Pricing
In November, the R9 Nano cards were a little thin on the ground but could be had for $950 – at the time, a whopping $200 more than the similarly performing but full sized MSI GTX 980 Gaming 4G NVIDIA alternative. Of course, this is comparing apples to oranges in terms of size, FreeSync, architecture in general but it’s a big difference just the same.
As of late January 2016, AMD has started the new year with some great news for gamers with a price drop that makes the R9 Nano significantly more competitive at ~$829. It’s still not going to win a value award at this price but the R9 Nano is now more affordable for enthusiasts who want the most potent ITX graphics card of the day.
Final Thoughts
This is a niche enthusiast product and is absolutely perfect for small form factor builds where space is limited but ultimate performance is desired. Having tested the Nano much more extensively than I’d planned, I really like it and have thoroughly enjoyed playing games on a console sized ITX build with everything set to the highest options.
This card is indeed the duck’s guts – so if you are building an ultra high end mini-ITX gaming demon, try to factor one of these into the equation. There are more of them around and ASUS even have a white one on the market.
AMD appears to have listened to the gaming masses. They have a wide range of video cards to suit gamers’ needs and budgets. The software has been improving steadily and my experience with Crimson and the Nano was flawless. I love it when a graphics platform just works and lets me get on with my gaming – even more so in a lounge room based system.
Some will say that the Nano is prohibitively expensive. This is an enthusiast product and priced accordingly – there is nothing else available as potent in the same form factor.
As a gaming enthusiast with a preference for smaller rigs, I was really impressed with the AMD Radeon R9 Nano. Kudos to the AMD team for making a high end card in the smaller form factor that doesn’t compromise too much in terms of thermals, noise or performance. This is without a doubt the most interesting and impressive graphics card that I saw in 2015.
| AMD Radeon R9 Nano 4G | |
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PROS |
 Compact sizeExcellent performance at 2650×1440Operating temperature and power draw suitable for a compact buildAudible but not too loud – good for a reference cooler |
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CONS |
 Not Cheap |
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