The AMD R9 Nano: A Flagship Card in a Tiny Package

For years, the flagship card from AMD has been the Fury X, but this year's model is different. While it may have some slight advantages over its predecessor, such as being a tiny bit faster, the real excitement lies in the new R9 Nano. This card is not only smaller and more efficient than previous generations, but it also boasts impressive performance at an unbeatable price.

One of the main differences between the Fury X and the R9 Nano is their specifications. Both cards have 496 dream processors, two 256 texture units, 64 RS, and 4 gigs of HBM memory. However, the R9 Nano has a lower TDP of 100 watts, compared to the Fury X's 200 watts. Additionally, the R9 Nano has a 50 MHz lower boost clock by default, but it's worth noting that this card can still reach high speeds in games.

The R9 Nano is also notable for its air-cooling system, which uses a vapor chamber cooler. This design allows for a highly efficient and compact cooling solution, making it one of the smallest graphics cards on the market. As a result, the R9 Nano requires only an 18-pin power connector, making it ideal for use in smaller cases or for those who want to keep their system quiet.

The R9 Nano is not just a great option for gamers, but also for car enthusiasts. Its small size and efficient cooling make it an attractive solution for use in cars as well. In fact, the card's designers have compared its performance to that of a Lotus Elise, citing its compact size and impressive capabilities as key benefits.

However, achieving such low TDPs comes with some trade-offs. The R9 Nano does experience some throttling under full load, which can result in clock speeds hovering around 875 MHz instead of the maximum 1,000 MHz. This means that the card may not perform quite as well as its liquid-cooled counterpart, the Fury X.

Despite this, the R9 Nano still delivers impressive performance, hanging near the top of the charts in games and tests. The question remains, however, how does it compare to AMD's previous generation? In contrast to previous generations where more power was added to overcome performance limitations, the R9 Nano uses efficiency as its primary advantage.

A New Benchmark for Efficiency

The R9 Nano's impressive efficiency is on full display when compared to other graphics cards of similar power consumption. The card's system, which includes an AMD FX8350 processor, 16 gigs of Corsair Vengeance Pro memory, a 240 gig Corsair Forel SSD, and a custom EK water block system, sets a new benchmark for efficiency.

To put this into perspective, the R9 Nano's total power consumption is lower than that of the Asus Aries 3, even when combined with two cards in crossfire. This is no small feat, especially considering that the R9 Nano itself has a much more compact design.

The Aries 3, on the other hand, has a dual-GPU setup and requires significantly more power to run at high performance. The comparison between these two systems highlights the advancements AMD has made in efficiency and cooling technology.

Testing the R9 Nano: Real-World Performance

To put the R9 Nano's capabilities to the test, NC's team performed extensive benchmarking using games like Grand Theft Auto 5, Shadow of Mordor, and The Witcher 3. These tests were conducted at both 1440p and 4K resolutions, with the results showing a consistent improvement over previous generations.

One notable result from these tests was that the R9 Nano consistently outperformed its predecessor in crossfire setups, showcasing its ability to scale well under high loads. Additionally, the card's performance was on par with that of more powerful systems, making it an attractive option for those looking for a balance between power and efficiency.

Conclusion

The AMD R9 Nano is a groundbreaking graphics card that redefines what is possible in terms of efficiency and compact design. Its ability to deliver impressive performance at an unbeatable price makes it a compelling choice for gamers and car enthusiasts alike. While some trade-offs are necessary, such as reduced clock speeds under full load, the R9 Nano's overall package is one of the most impressive on the market.

