Hardware AMD Radeon R9 280X, R9 270X and R7 260X Reviews

We take a look at the three mid-range cards from AMD's new lineup.
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2013/10/08/amd-280x-270x-260x-reviews/1

 

Looks like I'll have a strong chance of picking up a 7970 at a bargain price.

 

$100 price drop makes the 280x against the GTX 760 , and ofc it stomps it.

 

Waiting for the 290x then just might sell both my 7970 tops

 

I tought I taw a we-bwand.

 

You feeling ok this morning or do you have a finger ache

 

I don't care if it is a renamed model for less money or new architecture for the same prices but giving higher performance results, it is the price they can be bought for that makes all the difference. The R9-270X performs the same as a GTX760 and if those project prices are correct then they will launch with a price that slightly undercuts the GTX760, which is exactly what is to be expected. As is the coming price drop from nVidia. I don't think there is anything revolutionary here to make any nVidia fans suddenly switch sides. All the talk of AMD's new API is just that right now, talk. It will take a few years to mature for it to even make any difference and most mid-high end gamers will have upgraded once again by then, it not twice.

So we end up at the age old saying... You buy the best performing card for the price you can afford, regardless of AMD or nVidia. They both have their pros and cons so it's decision time.

 

So we'll have to wait a bit till the dust settles and we see where the pricing lands.

7970 Ghz and "normal" 7970 seem to be approaching eachother pricewise, but more interestingly, the GTX680 has come down A LOT.
If the 280X lands in this category, it'l be tough

 

Hey! That's my best Tweety Bird impression!

You're so hurtful.

 

Guys 270X is just an overclocked 7870!!!! Is better to get a 7950, clock it to 1100\1500 (all do that much least with stock voltage) and is in par with the 280X & 7970 Ghz.

Considering that the 270X has ~500 less shaders, less VRAM and smaller bus width (256bit to 384bit the 7950 has) is no brainer with the 7950s atm going for £160-£170

Got 2 7950 PCS+ last week, and at 1100\1550 with stock voltage, perform miracles. At £280 for both (sold the game vouchers £30 & £40 each) was the bargain of the century. since they beat anything above them but a pair of 7970s or a 7990 (and on these they lose by 2%). And that includes a single Titan that is at three times the price.

 

I have a watercooled 7970 with a good overclock and I wont be looking at the new cards because spending £120 on a waterblock and backplate is a little to much to sell on at a loss.

 

So does anyone know if the 290X has a new architecture or is that card another rebrand as well ? Also does the 280X have mantle ?
I've got to say I was expecting more from this generation of cards after watching AMD's live show thing.

 

Mantle works on anything GCN, so 7-series (ish, some low ends, no) up.

To my knowledge, 290X will not be a new architecture or process, just a bigger, faster chip with the audio gubbins.

 

All GCN cards have Mantle, so anything from the HD7000 series to this "new" ones. The 290 will be a new card (and the 290X is rumoured to be new also). Both will feature the TrueAudio chip like the R7-260X, and only those 3 cards.

 

Cheers guys - fantastic response ! So in many ways the newer cards are more future proof than nvidia's cards because they all have mantle which claims to boost performance output by up to 9x direct x standards. Although it may take a couple years before we see it implemented in most games.

 

You did, you did taw a we-bwand!! I'm still happy with my 7970, I've got it at 1175/1700Mhz at stock voltages on air and it's handling Tomb Raider maxed out perfectly.

For anyone asking about the R9 290/290X but not wanting BT to break their NDA, those cards will be using a genuinely new GCN core. It's bigger than the 7970/280X core but still far smaller than GK110 while delivering Titan equivalent or better performance with lower power consumption and heat (probably). You'll also see a 512-bit bus for the first time in years which will necessitate at least 4GB RAM.

 

Fantastic prices, even if they are just a refresh.

 

I'm waiting to see if the Mantle API will be publicly available soon (or reserved to professional for the next few months .... years). I'm working on an engine to occupy my sparetime and a new API (plus low level one) would be lovely and fun.

Add the TrueAudio feature and the 260X is really tempting me. Used in games or not doens't matter as long I can have fun using those APIs and technologies in my humble development lab playland

 

That 7970 and 680 people brought 14months + ago look better and better value.

If these prices get translated to £ a 680 /7970 ( which can hit ghz speed or be default clock there) can be had for less cash than the 280x and is faster across most of your tests. Id guess that would massively effect the score you have given to it.

Im expecting a straight swap of th at $ to a £ sign so £299 for the 280x which is what most rumours place it at. Both the 680 and 7970 have been under this in recent months. 7970 is £240 on scan today with effectively ghz speeds and custom cooler. 680 is also £240.

the 280x has to release in the uk at £230 to really compete with those 2 old high end cards which are both in bonkers value land at the moment. Just does not really look like that card will be good value.