Asus Strix RX 580 Gaming Top OC review: Proof that size matters

Our test system/Division benchmarks

We tested the Asus Strix RX 580 Gaming Top OC Edition on PCWorld’s dedicated graphics card benchmark system. It’s rocking high-end components to avoid bottlenecks in other parts of the PC, showing unfettered graphics performance.

• Intel’s Core i7-5960X with a Corsair Hydro Series H100i closed-loop water cooler ($120 on Amazon).
• An Asus X99 Deluxe motherboard ($230 on Amazon for an updated version).
• Corsair’s Vengeance LPX DDR4 memory ($130 on Amazon), and 1,200-watt AX1200i power supply ($310 on Amazon).
• A 480GB Intel 730 series SSD ($280 on Amazon).
• Phanteks’ Enthoo Evolv ATX case ($190 on Amazon).
• Windows 10 Pro ($158 on Amazon).

We’re comparing the $300 Strix RX 580 Top OC against Sapphire’s similarly clocked RX 580 Nitro+ ($250 on Newegg). We’re also including MSI’s older, overclocked 8GB RX 480 Gaming X, EVGA’s overclocked 6GB GeForce GTX 1060 SSC ($250 on Amazon), and Gigabyte’s overclocked Aorus RX 570 ($190 on Newegg) to show how the RX 580’s little sibling holds up. We’re also tossing in the GTX 1070 Founders Edition ($380 on Amazon) to show the next step up in performance.

The real thing to watch in these tests is how the competing Sapphire and Asus RX 580 cards stack up. Skip ahead to the power and heat section for the most interesting results.

Each game’s tested using its in-game benchmark at the mentioned graphics presets, with V-sync, frame rate caps, and all GPU vendor-specific technologies—like AMD TressFX, Nvidia GameWorks options, and FreeSync/G-Sync—disabled.

The Division

The Division, a gorgeous third-person shooter/RPG that mixes elements of Destiny and Gears of War, kicks things off with Ubisoft’s new Snowdrop engine. We test the game in DirectX 11 mode.

Brad Chacos/IDG

The Strix RX 580 Top OC and Sapphire 580 Nitro+ deliver virtually identical results, slightly faster than the 6GB GTX 1060.

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