Product Photos - HIS Radeon R9-280 IceQ X2 Turbo
The 3GB GDDR5 graphics memory runs on a 384-bit wide bus. Connectivity wise the output connectors will actually vary per brand -- the HIS IceQ X2 Turbo edition boards will get one DVI connector, then an HDMI and two DisplayPort (mini) connectors. I'm not a fan of the small mini-DP connectors TBH. But sure, we get a nice four-fold of connectors supporting all high-resolution monitors.
At the rear side of the card we see a rather familiar PCB. Overall a fairly clean design, the cards are PCI-E gen 3.0 compatible and will have two crossfire connectors, so 3-way Crossfire is an option you could pursue. You'll notice that the card is lacking a backplate but it does have a metal bar at the top to ensure stability when it is hanging vertically in the PC and you can see one vertical cooling or protective plate.
The card has a TDP rating of 225 Watt and the card needs to be hooked up to two PCI-E PEG power connectors; one 8 and one 6-pin. Under full stress we measured only 172 Watt power draw, so that is pretty good. But yes, this really is a Radeon HD 7950 Boost/GHz edition that is a hint faster. HIS is going to price this product at a 200 USD marker.
It is a pretty card to look at alright. But HIS needs to drop the baby blue PCB color and go all black. As stated the card is Crossfire compatible, but you will need the longer type flexible Crossfire bridges (one included in the packaging). But yeah, overall a good looking product alright.
