XFX Radeon R9 295x2 Hydra Edition Unboxing - Unpacked.

**Unboxing and Overview of the XFX R9 295x2 Hydra Edition**

The video is an unboxing and overview of the XFX R9 295x2 Hydra Edition, one of the first custom-designed graphics cards on the market that utilizes AMD's Hawaii-based GPU. The card has been delayed again, which may impact its release schedule. However, NCIX plans to test it in a 4K shootout against other high-end graphics cards, including NVIDIA's Titan Z.

The XFX R9 295x2 Hydra Edition is based on the reference design of AMD's 295x2 graphics card. Most 295x2s on the market are reference designs, but this custom-designed version stands out from the crowd. The power color Devil 13 is the only other custom-designed 295x2 available in the market, according to the reviewer.

The XFX R9 295x2 Hydra Edition has a unique design that sets it apart from other graphics cards. It has a metal shroud instead of plastic, which gives it a more premium feel. The card also features a metal base plate and two pumps that cover the two Hawaii GPUs, which are connected to rubber tubing that extends up to the 120 millimeter radiator with a fan. This design allows for efficient cooling and reduces noise levels.

The card itself has several key features, including two eight-pin power connectors that require at least 500 watts of power to operate. The XFX R9 295x2 Hydra Edition also comes with four mini display ports, one DV ID port, and an HDMI to DVI adapter. The reviewer notes that these adapters are unnecessary, as DisplayPort is the preferred connection for UHD content.

The card features two 28-nanometer Hawaii GPUs, which have a combined 5632 stream processors, 352 texture units, and 128 ROPs. It also has eight gigabytes of GDDR5 VRAM with a 1024-bit memory bus, which is twice that of the reference design. The core clock of the card is 1018 MHz, which is lower than the 290x's core clock of 1000 MHz.

Despite its impressive specs, the XFX R9 295x2 Hydra Edition may not be suitable for overclocking due to its pre-overclocked state and liquid cooling system. However, this also means that it can provide consistent performance without requiring user intervention. The card has already been tested by benchmarkers, who found that it provides comparable or better performance than two 290x's in crossfire.

The reviewer notes that the XFX R9 295x2 Hydra Edition offers several advantages over using two 290x's in crossfire, including reduced latency from the PCIe connection and the ability to use four GPUs for improved performance. This makes it an attractive option for gamers who want high-performance graphics without the hassle of overclocking.

For users in the US, NCIX is offering free shipping on the XFX R9 295x2 Hydra Edition if they order it within a limited time frame. In Canada, this offer is also available to a limited audience, provided that they use the code mentioned in the video description.