Because AMD has so many board partners, and because their products launch at staggered intervals, we changed the way we round them up, starting with Partner Cards: Two Radeon R9 290s And Five 290Xs, Updated. The Tom's Hardware team in Germany has been busy working on Radeon R9 270 and 270X cards also, so we thought it was time to publish their findings (now 10 cards-deep) here as well.
Overseas, the Radeon boards aren't priced as problematically as they are in the U.S. Over there, you can find some pretty solid deals. Here, they're less compelling, starting at least $50 higher than AMD's $180 launch price. For the sake of summing up our local market, though, let's do a spot check on what Newegg has in stock.
| Radeon R9 270 (Newegg) | |
|---|---|
| HIS iPower IceQ X² Turbo H270QMT2G2M R9 270 2 GB | Out of stock |
| Sapphire Dual-X 100365L R9 270 2 GB | $230 |
| Radeon R9 270X (Newegg) | |
|---|---|
| Asus DirectCU II R9270X-DC2T-4GD5 R9 270X 4 GB | $350 |
| Club 3D royalQueen CGAX-R927X6 R9 270X 2 GB | Out of stock |
| Gigabyte GV-R927XOC-4GD R9 270X 4 GB | $300 |
| HIS IceQ X² Turbo Boost Clock H270XQMT2G2 R9 270X 2 GB | $280 |
| MSI Radeon R9 270X Gaming 4 GB | Out of stock |
| PowerColor PCS+ AXR9 270X 2GBD5-PPDHE R9 270X 2 GB | $280 |
| Sapphire Toxic Radeon R9 270X 2 GB | $345 |
| Sapphire Vapor-X 100364VXL Radeon R9 270X 2 GB | $300 |
As additional cards become available, we plan to add them and update the round-up. Based on reader feedback, we're also publishing certain parameters you won't find on every data sheet. Still, specs like measured length, width, and height are crucial for proper fitment, so you'll find all of that in the following pages. Also included are videos, along with fan and temperature diagrams. If firmware gets updated, we test that too.
Radeon R9 270 and 270X Overview
All of these boards employ the same Curaçao GPU manufactured at 28 nm, which is basically the Pitcairn processor, re-branded. It comes equipped with 1280 shaders and exposes an aggregate 256-bit memory interface. Only the core and memory clock rates differ (even compared to the older Pitcairn-based Radeon HD 7870).
| Model | GPU Boost Clock (MHz) | Memory Clock (MHz) | Memory Bandwidth (GB/s) | Fillrate (GPixel/s) | Fillrate (GTexel/s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asus DirectCU II R9270X-DC2T-4GD5 R9 270X 4 GB | 1120 | 1400 | 179.2 | 35.8 | 89.6 |
| Club 3D royalQueen CGAX-R927X6 R9 270X 2 GB | 1080 | 1400 | 179.2 | 34.6 | 86.4 |
| Gigabyte GV-R927XOC-4GD R9 270X 4 GB | 1100 | 1400 | 179.2 | 35.2 | 88.0 |
| HIS IceQ X² Turbo Boost Clock H270XQMT2G2 R9 270X 2 GB | 1140 | 1400 | 179.2 | 36.5 | 91.2 |
| HIS iPower IceQ X² Turbo H270QMT2G2M R9 270 2 GB | 975 | 100 | 179.2 | 31.2 | 78.0 |
| MSI Radeon R9 270X Gaming 4 GB | 1120 | 1400 | 179.2 | 35.8 | 89.6 |
| PowerColor PCS+ AXR9 270X 2GBD5-PPDHE R9 270X 2 GB | 1100 | 1425 | 182.4 | 35.2 | 88.0 |
| Sapphire Dual-X 100365L R9 270 2 GB | 945 | 1400 | 179.2 | 30.2 | 75.6 |
| Sapphire Toxic Radeon R9 270X 2 GB | 1150 | 1500 | 192.0 | 36.8 | 92.0 |
| Sapphire Vapor-X 100364VXL Radeon R9 270X 2 GB | 1100 | 1450 | 185.6 | 35.2 | 88.0 |
To boost, or not to boost, that is the question. Does a high specified clock rate mean anything if a card can't maintain it under load, and is forced to throttle back? We took all ten cards, warmed them up through a real-world graphics load, and then started recording their clock rates during an exhaustive gaming loop.
Asus DirectCU II R9270X-DC2T-4GD5 R9 270X 4 GB
Club 3D royalQueen CGAX-R927X6 R9 270X 2 GB

