When comparing PowerColor Radeon RX 480 Red Devil 8 GB vs MSI Radeon RX 480 Gaming X 8GB, the Slant community recommends PowerColor Radeon RX 480 Red Devil 8 GB for most people. In the question“What is the best AMD Radeon RX 480 card?” PowerColor Radeon RX 480 Red Devil 8 GB is ranked 3rd while MSI Radeon RX 480 Gaming X 8GB is ranked 5th. The most important reason people chose PowerColor Radeon RX 480 Red Devil 8 GB is:
The triple fan layout of the Red Devil's cooler result in a satisfyingly quiet operation. When idling (tamps are below 60 Celsius), the card's fans won't spin, which means they aren't producing any noise. [Even under full load](http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/powercolor_radeon_rx_480_red_devil_review,8.html), the RX 480 Red Devil is barely audible with 38 measured decibels (A). This makes the Red Devil a lot quieter than a reference RX 480 at 42 dB(A). Because the decibel scale is logarithmic the difference can be noticeable (it's about 40% louder).
Specs
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Pros
Pro Extremely quiet operation
The triple fan layout of the Red Devil's cooler result in a satisfyingly quiet operation. When idling (tamps are below 60 Celsius), the card's fans won't spin, which means they aren't producing any noise. Even under full load, the RX 480 Red Devil is barely audible with 38 measured decibels (A). This makes the Red Devil a lot quieter than a reference RX 480 at 42 dB(A). Because the decibel scale is logarithmic the difference can be noticeable (it's about 40% louder).
Pro Good overclocking potential
You can easily overclock the RX 480 Red Devil with additional boosts for the Boost Clock, GPU Clock and even the Memory Clock, especially considering the latter two haven't been overclocked by PowerColor. In this particular situation, a maximum boost clock of 1375 MHz (+ 45 MHz) and Memory Clock of 9000 MHz (+ 1000 MHz) was achieved with very little issues. The temperature limit was set at 83 degrees Celsius. Further overclocking of the card increases performance. In this case, the overclocked Red Devil card scores 4802 points in 3D Mark: Time Spy, while the same card using stock speeds only scores 4441 points. The overclocked card offers an improvement of a little over 8%.
Pro Decent cooling results, prevents throttling
The cooler of the Red Devil card performs well, both in idle and full load situations. The maximum temperature measured in idle was 37 degrees Celsius, which is an excellent result. Keep in mind that the fans don't spin up at all in idle, which makes the result even more impressive. The hottest temperature measured under full load using stock fan settings was 76 degrees Celsius, a difference of seven degrees compared to a reference RX 480.
Lower temperatures not only ensure a longer lifespan, but it also prevents throttling. Throttling is the phenomenon where the card gets too hot and clocks itself down in order to stay cool, effectively sacrificing performance. Due to the Red Devil's decent cooling results, this never occurs.
Pro Very little added power consumption
Because the Red Devil card is outfitted with a large cooling solution and also because of the slightly higher boost speed, it's reasonable to think that the power consumption would also be higher. Luckily, the difference is very minimal. As seen in this graph, the card is measured to have a maximum power consumption of 168 watts which is only two watts higher than a reference RX 480.
Pro BIOS switch located on the card
The PowerColor Radeon RX 480 Red Devil has two BIOS settings: Silent and OC, which provides the Boost Clock. The card has the OC setting in place out of the box. You could adjust the GPU settings to achieve similar results in the drivers and additional software, but there's a handy and physical switch located on the graphics card itself which makes for an effortless switch.
Pro 8-pin power connector allows for plenty of headroom
A reference RX 480 is equipped with a 6-pin power connector, but the power limit of the 6-pin connector has proven to be an issue for the RX 480 cards, as the total power consumption is sometimes higher than specified. The Red Devil 8 GB uses an 8-pin connector and although an 8-pin connector requires more power than a 6-pin connector, this effectively eliminates all concerns about the RX 480's power consumption and distribution and allows plenty of headroom for overclocking the card even further.
Pro 8-pin power connector allows for plenty of headroom
A reference RX 480 is equipped with a 6-pin power connector, but the power limit of the 6-pin connector has proven to be an issue for the RX 480 cards, as the total power consumption is sometimes higher than specified. The RX 480 Gaming 8 GB uses an 8-pin connector and although an 8-pin connector requires more power than a 6-pin connector, this effectively eliminates all concerns about the RX 480's power consumption and distribution. It also allows plenty of headroom for overclocking the card even further.
Pro Features adjustable RGB LED lightning
The exterior of the MSI Gaming X 8 GB features some LED lights (the shards surrounding the cooler) which are color-adjustable to any RGB color via MSI's included software package. This allows you to customize the look of the graphics card, which can be useful if your setup is built with a specific color scheme in mind.
