Club3D R9 280 royalKing Review

[section_title title=”Conclusion”]Conclusion

So now we have had a closer look at the Club3D R9 280 royalKing and of course put the graphics card through its paces, the question on everybody’s minds is how it actually performs and is it a viable option to consider?  Well folks, it is my job to find out and I intend to give you the low down on this poker themed option…

Starting out with the key factor in any graphics card review (the performance), I was quite surprised really as to how the Club3D R9 280 performed.  In some instances I felt the card was a serious contender and in others, felt it could have done much better than it did; but let me explain.  In benchmarks like 3DMark 11/Fire Strike the 280 felt a little light when at stock but of course when overclocked, it certainly made a difference coming in reach of the more expensive GTX 770; note the R9 280 has 1GB more GDDR5 VRAM than the tested 770 variant.  In Unigine Heaven 4.0, the overclocked R9 280 even managed to compete with ASUS GTX 770 which is of course an achievement in itself.

When it comes to gaming performance, the card does rather well here too and seems to do more than bridge a gap between the 270x and 280x; when overclocked it really comes to life. Even in Battlefield 4 we get playable frame rates at 1080p which is brilliant and this card would even be an option at medium/high in some games at 1440p also!; this makes the Club3D R9 280 royalKing a very viable option indeed.

In relation to the design and aesthetics of the card, I am quite fond of the design and I really applaud Club3D for the inclusion of the back plate.  In fact I would go as far as saying this is probably one of my favourite back plates of any graphics card as the level of detail is superb in my opinion.  The black and red contrast works really well and the fact that it will fit in nicely with motherboards such as the ASUS ROG and MSI Gaming series means this design should prove popular.  If I had to point out some negatives, they aren’t entirely problematic other than the card droops slightly towards the power connectors when installed; this is due to the weight of the cooler but it isn’t a huge problem.  The other thing I’m not too fond of is the aesthetic of the side (the part facing the case window), the copper pipes look a little unsightly but again, this is my personal opinion and others may well like the look!

Probably the most important factor here is going to be the price and coming in at just over £170, the price could be a little better.  When you consider the included back plate and good customer service Club3D are known for across Europe though, it doesn’t seem all too bad all things considered.

Overall the Club3D R9 280 royalKing is a very viable option and in my opinion,  does more than bridge a gap between two popular AMD SKUs; the R9 270x and the r9 280x.  I can’t help but think AMD have been a little lazy in effectively re-branding their original 7xxx series cards but to Club3D’s credit, they have done the best they can with what they have available; did I mention the amazing back plate which comes pre-installed?

Big thanks to Club3D for sending the R9 280 royalKing graphics card in for review and I look forward to seeing more from their range in the very near future.