Gigabyte GV-R927XOC-4GD R9 270X 4 GB
HIS IceQ X² Turbo Boost Clock H270XQMT2G2 R9 270X 2 GB
HIS iPower IceQ X² Turbo H270QMT2G2M R9 270 2 GB
MSI Radeon R9 270X Gaming 4 GB

PowerColor PCS+ AXR9 270X 2GBD5-PPDHE R9 270X 2 GB

Sapphire Dual-X 100365L R9 270 2 GB

Sapphire Toxic Radeon R9 270X 2 GB

Sapphire Vapor-X 100364VXL Radeon R9 270X 2 GB
The dimensions reported here don't necessarily match what you've heard from each manufacturer's official technical specifications. Rather, we measure them by hand to assure they're correct. The image and chart below should help illustrate what each measurement actually means. Auxiliary PCI Express power connectors are not included; they have to be added depending on the power plug and cable design.

| Model | Length (L) | Height (H) | Depth (D1) | Depth (D2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asus DirectCU II R9270X-DC2T-4GD5 R9 270X 4 GB | 275 mm | 124 mm | 38 mm | 4 mm |
| Club 3D royalQueen CGAX-R927X6 R9 270X 2 GB | 217 mm | 120 mm | 36 mm | 4 mm |
| Gigabyte GV-R927XOC-4GD R9 270X 4 GB | 287 mm | 112 mm | 36 mm | 4 mm |
| HIS IceQ X² Turbo Boost Clock H270XQMT2G2 R9 270X 2 GB | 264 mm | 118 mm | 38 mm | 4 mm |
| HIS iPower IceQ X² Turbo H270QMT2G2M R9 270 2 GB | 210 mm | 105 mm | 36 mm | 4 mm |
| MSI Radeon R9 270X Gaming 4 GB | 263 mm | 120 mm | 38 mm | 4 mm |
| PowerColor PCS+ AXR9 270X 2GBD5-PPDHE R9 270X 2 GB | 245 mm | 105 mm | 38 mm | 6 mm |
| Sapphire Dual-X 100365L R9 270 2 GB | 224 mm | 105 mm | 36 mm | 4 mm |
| Sapphire Toxic Radeon R9 270X 2 GB | 310 mm | 118 mm | 38 mm | 5 mm |
| Sapphire Vapor-X 100364VXL Radeon R9 270X 2 GB | 266 mm | 108 mm | 32 mm | 4 mm |
Graphics Card Weight
The weight of a card might be interesting if you're trying to figure out if any additional support is needed, or to calculate the amount of stress your motherboard might be under in a CrossFire-based setup.

