R9 260x: AMD Radeon R7 260X Specs

AMD Radeon R9 270X and R7 260X Review

AMD announced the next generation Volcanic Islands GPUs last month at their GPU14 Tech Day event in Hawaii. There were a couple of exciting announcements: a widely expected new flagship GPU, the R9-290X, that is meant to compete with Nvidia’s GTX Titan, and there was also «Mantle,» a new open-source API that at least on paper sounds like a great way to optimize games for the PC platform — the fact that AMD is also powering Xbox One and PS4 graphics adds credibility to AMD’s announcement, of course.

Unfortunately, we are not going to talk about either of those things today since the day hasn’t come yet. We will get you up to speed about new Radeon graphics cards outside the R9 290X, however. AMD has done away with the Radeon ‘HD’ naming scheme that they have used for the past 6 years and replaced it with something a bit more complex.

Previous years have seen the release of a new GPU generation every year which makes the Radeon HD 7000’s shelf life surprising, even more so considering the majority of the new RX 200 series cards rebadges from existing HD 7000 products. The RX 200 series will consist of the Radeon R7 240, R7 250, R7 260X, R9 270X, R9 280X and later this month the R9 290 and R9 290X. Confused yet? Well let us try and clear a few things up.

GPU	Code-name	Price	Equivalent GPU*	Equivalent price at launch
Radeon R9 290X	Hawaii XT	???	—	—
Radeon R9 290	Hawaii Pro	???	—	—
Radeon R9 280X	Tahiti XT	$299	Radeon HD 7970 GHz	$499
Radeon R9 270X	Tahiti LE	$199+	Radeon HD 7870	$349
Radeon R7 260X	Bonaire XTX	$139	Radeon HD 7790	$149
Radeon R7 250	Oland XT	$89	Radeon HD 8670/7730	*OEM
Radeon R7 240	Oland Pro		Radeon HD 8570/7510	*OEM

The Radeon R7 240 is an overclocked version of the Radeon HD 7510 which was an OEM only part. The R7 250 is a new product that sits between the HD 7510 and HD 7570 (another OEM only part). Both are much slower than the Radeon HD 7750, so these shouldn’t be considered as gaming options.

The R7 260X is a rebadged Radeon HD 7790 that has been overclocked, with cards running at 1.1GHz opposed to 1GHz. Jumping up in speed we have the R9 270X which is a rebadged Radeon HD 7870 (more about these two in a second). Finally, the R9 280X which we’ll eventually retest looks to be a direct copy of the Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition.

So with almost nothing new to see here, what’s the point?

The specifications point to rehashed 7000 series parts and, well, so does the pricing. AMD has set the R9 280X at $300, the same price you can get 1GHz 7970 cards for, while the R9 270X is priced at $200, the exact same price as heavily overclocked 7870s. Meanwhile the R7 260X (rebadged HD 7790) will cost $140, while overclocked HD 7790 cards are currently selling for as little as $120.

Therefore it looks like we’ll have to wait for the R9 290 series before we see anything truly new from AMD. Although we tend to keep you updated on how GPUs perform with the latest game releases, let this review serve as a guide if you’re buying a mid-range GPU today and don’t care to bother to read old reviews with old name schemes, and perhaps most importantly, older drivers and obsolete price points.

AMD Radeon R9 270X

The Radeon R9 270X, which has been given the codename ‘Curacao XT’, uses the 28nm design process comprised of 2800 million transistors in a 212mm2 die. Sound familiar? Well the Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition, which was codenamed ‘Pitcairn XT’, also used the 28nm process and featured 2800 million transistors in a 212mm2 die.

The core configuration of the Radeon HD 7870 allowed for 1280 SPU’s, 80 TAU’s and 32 ROP’s and this is the exact same configuration used by the R9 270X.

Where AMD has made some changes is in the core and memory clock speeds. The 7870 ran a core speed of 1GHz without a boost feature and a memory frequency of 4800MHz, the R9 270X is a bit faster. The standard operating specifications see a core clock speed of 1.05GHz (5% higher) with a memory frequency of 5.6GHz, 17% greater.

