AMD Radeon R9 280X, R9 270X, And R7 260X: Old GPUs, New Names

[Plusthinking Iq]

this launch was terrible, but then i dont see any use for 770gtx speeds anyways. and hate rebrands, especially when this new name is so extremely different and the hardware so similar.

 

[thasan1]

well atleast the gave their cards a much cooler look..

 

[m32]

Relax guys. Big Red & Green are waiting for 20nm to put some 'real grunt' behind their GPUs.

 

[DerpMonkey]

MUST.....HATE....AMD!!!!

 

[mapesdhs]

Branding prediction: people will not bother using the R7/R9 monickers.
Since there's no reuse between them, one could just refer to each card
by its end code - 270X, 280X, 260X, 290X, etc.

So yet another renaming fiasco of existing tech. Such a shame. I did
wonder if that's what was a afoot when I read the specs from AMD's
live PR event recently, doubly so as their quoted 3DMark results didn't
sound all that good if the tech was new.

So this is all about price drops. Ah well, maybe it'll make used 1GHz 7970s
cheaper on eBay, in which case I'll nab a couple for benchmarking. 😀

Ian.

 

[mapesdhs]

Chris, any chance please of updating the R9 280X GPU-Z shot so that it
displays the card's specs when the engine clock is at max? Otherwise,
the bandwidth numbers end up looking weird (ie. very low).

Ian.

 

[Raheel Hasan]

rebadge generation

 

[The_Trutherizer]

hey yeah. i've wanted one of these GPUs for ages. I'll wait for the really new parts, but if their price is not right then these prices most definitely are.

 

[Onus]

Silly me, hoping for power drops. Oh well, if it's the same silicon, possibly clocked even higher, that's not going to happen. Oh well.

 

[scrumworks]

Why nvidia never gets this kind of treatment? Fermi was crap, 500 series was just a re-hash. But all was brilliant when it came from nvidia.

 

[cmartin011]

I was figuring if amd wanted to go the renaming rout. Why not 7870 to R270 and the R280 and R280x to newer lower bin hawaii core at least offer little bit more options for 780+ equivalent at 400 or so... given I see R290x 700 $ or so

 

[Stickem]

Seriously, your going to put a comparison chart up and not include the 770 or 780 in the mix so we can see the gap in performance? AMD must have paid Tom off to better help market the 280X.

 

[kakakakaka]

Other sites show completely different performance for these cards (in a positive way)...HMMM...

 

[bjaminnyc]

Seriously folks. Most buyers of dedicated video cards do their research. The naming may be confusing for those who walk into a Best Buy blind, but that store has had strangely numbered non- major brand cards forever. Who cares what AMD calls the product, the 280 performs great at its price point. Nice article, thanks.

 

[beoza]

Nice to know that these aren't the boards I'm looking for when I upgrade in the near future. I currently have the 7870LE board and I really don't want a rehash of the same card. That would be like going out and buying the latest CoD game. Slight improvements under the hood with flashier packaging...no thanks.

 

[Wisecracker]

Pretty slick move by AMD ... The Radeon HD 7970 has strong brand recognition and it makes sense not to kill it off.

I guess the only question would be how tough the binning on the new spin splits the R9 280X from the 7970 GHz cards. Almost look like the 7970 non-GHz deja-vu.

It also looks like the Pitcairn/Curacao will remain the price/performance winner -- positioned almost perfectly between the GTX660/GTX760, with the Curacao scoring 2 wins over the 760 in Skyrim and Tomb Raider.

 

[Au_equus]

if the 280x has the same tahiti core then you should be able to CF with the older generation, right? speaking of CF, will we see any frame pacing issues with these cards?

 

[nforce4max]

I like the new naming scheme as it is easier to talk about them in conversation compared to Radeon 7k series with its repetitive 7s. Looking forward to seeing the reviews on the 290x.

 

[slomo4sho]

Someone, that would have been the next card to add if I had time after getting 10 boards benchmarked in time for this. I'll add to these numbers for the next launch though, don't worry!

Some overclock figures and benchmarks would be another welcome addition.

Other sites show completely different performance for these cards (in a positive way)...HMMM...

Toms reviewed the reference 270X and 280X. Most manufactuerers have factor OC cards and there are actually factory OC cards that hit 1180MHz core speeds.

 

[monsta]

So this is what all the hype was about? meh

 

[jbkeefer]

What about Mantle Compatibility? is that a feature you get with new models versus old?

 

[pelonlono]

Idk i see a fail there i prefer buy a 7970 Ghz edition for 280 better performance.. so the R9 280X at $300. looks like a fail for me

 

[Mousemonkey]

I like how they sell you a "new" Curacao GPU which GPUz identifies as a near on two year old Pitcairn, I guess they only EOL'd the name then. Sort of.

 

[jbkeefer]

Your 3 posts in a row looks like a fail to me.

 

[jbkeefer]

The article was successful at ignoring the important part of this new product line. Mantle and the actual NEW chips. Nice headline, too. What's next an OriginPC article praising the value of a 10,000 computer...lol