When the R9 Fury was first launched, many gamers saw it as a near-perfect combination of performance, pricing and overall capabilities. Unfortunately, for the better part of six weeks after we initially reviewed it, actually finding one became a lesson in futility. Since then the stock situation has gradually improved and additional board partners have introduced their own designs, though retailers tell us that getting their hands on anything Fury-branded is a challenge. In this particular review, we will be looking at the ASUS R9 Fury STRIX.

The appeal surrounding AMD's R9 Fury is well-warranted since it rings in at $549 but can run alongside the more expensive R9 Fury X when overclocked. In addition AMD's board partners have been given a freedom to design custom boards with awesome cooling capabilities and upgraded component selections. This allows the Fury to be infinitely more adaptable that the cumbersome R9 Fury X with its large water cooling solution.

The introduction of AMD's R9 Nano may have stolen some of the R9 Fury's thunder in the news but there's very little to no overlap between the two cards. While the Nano is an enticing yet expensive solution for small form factor builds, the Fury cards are typically massive due to large cooling assemblies. We highly doubt both would be cross shopped but if they are, the ASUS R9 Fury STRIX would come out well ahead on the performance per dollar front.