Overall and Final Verdict
The final verdict I put together below has to be the most generic I have ever done. This isn’t because the Asus Matrix R9 280X Platinum doesn’t have amazing features that I want to point out. The problem is there are so many things I want to mention that I couldn’t pick just four to go into our Pro’s. First, let’s talk about the cards performance. I was extremely impressed with the in game and synthetic performance that I saw, the handpicked Platinum edition’s GPU and Memory overclocks helped it considerably in these tests. Really the only performance metrics I wasn’t impressed with were the noise performance numbers, it is a noisy card. As for the Matrix Platinum using high quality hardware, Asus went well and above on the design of this card. They expanded the power circuitry and packed in 20 phase power control with DIGI+ VRM to prevent voltage drop when overclocking and to decrease temperatures. The upgraded Black Metallic Caps are a nice bonus as well. What impressed me the most were all of the features the Matrix Platinum has though. The most obvious is the triple slot cooling but what I really found interesting was the on board voltage control and fan speed controller. The Matrix logo on top of the card that changes colors depending on how much load the card is under is a nice touch as well. Then you have the details like the backplate with the branding upside down to show off properly when the card is installed in your case or the ability to remove the entire Direct CU II cooler with four screws to replace thermal paste quickly. All in all I don’t think you will find another card on the market with features that come even close to the Matrix R9 280X Platinum. Because of that I didn’t put its premium price down as a con (I mean the included an LN2 heatsink and a SteelSeries mouse pad even). You are getting a lot for your money. If you want the best, or need the overclocking features this is the best R9 280X to pick up.