AMD Radeon R9 270X & R7 260X Review

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Overclocking Results

Overclocking Results

Before we go too far into this section, there are a number of things that need to be put on the table. Voltage tuning posed a large roadblock since every one of the beta programs we had access to misreported the stock voltage on the R9 and R7 cards. This resulted in excess voltage being pushed to the core so while the clock speeds were spectacular, they never did pass our stability tests as temperatures eventually rose to astronomical levels.

AMD’s reference heatsinks aren’t all that great either since they’re quickly overwhelmed by the temperatures pumped out by an overclocked core. Sure, excellent results are possible when their fans are spinning for all they’re worth but no sane-minded gamer would put up with that racket. It should be interesting to see how non-reference designs hold up but for the time being, we had only have the two AMD designs.

With this in mind, until MSI, ASUS or someone else releases a stable tool, we used AMD’s Catalyst Control center for all overclocking while the reference cooling remained in place.


R9 270X Results

Considering the R9 270X is based off of the Pitcairn XT core, we had some relatively high expectations for it and it didn’t disappoint. Our sample hit a core speed of 1144MHz which represents a 94MHz increase without touching the voltage. The memory eventually peaked at 6084MHz which is a substantial increase for GDDR5 modules rated at 5Gbps. All in all, we were happy with how the 270X reacted to our ministrations and with some additional voltage, it should go even further provided cooling is sufficient.

R7 260X Results

The R7 260X just can’t catch a break. In our standard testing suite it was manhandled by the similarly priced GTX 650 Ti Boost and overclocking was nearly impossible. We eventually settled on a core speed of 1138MHz while the memory fared little better at 6888MHz before its error correction routines kicked in. Perhaps additional voltage would have helped the situation but certainly not with the stock cooler struggling to keep temperatures in check at our relatively pedestrian frequencies.

These poor results may point to AMD pushing the silicon as far as it will go since 1.1GHz is already quite high for a Bonaire XT core that was initially clocked 100MHz lower.

 

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R9 270X Conclusion

R9 270X Conclusion

Many will consider the R9 270X to be a rebranded HD 7870 GHz on steroids and in many ways, that’s exactly what it is. Faster core frequencies and a significant bump to memory speeds have created a card that, at times, significantly outpaces its predecessor and can come close to the more expensive HD 7950 Boost.

There are a few instances where the 384-bit memory interface and better equipped core on the Tahiti Pro-based GPU allow it to surge ahead but it’s still great to see a quieter, more efficient card nearly equaling the average framerates of a higher end sibling. Against NVIDIA cards the R9 270X fares quite well too, mostly because there aren’t any GeForce products that are priced around $199 without extensive rebates.

The $175 to $225 market is a cluttered place filled with various options from both AMD and NVIDIA. Achieving relevance here from a value perspective is extremely hard, particularly after NVIDIA announced their latest round of price cuts. However, the R9 270X succeeds where others have failed by hitting that perfect $199 mark, deftly avoiding much of the mid-tier GeForce offerings.

Even after its drop to $179, the GTX 660 2GB provides very little in the way of actual competition; it struggles to achieve playable framerates while costing just $20 less than the R9 270X. NVIDIA may be secretly wishing they hadn’t discontinued the GTX 660 Ti. The GTX 760 fares slightly better by providing higher overall framerates but a $249 sticker price eventually drags it down which is a shame since, at $219, it would have been a no brainer.

AMD alternatives don’t look all that great either with the HD 7950 Boost being far too expensive and the HD 7870 GHz striking an odd pose as a good alternative but lacking a low enough price to really make a difference. We don’t expect either of these cards to stick around for all that much longer as AMD eventually rolls out additional R-series SKUs in an effort to plug the yawning gaps in their current lineup. It was also interesting to see the R9 270X returning decent overclocking results despite AMD pushing default clock speeds for all they’re worth.

While true enthusiasts will roll their eyes at the R9 270X’s performance in comparison to the R9 280X, there’s a whole lot to like here. If you are a budget-minded gamer or simply looking for that perfect HTPC solution, this will likely be the card for you. Its 1080P performance is excellent, it is relatively efficient, HDTV compatibility on Radeon cards has always been stellar and AMD’s pricing has everything else beat clean. Those are all key components which allow the R9 270X to become the current leader in a highly competitive $199 market.

 

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R7 260X Conclusion

R7 260X Conclusion

With strong showings from the R9 280X and R9 270X, we had some high expectations for AMD’s R7 260X. Unfortunately, while it was able to achieve some impressive performance results for a $139 graphics card, it ultimately fell short in two key metrics: performance per watt and performance per dollar.

Now, before the war drums start sounding off, give us a chance to explain ourselves. The R7 260X can dish out relatively playable framerates at 1080P and that’s an achievement considering not that long ago it took a $175 card to attain similar results. It slaps around the GTX 650 Ti 1GB like a lazy donkey while incorporating a relatively future-proof 2GB of GDDR5. AMD has even upped clock speeds enough to achieve several double digit wins over the HD 7790. The real problem here is cost and in a category where $20 makes a world of difference, the R7 260X finds itself fighting a losing battle.

Had AMD kept the wraps on their lineup’s pricing, there was a very real chance the R7 260X would have been parachuted into an open field with competing NVIDIA cards being either overpriced or woefully underpowered. Instead, NVIDIA was able to preempt AMD’s launch plans by reducing the price of several key components. Now instead of a free ride a la R9 270X, AMD’s newest $139 card finds itself competing against the $149 GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB and in a comparison like that it doesn’t fare well at all. In most scenarios other than the highly skewed Dirt 3 and to a lesser extent Max Payne 3, the GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB is able to walk all over the R7 260X while only costing $10 more. From a value standpoint, the Boost wins by a country mile.

The situation from AMD’s side of the fence doesn’t look any better. While the HD 7850 2GB may be approaching end of life status, for just $149 is it one of the best values around without even taking into account the two free games it comes with. It also offers infinitely better performance than the Bonaire derivative. This may be a situation where AMD was a maker of their own demise since the HD 7850 2GB had been aggressively discounted to better compete against NVIDIA’s offerings to the point where it now competes with the R7 260X.

One thing we haven’t mentioned up until this point is the R7 260X’s TrueAudio support. Other than the R9 290 and R9 290X, it is currently the only SKU to incorporate access to AMD’s new audio pipeline. TrueAudio could add some much-needed value to this equation but for the time being, the technology is just too new to judge whether or not it will positively affect the R7 260X’s stance.

AMD is obviously pushing the Bonaire core hard in an effort to differentiate the R7 260X from the HD 7790. The end result is the usual law of diminishing returns for high clock speeds: a significant jump in power consumption and very limited overclocking headroom, two factors which would help it better compete against NVIDIA’s alternatives. As it stands, the R7 260X consumes nearly as much as a GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB yet doesn’t even come close to matching that card’s framerate output.

The R7 260X isn’t beyond saving. It actually has plenty of redeeming features and provides good performance metrics but competition from NVIDIA and AMD’s own stable drags appeal downwards. While taking an axe to that $139 price may be painful, that’s really the only option right now or AMD will run the very real risk of marginalizing a brand new product.