Product Photos - Gigabyte Radeon R9-280X WindForce OC

The 3GB GDDR5 graphics memory runs on a 384-bit wide bus. Connectivity wise the output connectors will actually vary per brand -- the Gigabyte boards will get one DVI connectors, then a HDMI and two DisplayPort (mini) connector. I'm not a fan of ther small mini-DP connectors.

At the rear side of the card we see a rather familiar PCB. Overall a fairly clean design, the cards are PCI-E gen 3.0 compatible and will have two crossfire connectors, so 3-way Crossfire is an option you could pursue. You'll notice that ther card is lacking a backplate but it does have a metal bar at the top to ensure stability when it is hanging vertically in the PC and you can see one vertical cooling or protective plate.

With a somewhat steep TDP rating of 250 Watt the card needs to be hooked up to both a 6 and 8-pin PCI-E PEG power connector. Under full stress we measured 243 Watt power draw, so that indeed is pretty spot on as advertised.So yes, this is a Radeon HD 7970 GHz edition that is a hint faster. Gigabyte is going to price this product at a sub 300 USD marker. 

It is a pretty card to look at alright. But man, when will Gigabyte drop the blue PCB and go all black eh ?