Ok. Fact.. I am not a hardcore gamer, in fact I just moved from a mid spec laptop back to a desktop for the first time in years. Bought a 2nd hand mid range pc for a good price. Installed in it was a Palit gtx 660.....and wow. Suddenly playing on ultra settings made my games a bit more...well...amazing. In a fit of idiocy I immediately upgraded the CPU cooler, the case fans and fitted a digital fan controller with no idea what I was actually doing...but success! However I knew enough to know the gpu is king in a gaming system, and I read lots re the rx480 being an awesome mid range new card that claims to be VR ready. With eyes far bigger than my wallet I explored google. I admit this card is complete overkill for me currently. Heck I still use a 720p tv as my monitor, but I have plans....oh do I have plans. (if not the money at present) A lovely chap on ebay had a listing for a brand new Powercolor Red Dragon 8gb version for a really good price , and after some research, and my ever suffering girlfriend screaming "Just press the button" I bought one. I knew it was a relatively budget model, I knew I might be taking a risk...in fact I knew nothing John Snow. Ahem. A mere 24 hours later it arrived. Again I will reiterate I am not a pc guru, I don't understand all the jargon, but I understand the basics. Firstly, it looks good. It looks solid. Twin fans, a back plate, a single 6 pin power supply (so doesn't suck your electric meter dry in a matter of moments). The box is as basic as you can get, I have had Jaffa cakes in better built boxes, but hey...it's a box holding a graphics card. Not going to mount it on the wall as art neuveau. The card: fits a micro atx mobo, It runs quiet and it stays cool. My gtx 660 reached 80c under full load, this barely reaches 65 (the fans dont even cut in til 60). Apparently there was a pci-e voltage draw issue but a driver update sorted that out (see how I sound like I actually know what I'm talking about) It barely breaks a sweat playing the games I currently run eg Tombraider 2013 Max Payne 3 Dirt 3 etc all maxed out. Apparently it can be overclocked, as can my fx 8350 processor, however my current knowledge of overclocking is ummm, err, it makes it a bit faster, but not sure how to do it. So basically everything is running clock. Now there are many many people out there far brighter and more knowledgeable than me on youtube etc, even the ones that fall off buildings, bikes and pogo sticks, but I tried heaven benchmark software and was getting 200+ fps on ultra. I drooled a bit and went Wow! And I have just realised I am waffling. To sum up, for what this card cost, as a non PC expert I am impressed. Scores 6.7 (without overclock) on steams vr ready software. Plays every single game I own far beyond the 60 fps that people tell me is good, runs cool and draws very little power for the performance. It works, and works well. No noisy fans, no coil whine (on mine at least) no stuttering fps, no lag, no thermal shutdown. If I can fault this budget card at all its that it has given me airs of grandeur. I'm already thinking upgrades to match my monster card, mobo, 1080p or higher monitor, crossfire, and maybe even a VIVE to utilise that VR capability. Damn you card, I have bought Frankenstein's monster and my bank account will never be the same again......... but damn I love this thing.Read full review
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