While the memory is faster, the R9 270X still uses a 256-bit wide memory bus and by default comes with a 2GB memory buffer, though 4GB will be an option on some cards despite being pointless for this GPU.

The TDP rating is 180 watt which is slightly higher than the 175 watt rating of the 7870. Perhaps the most significant changes have been made to the API support which sees the R9 270X support DirectX 11.2 along with AMD’s Mantle. Pricing is set at $200 which matches the current retail value of a Radeon HD 7870 graphics card, so not a lot to get excited about here.

AMD Radeon R7 260X

The R7 260X is a budget card, though for some reason the new flamboyant name seems to suggest otherwise to us. Codenamed ‘Bonaire XTX’, it is an updated version of the ‘Bonaire XT’ aka Radeon HD 7790. Like the Radeon HD 7790 the R7 260X features the same 896 SPU’s, 56 TAU’s and 16 ROP’s, all of which fit in the same 160mm2 die area.

Again what we have here is an overclocked card which operates at 1.1GHz opposed to the 1GHz clock speed of the 7790. The memory has also been boosted from 6.0GHz to 6.5GHz. The end result is a core overclock of 10% and a memory overclock of 8%.

This has increased the TDP rating to 115 watts from 85 watts, a 35% increase in load consumption according to AMD’s figures. Despite the increased power consumption the card still only requires a single 6-pin PCIe power connector.

Like the R9 270X the R7 260X also received updated API support for DirectX 11.2 along with Mantle.

AMD Radeon R7 260X, R9 270X and R9 280X Review

Article Type: 

Review

— GPU Review

Teaser Icon: 

AMD has recently relaunched and rebranded its Radeon line of graphics cards. The first step of this was setting the «baseline» of the new product series with the launch of the Radeon R7 260X, R9 270X and R9 280X. These are a rebrand of the Radeon HD 7790, 7870 GHz and 7970 GHz — respectively. Outside of a few upward frequency tweaks, the real big news is a drastic price cutting of each card in the new product stack.

The R9 280X now has a street price of $299, down from the $499 7970 GHz. The R9 270X now sells for $199, versus the previous $349 of the 7870 GHz. A 4GB R9 270X will also be available for $229. The R7 260X will sell for $139 and come standard with 2GB of RAM. The HD 7790 1GB version sold for $150, and a 2GB variant sold for $170.

The two high end cards have massive price drops of $200 and $150 respectively. This puts high end graphics and Eyefinity well within the reach of many gamers. One additional improvement in the new boards comes from easier Eyefinity configuration. If you use three matching monitors, you no longer need to use at least one DisplayPort connector. With three matching monitors you can use 2x DVI-D and 1xHDMI connectors for Eyefinity. I have personally tested this on a Sapphire R9 280X using 2xDVI and one HDMI>DVI cable. It worked without a hitch. Just make sure you find a board that has both 2x DVI-D and an HDMI connector, and you’re good to go.

In this article we’ll run the cards through a series of quick tests in Metro Last Light, DiRT Showdown and Unigine Valley. To showcase the similar performance I tested the HD 7000 series with the 13.4 WHQL driver, and the 13.11 Beta driver (released for the R7 and R9). I then tested the new R7 and R9 cards with the same 13.11 Beta driver. Everything was tested in 1080p HD and Eyefinity.

Specifications

Card	GPUs	Transistors	Memory	Bus Width	Shaders	Clock (MHz)		TDP (Watts)*		Power	MSRP
						Core	Mem	Idle	Max
AMD R9 280X	1	4. 3B on 28nm	3GB	384-bit	2,048	1,050	1,500	<3	250*	8+6-pin	$299
AMD R9 270X	1	2.8B on 28nm	2GB	256-bit	1,280	1,050	1,400	<3	180*	6+6-pin	$199
AMD R7 260X	1	2.08B on 28nm	2GB	128-bit	896	1,100	1,625	<3	115*	6-pin	$139
*These values represent the maximum wattage allowed through the AMD PowerTune. Idle is based on a «long idle» scenario.