Whether you're building a new system or upgrading your current rig, the R9 Nano is definitely worth considering. Its innovative design and exceptional performance make it an attractive option for anyone looking to push the limits of what is possible in graphics cards.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enall right let's face it AMD has been the butt of a lot of jokes when it comes to overheating systems or personal heaters in the winter time I mean even Anthony burned himself a couple of times when he was benchmarking reference 290x but then Anthony's young he probably doesn't remember the gtx480 anyway the story has changed in a big way for our AMD or is it in a small way um the R9 Nano now it's not every day that a manufacturer releases a flagship grade graphics card in the tiny form factor I mean we've seen stuff like the GTX 670 and the 970 in mini versions but those aren't exactly Top ofth Line cards the R9 Nano on the other hand is for all intents and purposes a flagship card I mean yes the fury X is a tiny bit faster but like let's look at their specs they both got 496 dream processors two 256 texture units 64 RS and 4 gigs of hbm memory the only differences are a 100 watt reduction in TDP 50 MHz lower boost clock by default and about 1.7 in oh and the fact that the Nano is air cooled by a vapor chamber cooler yes that's right AMD managed to design a high performance card in a small efficient and cool package not a sentence that uh we heard last generation very often I mean so for you car guys out there I guess it would remind me of something like a Lotus Elise sure there are cars out there that have more horsepower carry more people or get better fuel mileage but when you look at the overall package there's just nothing quite like it it's small it requires just one 18 pin power connector and it's one of the fastest cards on the market not to mention that if you install it in a car in a case with adequate ventilation since it doesn't have a rear exhaust cooler it stays cooler and quieter than a lot of the other air cooled cards on the market unfortunately it's not all all Sunshine Lollipops and rainbow butterflies in order to achieve such a low TDP well there is some throttling that can happen so the card under full load rarely hits that 1,00 mahz clock speed most of the time it actually hovers around 875 MHz in games and as you'd expect then it performs around 5 to 10% worse than the liquid cooled Fury X but with that said it's still enough to hang near the top of the charts which got us thinking how does because the new generation with efficiency on its side compared to the previous generation where the solution was to Simply pump more power this is how I pump power how do you do it for Keen viewers out there you may recognize this system it's the one that NC showed off at otakuthon in Montreal if you didn't recognize it then check out the Montreal Vlog by clicking here I tricked you but as a refresher anyway for those who have seen it the system has an AMD fx8350 processor 16 gigs of Corsair Vengeance Pro memory a 240 gig Corsair forel sssd and the Asus Aries 3 graphics card not to mention a fully custom EK water blocks liquid cooling Loop to go with it seriously this thing kind of reminds me of like Cloud Strife sword the Aries 3 which is a limited edition single slot based on the 295x2 has dual gpus that are Factory overclocked and have a combined TDP of somewhere in the 500 to 600 watt range now fast forward to the R9 Nano even with two Nanos in crossfire our entire system actually has lower power consumption than the aries3 in terms of its rated TDP by itself so let's see how they compare in terms of performance in fire strike extreme our Aries 3 scored between 9,800 and 10,000 the R9 Nanos and Crossfire consistently over 1100 now I know synthetics aren't definitive but the trend did hold across games as well so Anthony did the testing at 1440p and 4K in Grand Theft Auto 5 Shadow of Mordor and The Witcher 3 and there were some pretty interesting results on average the Nanos and Crossfire performed about 15% better than the 295x2 and while there were some concerns about 4 gigs of HPM not necessarily being enough even at 4K it never ended up being an issue in those gains so in the end the R9 Nano presents an interesting conundrum it's only about 80 bucks cheaper in Canada than a fury X but it does take up a lot less space in your case in terms of length I mean most cases have enough room for a larger cart anyway it is slightly slower it does run at slightly higher temperatures thanks to its much smaller cool cooler and it is a bit louder but I think we can all agree this is a step in the right direction for AMD smaller cooler and quieter definitely beats the days of just throwing more wattage at a chip and staying pegged at night 95° although the thing that I'm really interested to see them do is if AMD can build a single GPU card this size then I really do wonder where is our R9 Fury X2 at this point Sur they can put another one on there anyway thanks for watching and let us know what do you think of the R9 Nano then after you answer that tough