Introduction
Enthusiast based graphics cards, ones that come complete with all the bells and whistles, are usually to be found late in the lifespan of a particular GPU. Today we have a definite switch around of that concept as the PowerColor Devil13 HD7990 has appeared in our offices without much of a fanfare, and certainly without a reference HD7990 being hinted at, much less produced.
It's therefore perfectly possible that this will be the only HD7990 available. Two full-fat HD7970 cores in one card. It reminds us, conceptually, of the ASUS Ares. The Devil13 certainly matches up in terms of ambition and packaging, as well as price.
In some respects we're always nervous about dual-GPU cards. The power requirements and heat issues normally mean that the GPUs are cut-down from the top-end models. However, PowerColor have given us two full on Tahiti XT cores so it will be interesting to see if the card matches up against two solo HD7970s.
We have a lot to cover in this review, so let us crack on.
Technical Specifications
It's a positive beast of a thing. Triple slot cooler, 6GB of GDDR5, 3 8pin PCI-e power connections. It's extreme in every sense.
| Graphics Engine | RADEON HD7990 |
|---|---|
| Video Memory | 6GB GDDR5 |
| Engine Clock | 925MHz / 1000MHz |
| Memory Clock | 1375MHz x 4 (5.5Gbps) |
| Memory Interface | 384bit X2 |
| DirectX® Support | 11.1 |
| Bus Standard | PCIE 3.0 |
| Standard Display Connecors | DL DVI-I / SL DVI-D / HDMI / 2 X mini DisplayPort |
| OpenGL | Support |
| CrossFireX™ Technology | Support |
| ATI Stream Technology | Support |
| ATI Eyefinity Technology | Support |
| VGA Output | Yes, By DVI to VGA converter |
| DVI Output | DL-DVI-I/ SL-DVI-D |
| DisplayPort | On Board(mini DP) x2 |
| HDMI | On Board |
| HDCP Support | Support |
| VGA | 2048x1536 |
| DVI | 2560x1600 |
| DisplayPort | 4096x2160 |
| HDMI | 4096x2160 |
| Board Dimensions | 315mmx140mmx60mm |
| Minimum System Power requirement (W) | 850W |
| Extention Power Connector | three 8-pin PCI Express Power connectors |
Overclocking
We'd expect that the power requirements of the Devil13 are enough to make overclocking a hopeful task at best, yet we managed to overclock both GPUs, and the GDDR5, by 125MHz. Remember that the memory is quad-pumped. This is a hugely surprising result. 12.5% increases aren't something we'd have expected from the card at all.
Temperatures
There has been much talk about the early batch of Devil13s having a problem with the pressure applied by the cooler leading to increased temperatures. It's exactly why here at OC3D we always wait for the final version of a product before reviewing it so that we see results you can obtain too, and the Devil13 is definitely cool, even with our overclock.
Quiet is subjective, and it's not the quietest card we've ever seen, but it's easily something you can live with and not distracting.
Benchmarks
Alien vs Predator
Starting with AvP, the Devil13 lives up to its diabolic moniker by spanking everything else we've tested. The overclock in particular gives huge gains.