Reviewed: MSI R9 380 Gaming 4G

When testing the MSI R9 380 Gaming 4G in general gameplay, I had FRAPS running so I could see the framerate for reference when I needed to. The methodology is to play the game and note the typical FPS, any rendering issues, look for stutter and also keep an eye out for imperfections around colour or textures that impede the immersion.

These tests are subjective, less reproducible and much more prone to variation so I haven’t compered the results to other cards. This is a good representation of my experience with the review sample and what you should expect if you went out and bought this card.

All observations were made on the test system used for benchmarks connected via DisplayPort with FreeSync enabled and running at a resolution of 2560×1440/144Hz unless specifically noted in the comments.

First Person Shooters

Titanfall box artTitanfall

I ended up dropping the MSAA down to 0 from 4x and saw ~55-65 FPS with all other settings notched up. This frame rate was fine and the game was crisp and enjoyable.

Advanced Warfare
COD: Advanced Warfare

With all settings maxed out, I saw 65-75FPS and considered the experience  to be good at 1440.

For good measure, I also tested COD: Black Op2 and saw ~100FPS in general which provided very fluid gameplay

Battlefield 4 cover art
Battlefield 4

BF4 set to Ultra gave the R9 380 a hard time at 2560×1440, showing a typical 30-40FPS which is below the FreeSync lower limit. knocking the settings down to Very High helped but dropping the resolution to 1920×1080 gave us 75-85FPS and made for a better experience.

Far Cry 4 box art
Far Cry 4

There was a fair amount of variable frame rate in this title – probably due to the outside environment. At 1440p, I typically saw 37-50FPS on Ultra settings and 43-55 on Very High.

Role Playing Games

 

Elder Scrolls Online cover
Elder Scrolls Online

ESO provided a highly variable experience depending on the weather and time of day within the game. All settings were maxed out.

I noted typical frame rates of 80-90FPS when indoors and 50-65 when exploring outside.

Immersion was fine and features like flames, lighting and water all looked great.

 

witcher-3

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The Witcher 3 punishes graphics cards like a read-headed step-child. Whilst trying to find a sweet spot, I made the following observations:

2560×1440 (Ultra: 23-30FPS, High: 30FPS, Medium: 40-43FPS)

1920×1080 (Ultra: 30-35FPS, High: 38-45FPS, Medium: 56-64FPS)

Other Titles

I also tested the following games to round out the selection.

EliteDangerous FireLogogrey
Elite: Dangerous

Elite: Dangerous has really impressive sounds and I played this with a HOTAS joystick setup. The frame rate I typically experienced at 2560×1440 was 100FPS and the game was fluid and very pretty to look at.

projectcars
Project Cars

Project Cars was pretty solid and despite the fast moving action, variable weather and outdoor scenery, the frame rate was consistently in the 55-65 range at 1440p. The damage to my car (which was usually the case after at least 2 laps) looked pretty nice at that resolution and didn’t seem to impact the frame rates much if at all

CIVV
Civilization V

Frame rate isn’t as important for a turn based strategy game but CIV V has animations, water and clouds. Typically, I saw 120FPS at 1440p with 2xMSAA and lost way more hours testing that I’d planned.

wows
World of Warships

World of Warships is probably one of the best free games going around. Due to the fact that you control .. erm… ships, there is a lot of water, waves and spray in the game but you also see the translucence of the water too against your ship. The typical frame rate with everything maxed out was ~75FPS and the game felt very slick with the R9 380.

homeworld
Homeworld Remastered

In a multi-dimensional RTS title where you can rotate the camera in every direction, the typical frame rate of 100FPS made for an awesome experience.

I remember when the original title was released and seeing the remastered version operating at this resolution so smoothly with the classic soundtrack was a totally immersive experience

All up, this is a very capable card for the asking price and works a treat in a FreeSync setup.

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