Testing

System Specs

I have updated my testing rig, and moved from an Intel Core i7-2600k to an AMD FX-8350. As before, everything runs at stock clock speeds.

• Windows 7 SP1
• ASUS Formula V CrossFire
• AMD FX-8350 at 4.2GHz
• 8GB G. Skill DDR3 RAM
• 1x 480GB SanDisk Extrme SSD
• 1x Samsung 500GB T-Series HDD
• LG Super Multi Blu (HD-DVD/Blu-Ray Player)
• Onboard audio
• Corsair HX1000
• My Open PC PCI ProCase
• Corsair K90 Keyboard and M90 Mouse
• Ergotech Heavy Duty Triple Desk Stand — WSGF Edition
• 3x Dell U2211H IPS 16:9 1920×1080 Displays

Radeon R9 280X

>Metro Last Light: 1080p HD & 3x1080p Eyefinity
DiRT Showdown: 1080p HD & 3x1080p Eyefinity
Unigine Valley: 1080p HD & 3x1080p Eyefinity

Radeon R9 270X

>Metro Last Light: 1080p HD & 3x1080p Eyefinity
DiRT Showdown: 1080p HD & 3x1080p Eyefinity
Unigine Valley: 1080p HD & 3x1080p Eyefinity

Radeon R7 260X

>Metro Last Light: 1080p HD & 3x1080p Eyefinity
DiRT Showdown: 1080p HD & 3x1080p Eyefinity
Unigine Valley: 1080p HD & 3x1080p Eyefinity

Conclusions

The new R7 and R9 cards are without a doubt re-releases of the previous flagship models in each tier. The performance is almost identical across each test — just now at a greatly reduced price. If you have an HD 7000 card, there is really nothing to see here. If you have an HD 6000 or HD 5000 card, this is a great time to upgrade. If you’ve got one older DVI monitor, check to see if you can get two matching models on the cheap. There’s never been a cheaper or easier time to get into Eyefinity.

Review and testing of video cards AMD Radeon R7 260X and R9 270X

Contents

• Introduction
• Technical features
• Appearance and dimensions
• PCB
• Cooling system
• Test stand
• Test method CO
• Cooling System Potential Study
• Overclocking results
• Performance Test Method
• Test results
• Sleeping Dogs
• Sniper Elite V2
• Far Cry III
• Crysis 3
• Tomb Raider (2013)
• Metro Last Light
• Company Of Heroes II
• Total War: Rome II
• Battlefield III
• Final results
• Average number of frames per second and their cost
• Conclusion

Introduction

In the fall of 2013, 28 nm chip production technology is still the most advanced, although video cards released in early 2012 and using such lithography have already lingered on the market. But neither in 2013, nor at the beginning of 2014, miracles can be expected from manufacturers, therefore, under the conditions of a fixed minimum transistor size, it remains only to cosmetically update the line of video cards.

That’s exactly what AMD did. Apparently, the rebranding of NVIDIA graphics accelerators and the release of the GeForce GTX 700 series prompted AMD’s management to take action, which launched a series of events that led to the renewal of the lineup.

Technical features

The first signs of the Radeon R7 260X, R9 270X and R9 280X presented on the islands of Hawaii vaguely resemble the existing Radeon HD 7790, HD 7870 and HD 7970 solutions. But according to AMD representatives, the graphics cores have been upgraded. Believe it or not, despite the physical external identity, it’s up to you. But a number of interesting innovations nevertheless appeared. It is worth briefly talking about this.

recommendations

First, a little about Mantle. This project is one of AMD’s most innovative and game-changing initiatives implemented in the Radeon R7 and R9 series product line. Mantle is a new API that ensures compatibility between next generation consoles and Radeon GPUs.

The new interface gives game developers the ability to interact directly with the GPU, unlocking the full potential of GCN and delivering better gaming performance across all segments.

Previously, we have already seen the emergence of third-party (unlike Microsoft DX) APIs, and all of them eventually lost their appeal in the gaming world. Now AMD has a fairly significant trump card up its sleeve — a unified approach to the hardware of future set-top boxes and GPUs. Only time will tell whether the company will be able to realize it. We’ll first see the introduction of the Mantle into Battlefield 4, but that will take place in the middle of winter.