| Model | Weight |
|---|---|
| Asus DirectCU II R9270X-DC2T-4GD5 R9 270X 4 GB | 1.57 lbs / 715 g |
| Gigabyte GV-R927XOC-4GD R9 270X 4 GB | 1.56 lbs / 708 g |
| HIS IceQ X² Turbo Boost Clock H270XQMT2G2 R9 270X 2 GB | 1.62 lbs / 736 g |
| MSI Radeon R9 270X Gaming 4 GB | 1.65 lbs / 748 g |
| Sapphire Dual-X 100365L R9 270 2 GB | 1.16 lbs / 527 g |
| Sapphire Toxic Radeon R9 270X 2 GB | 2.29 lbs / 1039 g |
| Sapphire Vapor-X 100364VXL Radeon R9 270X 2 GB | 1.69 lbs / 767 g |
We're using Metro: Last Light for our thermal benchmarks. This should be a good representation of a high-end graphics workload. As a bonus, it's incredibly repeatable and easy to loop over and over through the built-in tool.
After publishing Does Radeon R9 290X Behave Any Differently In A Closed Case?, we decided to test these cards on an open bench table and in a closed case, since we found that dropping them into the right enclosure helped lower temperatures thanks to optimized airflow.
| Model | Idle | Full Gaming Load |
|---|---|---|
| Asus DirectCU II R9270X-DC2T-4GD5 R9 270X 4 GB | 90 °F / 32 °C | 106 °F / 71 °C |
| Club 3D royalQueen CGAX-R927X6 R9 270X 2 GB | 82 °F / 28 °C | 142 °F / 61 °C |
| Gigabyte GV-R927XOC-4GD R9 270X 4 GB | 82 °F / 28 °C | 149 °F / 65 °C |
| HIS IceQ X² Turbo Boost Clock H270XQMT2G2 R9 270X 2 GB | 86 °F / 30 °C | 153 °F / 67 °C |
| HIS iPower IceQ X² Turbo H270QMT2G2M R9 270 2 GB | 82 °F / 28 °C | 140 °F / 60 °C |
| MSI Radeon R9 270X Gaming 4 GB | 93 °F / 34 °C | 171 °F / 77 °C |
| PowerColor PCS+ AXR9 270X 2GBD5-PPDHE R9 270X 2 GB | 82 °F / 28 °C | 151 °F / 66 °C |
| Sapphire Dual-X 100365L R9 270 2 GB | 82 °F / 28 °C | 136 °F / 58 °C |
| Sapphire Toxic Radeon R9 270X 2 GB | 84 °F / 29 °C | 140 °F / 60 °C |
| Sapphire Vapor-X 100364VXL Radeon R9 270X 2 GB | 90 °F / 32 °C | 163 °F / 73 °C |
Temperature Graphics
These graphs slow how the temperatures change over time, influenced by the heat sink, the fan, and the firmware's fan profile.
Asus DirectCU II R9270X-DC2T-4GD5 R9 270X 4 GB
Club 3D royalQueen CGAX-R927X6 R9 270X 2 GB

Gigabyte GV-R927XOC-4GD R9 270X 4 GB
HIS IceQ X² Turbo Boost Clock H270XQMT2G2 R9 270X 2 GB
HIS iPower IceQ X² Turbo H270QMT2G2M R9 270 2 GB

MSI Radeon R9 270X Gaming 4 GB
PowerColor PCS+ AXR9 270X 2GBD5-PPDHE R9 270X 2 GB

Sapphire Dual-X 100365L R9 270 2 GB

Sapphire Toxic Radeon R9 270X 2 GB

Sapphire Vapor-X 100364VXL Radeon R9 270X 2 GB
Noise
We first measure each graphics card's noise level in different workloads using the same studio microphone and calibration seen in our audio reviews. The microphone is positioned perpendicular to the middle of the graphics card at a distance of 50 cm.
| Model: | Idle | Moderate Load | Full Load |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asus DirectCU II R9270X-DC2T-4GD5 R9 270X 4 GB | 30.8 dB(A) | 39.7 dB(A) | 44.5 dB(A) |
| Club 3D royalQueen CGAX-R927X6 R9 270X 2 GB | 30.9 dB(A) | 38.5 dB(A) | 43.2 dB(A) |
| Gigabyte GV-R927XOC-4GD R9 270X 4 GB | 31.0 dB(A) | 39.1 dB(A) | 44.2 dB(A) |
| HIS IceQ X² Turbo Boost Clock H270XQMT2G2 R9 270X 2 GB | 31.6 dB(A) | 41.5 dB(A) | 45.6 dBA |
| HIS iPower IceQ X² Turbo H270QMT2G2M R9 270 2 GB | 30.7 dB(A) | 35.8 dB(A) | 40.3 dB(A) |
| MSI Radeon R9 270X Gaming 4 GB | 30.8 dB(A) | 34.8 dB(A) | 37.1 dB(A) |
| PowerColor PCS+ AXR9 270X 2GBD5-PPDHE R9 270X 2 GB | 30.6 dB(A) | 34.8 dB(A) | 37,2 dB(A) |
| Sapphire Dual-X 100365L R9 270 2 GB | 30.8 db(A) | 33.2 dB(A) | 36.6 dB(A) |
| Sapphire Toxic Radeon R9 270X 2 GB | 31.2 dB(A) | 37.2 dB(A) | 42.5 dB(A) |
| Sapphire Vapor-X 100364VXL Radeon R9 270X 2 GB | 31.8 dB(A) | 40.8 dB(A) | 44.7 dB(A) |
Fan Speed
The number, diameter, and rotational speed of the fans are mainly what determine the cooler's noise level. We present the RPM curves for each graphics card separately; we tried, and putting them into one graph is too cluttered.
Asus DirectCU II R9270X-DC2T-4GD5 R9 270X 4 GB
Club 3D royalQueen CGAX-R927X6 R9 270X 2 GB

