AMD Radeon R9 270 Review: Replacing The Radeon HD 7800s

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AMD packages up another sub-$200 graphics card, this time calling it the Radeon R9 270. We expected a Radeon HD 7850 replacement, but received something quite different. Is it a worthwhile step up, or just a familiar piece of hardware with a paint job?

Results: Tomb Raider

This game sets itself apart from its predecessors with a new take on Lara Croft, including impressive hair simulation via TressFX.

As usual, the Radeon HD 7870 stays close to the new R9 270. Nvidia's cards struggle; the GeForce GTX 660 barely keeps ahead of the Radeon HD 7850, while GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost trails the pack.

The frame time variance is exceptionally low in this game, aside from a solitary 14-millisecond peak suffered by the GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost in our 300-frame sample.

Don Woligroski
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Don Woligroski was a former senior hardware editor for Tom's Hardware. He has covered a wide range of PC hardware topics, including CPUs, GPUs, system building, and emerging technologies.