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

Results: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Skyrim tends to be more platform-bound than most of our other benchmarks, so an overclocked Ivy Bridge-E-based configuration with lots of fast memory lets these cards perform to their peak potential using the Ultra detail preset.

The thing is, this game just doesn’t tax graphics hardware very much. You’ll still find it playable at 2560x1440, even on a Bonaire-powered Radeon HD 7790 or R7 260X. Most notable, perhaps, is that a $200 R9 270X trades blows with a $250 GeForce GTX 760.

Smooth frame rate over time line graphics demonstrate an entire field of playable performance at 1920x1080, and mostly ample numbers at 2560x1440 using the game’s Ultra quality preset.

The GeForce cards experience higher frame time variance, on average. At 1920x1080, only the 650 Ti’s worst-case result is something you’d likely notice. At 2560x1440, however, the numbers using Nvidia’s latest beta drivers aren’t as good. Again, it’s the GeForce GTX 650 Ti that demonstrates the least-favorable behavior.