The Raprt utility is AMD’s software counterpart to the corresponding NVIDIA utility for optimal graphics quality settings in games.

True Audio (programmable audio pipeline) is the hardware behind some of the newer GPUs, notably the R7 260X and others. According to AMD representatives, it allows developers to use the power of the GPU to implement sound effects. For now, one can only expect the newfangled feature to appear in upcoming games like Square Enix’s THIEF and Lichdom Xaviant Games.

Of course, the company has not bypassed its own drivers.

Enough has been said about already resolved issues with 4K monitors, with automatic configuration of such displays on AMD graphics cards, and much more.

Specifications

Name	HD 7790	HD 7870	HD 7970	R7 260X	R9 270X	R9 280X	GTX 650 Ti	GTX 650 Ti Boost	GTX 660
Codename	Bonaire	Pitcairn XT	Tahiti XT	—	—	—	GK106	GK106	GK106
Process technology, nm	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28	28
Core size/cores, mm 2	160	212	365	160	212	365	221	221	221
Number of transistors, million	2080	2800	4300	2080	2800	4300	2540	2540	2540
Core frequency, MHz	1000	1000	925	1100	1050	1000	925	980 (1033)	980 (1033)
Number of shaders (PS), pcs.	896	1280	2048	896	1280	2048	768	786	960
Number of rasterization blocks (ROP), pcs.	16	32	32	16	32	32	16	24	24
Number of texture units (TMU), pcs.	56	80	128	56	80	128	64	64	80
Maximum fill rate, Gpix/s	16	32	30.2	17.6	33.6		14. 8	23.5	23.5
Maximum texture sampling rate, Gtex/s	56	80	118.5	61.6	84		59.2	62.7	78.4
Pixel/vertex shader version	5.0 / 5.0	5. 0 / 5.0	5.0 / 5.0	5.0 / 5.0	5.0 / 5.0	5.0 / 5.0	5.0 / 5.0	5.0 / 5.0	5.0 / 5.0
Memory type	GDDR5	GDDR5	GDDR5	GDDR5	GDDR5	GDDR5	GDDR5	GDDR5	GDDR5
Effective memory frequency, MHz	6000	4800	5500	6500	5600	6000	5400	6000	6000
Memory size, MB	2048	2048	3072	2048	2048	3072	1024	2048	2048
Memory bus bit	128	256	384	128	256	384	128	192	192
Memory bandwidth, GB/s	96	153. 6	264	104	179.2	288	86.4	144.2	144.2
Power consumption (2D / 3D), W	3/85	3/190	3/250	nd / 115	nd / 180	3/250	nd / 110	nd / 135	nd / 140
Crossfire/Sli	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Suggested price at the time of announcement	150	249	449	139	199	299	149	169	229

Appearance and dimensions

Model	A, mm	B, mm	C, mm	D, mm	A1 mm	B1, mm	C1, mm
AMD Radeon HD 7870 v1	240	98	34	63	248	98	38
AMD Radeon HD 7870 v2	240	98	34	73	248	98	38
AMD Radeon R9 270X	240	98	34	73	248	98	38
AMD Radeon R7 260X	172	98	34	76	172	98	38

– printed circuit board length, excluding cooling system and video output port bracket.
B — PCB width, excluding PCI-E pins and cooling system.
C — height from the horizontal plane of the printed circuit board to the level of the top surface of the cooling system.
D – diameter of the fan/s along the outer radius.

1 – length of the printed circuit board, including the cooling system (if it extends beyond the printed circuit board) to the bracket for the video output ports.
1 — width of the printed circuit board, excluding PCI-E pins, but including the measurement of the cooling system (if it extends beyond the printed circuit board).
1 — height, taking into account the back plate (if any) / radiator mounting screws to the level of the upper surface of the cooling system. If it is lower than the height of the back plate of the video output ports, then the height is measured to the top point of the bar.

The design of the R7 260X is vaguely reminiscent of the HD 7790.