Gigabyte GV-R927XOC-4GD R9 270X 4 GB

HIS IceQ X² Turbo Boost Clock H270XQMT2G2 R9 270X 2 GB
HIS iPower IceQ X² Turbo H270QMT2G2M R9 270 2 GB
MSI Radeon R9 270X Gaming 4 GB

PowerColor PCS+ AXR9 270X 2GBD5-PPDHE R9 270X 2 GB

Sapphire Dual-X 100365L R9 270 2 GB

Sapphire Toxic Radeon R9 270X 2 GB

Sapphire Vapor-X 100364VXL Radeon R9 270X 2 GB
The videos show the cards running a Unigine Heaven loop, which probably matches or exceeds the toughest challenges a card will ever face during gaming. We run the same loop during the temperature tests and the fan RPM tests.
Asus DirectCU II R9270X-DC2T-4GD5 R9 270X 4 GB
Club 3D royalQueen CGAX-R927X6 R9 270X 2 GB
Gigabyte GV-R927XOC-4GD R9 270X 4 GB
HIS IceQ X² Turbo Boost Clock H270XQMT2G2 R9 270X 2 GB
HIS iPower IceQ X² Turbo H270QMT2G2M R9 270 2 GB
MSI Radeon R9 270X Gaming 4 GB
PowerColor PCS+ AXR9 270X 2GBD5-PPDHE R9 270X 2 GB
Sapphire Dual-X 100365L R9 270 2 GB
Sapphire Toxic Radeon R9 270X 2 GB
Sapphire Vapor-X 100364VXL Radeon R9 270X 2 GB
| Gigabyte GV-R927XOC-4GD R9 270X 4 GB | |
|---|---|
| Auxiliary Power Connectors | 2 x six-pin |
| Connectors | 1 x DVI-I (Dual-link and analog) 1 x DVI-D 1 x HDMI 1 x DisplayPort |
| Form Factor | Two slots |
| Pros | + Slim + Lightweight + Maintain its clock rate under load + Lots of cooling headroom |
| Cons | - Very long - Quite noisy - The fan profile should be adjusted manually |
Front and Back
Sides
Connectors
| HIS IceQ X² Turbo Boost Clock H270XQMT2G2 R9 270X 2 GB | |
|---|---|
| Auxiliary Power Connectors | 2 x six-pin |
| Connectors | 1 x DVI-I (Dual-link and analog) 1 x HDMI 2 x mini-DisplayPort |
| Form Factor | Two slots |
| Pros | + Lightweight + Slim + Maintains its clock rate under load + Lots of cooling headroom |
| Cons | - Quite noisy - The fan profile should be adjusted manually |
Front and Back
Sides
Connectors
| HIS iPower IceQ X² Turbo H270QMT2G2M R9 270 2 GB | |
|---|---|
| Auxiliary Power Connectors | 1 x six-pin |
| Connectors | 1 x DVI-I (Dual-link and analog) 1 x HDMI 2 x mini-DisplayPort |
| Form Factor | Two slots |
| Pros | + Lightweight + Slim + Plenty of cooling headroom |
| Cons | - Slight coil whine at high frame rates |
Front and Back
Sides
Connectors
| MSI Radeon R9 270X Gaming 4 GB | |
|---|---|
| Auxiliary Power Connectors | 2 x six-pin |
| Connectors | 1 x DVI-I (Dual-link and analog) 1 x DVI-D 1 x HDMI 1 x DisplayPort |
| Form Factor | Two slots |
| Pros | + Slim + Lightweight + Maintains its clock rate under load + Very quiet |
| Cons | - Almost no additional cooling headroom without increasing noise |

Front and Back
Sides
Connectors




































































