question make sure to hit that subscribe button for more videos like this from NC click over here for more videos from NX or click over here to stalk us on Twitterall right let's face it AMD has been the butt of a lot of jokes when it comes to overheating systems or personal heaters in the winter time I mean even Anthony burned himself a couple of times when he was benchmarking reference 290x but then Anthony's young he probably doesn't remember the gtx480 anyway the story has changed in a big way for our AMD or is it in a small way um the R9 Nano now it's not every day that a manufacturer releases a flagship grade graphics card in the tiny form factor I mean we've seen stuff like the GTX 670 and the 970 in mini versions but those aren't exactly Top ofth Line cards the R9 Nano on the other hand is for all intents and purposes a flagship card I mean yes the fury X is a tiny bit faster but like let's look at their specs they both got 496 dream processors two 256 texture units 64 RS and 4 gigs of hbm memory the only differences are a 100 watt reduction in TDP 50 MHz lower boost clock by default and about 1.7 in oh and the fact that the Nano is air cooled by a vapor chamber cooler yes that's right AMD managed to design a high performance card in a small efficient and cool package not a sentence that uh we heard last generation very often I mean so for you car guys out there I guess it would remind me of something like a Lotus Elise sure there are cars out there that have more horsepower carry more people or get better fuel mileage but when you look at the overall package there's just nothing quite like it it's small it requires just one 18 pin power connector and it's one of the fastest cards on the market not to mention that if you install it in a car in a case with adequate ventilation since it doesn't have a rear exhaust cooler it stays cooler and quieter than a lot of the other air cooled cards on the market unfortunately it's not all all Sunshine Lollipops and rainbow butterflies in order to achieve such a low TDP well there is some throttling that can happen so the card under full load rarely hits that 1,00 mahz clock speed most of the time it actually hovers around 875 MHz in games and as you'd expect then it performs around 5 to 10% worse than the liquid cooled Fury X but with that said it's still enough to hang near the top of the charts which got us thinking how does because the new generation with efficiency on its side compared to the previous generation where the solution was to Simply pump more power this is how I pump power how do you do it for Keen viewers out there you may recognize this system it's the one that NC showed off at otakuthon in Montreal if you didn't recognize it then check out the Montreal Vlog by clicking here I tricked you but as a refresher anyway for those who have seen it the system has an AMD fx8350 processor 16 gigs of Corsair Vengeance Pro memory a 240 gig Corsair forel sssd and the Asus Aries 3 graphics card not to mention a fully custom EK water blocks liquid cooling Loop to go with it seriously this thing kind of reminds me of like Cloud Strife sword the Aries 3 which is a limited edition single slot based on the 295x2 has dual gpus that are Factory overclocked and have a combined TDP of somewhere in the 500 to 600 watt range now fast forward to the R9 Nano even with two Nanos in crossfire our entire system actually has lower power consumption than the aries3 in terms of its rated TDP by itself so let's see how they compare in terms of performance in fire strike extreme our Aries 3 scored between 9,800 and 10,000 the R9 Nanos and Crossfire consistently over 1100 now I know synthetics aren't definitive but the trend did hold across games as well so Anthony did the testing at 1440p and 4K in Grand Theft Auto 5 Shadow of Mordor and The Witcher 3 and there were some pretty interesting results on average the Nanos and Crossfire performed about 15% better than the 295x2 and while there were some concerns about 4 gigs of HPM not necessarily being enough even at 4K it never ended up being an issue in those gains so in the end the R9 Nano presents an interesting conundrum it's only about 80 bucks cheaper in Canada than a fury X but it does take up a lot less space in your case in terms of length I mean most cases have enough room for a larger cart anyway it is slightly slower it does run at slightly higher temperatures thanks to its much smaller cool cooler and it is a bit louder but I think we can all agree this is a step in the right direction for AMD smaller cooler and quieter definitely beats the days of just throwing more wattage at a chip and staying pegged at night 95° although the thing that I'm really interested to see them do is if AMD can build a single GPU card this size then I really do wonder where is our R9 Fury X2 at this point Sur they can put another one on there anyway thanks for watching and let us know what do you think of the R9 Nano then after you answer that tough question make sure to hit that subscribe button for more videos like this from NC click over here for more videos from NX or click over here to stalk us on Twitter\n"