclocking the ASUS ROG Strix RX 470 4GB graphics card is decently priced for this kind of performance, silent operation and hardware. ASUS has also added extra fan header, Aura RGB Lighting and few new software packages like GPU Tweak II and XSplit Gamecaster , to give best gaming experience for the money.

At the conclusion ASUS ROG Strix RX 470 4GB graphics card is a fantastic graphics card giving a smooth gaming experience at 1080p resolution with great OC capability.

Manufacturers Info

Thanks.

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