AMD R9 285 Graphics Card

The video begins by situating the AMD R9 285 within AMD's lineup, explaining the context of the 200 series and the confusion that came with Hawaii and the rebranding of earlier cards. The host notes that the R9 285 is based on Tonga silicon, designed to bring high-end features to a $250 price point, including improved efficiency and new multimedia capabilities. Key points include hardware tweaks under the hood aimed at better tessellation, compute, and memory performance to offset some nominal deficiencies, along with support for features such as mantle, true audio, bridgeless crossfire, and Freesync. The presentation then shifts to the specific card on hand, a Gigabyte Windforce edition, highlighting its open-air cooler, dual 100 mm fans, and practical design choices like reversed PCIe power connectors for cable management. The host also comments on the testing setup and platform change, noting the move to stock speeds and a new motherboard, and emphasizes that the card is not overclocked in the benchmarks. In closing, the reviewer places the R9 285 in the broader market, comparing it against cards like the GTX 760 and GTX 750 Ti to illustrate its price-to-performance position, and remarks that it performs as expected for its price, while briefly discussing the Never Settle Space Edition bundle as added value for buyers.

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