Pro Equipped with two HDMI connectors, better suited for VR
MSI has made a slight adjustment to the available connectors of the RX 480 Gaming. Instead of going with the regular combination of 3x DisplayPort, 1x HDMI and 1x DVI-D, they've opted for 2x DisplayPort, 2x HDMI and 1x DVI-D instead. The additional HDMI connector is particularly useful when using the card in combination with a VR headset such as the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive, which require two HDMI ports. Connecting a VR Headset won't require an adapter.
Pro Good overclocking potential
The MSI Gaming X RX 480 allows for further overclocking and is optimized for use with MSI's own Afterburner software. In this particular case, a maximum boost clock of 1370 MHz was achieved (over a reference 1267 MHz, an 8% increase) and a memory clock of 9000 MHz (compared to the original 8000 MHz (+ 12.5%). This resulted in a score of 4796 in the 3D Mark Time Spy benchmark and some performance improvements in games as well. In Hitman for example, an overclocked MSI Gaming RX 480 achieves an average framerate of 64 FPS, while the same card without overclocks achieves an average of 57 frames per second.
Pro Suitable ports for VR headsets
MSI has made a slight adjustment to the available connectors of the RX 480 Gaming. Instead of going with the regular combination of 3x DisplayPort, 1x HDMI and 1x DVI-D, they have opted for 2x DisplayPort, 2x HDMI and 1x DVI-D instead. The additional HDMI connector is particularly useful when using the card in combination with a VR headset such as the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive, which require two HDMI ports. Connecting a VR Headset won't require an adapter.
Pro Great cooling system prevents throttling
The RX 480 8 GB Gaming X features MSI's Twin Frozr IV cooler which results in low temperatures for the GPU. When idling, the GPU heats up to 37 degrees Celsius at stock speeds. Although this may sound a little on the higher side, the cooler does not spin up at all until it reaches 60° C. In full load situations, a maximum temperature of 73 degrees C is reached, which is still 9 degrees lower than a reference RX 480.
Lower temperatures not only allow a longer lifespan for the graphics card, but it also prevents throttling. Throttling is the phenomenon where the card slows itself down (it reduces the clock speed) in order to cool down and prevent overheating, effectively sacrificing performance. This never occurs with the Gaming X card.
Pro Adjustable RGB LED lightning makes your card look even cooler
The exterior of the MSI Gaming X 8 GB features some LED lights (the shards surrounding the cooler) which are color-adjustable to any RGB color via MSI's included software package. This allows you to customize the look of the graphics card, which can be useful if your setup is built with a specific color scheme in mind.
Pro Most affordable 8GB card
The RX 480 comes in two sizes - 4GB of 8GB. The 8GB cards are all more expensive than the 4GB cards, and this MSI Gaming X card is the cheapest priced 8GB card. Especially if you want to run a multi-monitor setup (or even just a single very high resolution display), the extra VRam will help out a lot.
Pro Quietest RX 480 when under a full load
MSI's TwinFrozr cooler (exact same one used on the MSI GTX 1060 Gaming X) is accompanied by 3 heatpipes, and together this cooling system remains extremely quiet even when under a fully stressed load. It only measures 31dBA when fully stressed. The idle noise is slightly on the louder side at 29dBA - it's truly amazing how quiet this card remains when under a full load.
Cons
Con Very cheap PCB components
The components used in the PCB are really cheap. The VRM is rated at 46 amps (25 degrees Celsius) and 34 amps (80 degrees Celsius). For comparison, the reference RX 480 is rated at 66 amps (25 degrees Celsius) and 50 amps (80 degrees Celsius), which is significantly better. PowerColor has stated to not run Furmark on this card, because it just can't handle it without breaking.
For full details, this YouTube video by Actually Hardware Overclocking breaks down the problem.
Con GPU Clock hasn't been improved
Although the Red Devil 8 GB is equipped with an impressive cooling solution, the card only received a 5% Boost Clock overclock, while the GPU Clock has remained the same. This is a missed opportunity, as many other third-party RX 480 cards have received a GPU Clock improvement.
Con Quite long, won't fit in smaller cases
The maximum length of the PowerColor RX 480 Red Devil is 12.2 inches (310 mm), which is significantly longer than the reference 9.5 inches (241 mm). The additional length may cause installation issues in some smaller enclosures.
Con Higher price tag due to low availability
The manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP) is only $269.99, although it is nearly impossible to find this 8GB RX 480 card at that price. High demand has caused the price to go up, although since launching the prices aren't as high as they once were.
Con Factory overclock doesn't impress
Although MSI has factory overclocked the RX 480 Gaming X's boost clock, the normal GPU Clock and Memory Clock haven't been increased. For a card in this price category, these factory overclocks aren't as impressive as some other RX 480 cards.