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AMD Radeon R9 270 1024SP

AMD Radeon R9 270 1024SP: An Outdated Warrior or a Budget Option in 2025?

Review for Budget Gamers and Enthusiasts

1. Architecture and Key Features

GCN 1.0 Architecture: A Legacy from 2013

The AMD Radeon R9 270 1024SP graphics card is based on the Graphics Core Next (GCN) 1.0 architecture, developed back in 2013. Despite a modified design with a reduced number of stream processors (1024 SP compared to 1280 in the original R9 270), the card retains “old school” characteristics: a 28nm manufacturing process, and lacks support for modern features like hardware ray tracing or AI acceleration.

Unique Features: Minimal for Its Time

In 2025, the R9 270 appears quite basic. It supports only the core AMD technologies, such as the now-obsolete Mantle API and CrossFire for combining multiple GPUs. There are no equivalents to DLSS, FSR 3.0, or hardware Ray Tracing here. The only advantage is compatibility with FidelityFX Super Resolution 1.0 through third-party mods, but the functionality of these solutions is unstable.

2. Memory: Modest Capabilities

GDDR5 and 2 GB: A Barrier for Modern Games

The card is equipped with 2 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 179 GB/s. This was sufficient for games of the 2010s, but in 2025, even indie projects often require 4–6 GB of VRAM. For instance, in Hogwarts Legacy or Cyberpunk 2077 on low texture settings, lag can occur due to buffer overflow.

Tip: To run modern games, consider using modified configs (like tools such as LowSpecGamer) that reduce memory consumption.

3. Gaming Performance: Only 1080p on Low Settings

FPS in Popular Titles

- CS2 (2025): 90–110 FPS on medium settings (1080p).

- Fortnite: 45–55 FPS (1080p, low settings, without FSR).

- The Witcher 3 (Next-Gen Update): 25–30 FPS (1080p, low settings).

- Palworld: 35–40 FPS (1080p, medium settings).

4K? Forget It

Even at 1440p resolution, the card struggles: for example, Apex Legends only manages 20–25 FPS. 4K is out of the question—this is territory for GPUs with 8+ GB of memory and modern architectures.

Ray Tracing: No Support

The R9 270 lacks RT cores, and emulation through software (like DirectX Raytracing) reduces FPS to 5–10 frames.

4. Professional Tasks: Limited Applicability

Video Editing and 3D Rendering

The card supports OpenCL 1.2, allowing it to be used in applications like Blender or DaVinci Resolve, but performance leaves much to be desired. Rendering a scene in Blender Cycles takes 3–4 times longer than on an NVIDIA GTX 1660.

Scientific Computing

For machine learning or computational tasks, it’s better to choose cards with CUDA support (NVIDIA) or modern ROCm drivers (AMD). The R9 270 is useless here.

5. Power Consumption and Heat Management

TDP 150 W: Modest, but Not Ideal

At maximum load, the card consumes up to 150 W. A power supply rated at 450–500 W with an 80+ Bronze certification is recommended.

Cooling: Noise vs. Temperature

The standard cooling system (one fan) keeps temperatures around 75–80°C under load, but at high speeds, the noise is noticeable. For quiet operation, it’s advisable to install a case with good ventilation (like the Fractal Design Meshify C).

6. Comparison with Competitors

2025 Alternatives

- NVIDIA GTX 1650 (4 GB): 20–30% faster in games, supports DLSS, priced at $160–180.

- AMD RX 6400 (4 GB): Higher performance in DX12/Vulkan, compact size, $130–150.

- Intel Arc A380 (6 GB): Better handling of modern APIs, but requires ReBAR, $140.

Conclusion: The R9 270 1024SP falls behind even budget newcomers of 2025 but might be cheaper (if found in the market for $80–100).

7. Practical Tips

Power Supply: Don’t Skimp

Choose models with overload protection (e.g., Corsair CX550). Avoid no-name power supplies—voltage spikes can damage the card.

Compatibility

- Platforms: The card operates on PCIe 3.0 x16. It is compatible with motherboards based on Intel (LGA 1200/1700) and AMD (AM4/AM5), but it may throttle performance in PCIe 4.0 slots.

- Drivers: Official support from AMD was discontinued in 2022. Consider using modified drivers (e.g., Amernime Zone) to run new games.

8. Pros and Cons

Pros:

- Low price (if found new for $80–100).

- Support for old games and operating systems (Windows 7/8).

- Simple thermal paste replacement prolongs life.

Cons:

- Outdated architecture.

- Only 2 GB of memory.

- Lack of support for modern technologies.

9. Final Conclusion: Who Is the R9 270 1024SP For?

This graphics card is suitable for:

1. Budget Builds: If a temporary GPU is needed for office tasks or old games (like Skyrim, GTA V).

2. Retro Hardware Enthusiasts: For experimenting with mods and optimizations.

3. Second-Hand Market: As a replacement for a failed card in an older PC.

Why Not Buy New?

In 2025, even for $100, it’s better to look for a used GTX 1060 or RX 570—they will offer more performance and memory. The R9 270 1024SP remains a niche solution for very specific scenarios.

Note: Prices are quoted for new devices available in limited regions (e.g., Southeast Asia) as of April 2025.

Basic

Label Name

AMD

Platform

Desktop

Launch Date

March 2015

Model Name

Radeon R9 270 1024SP

Generation

Volcanic Islands

Base Clock

900MHz

Boost Clock

925MHz

Bus Interface

PCIe 3.0 x16

Transistors

2,800 million

Compute Units

TMUs

Texture Mapping Units (TMUs) serve as components of the GPU, which are capable of rotating, scaling, and distorting binary images, and then placing them as textures onto any plane of a given 3D model. This process is called texture mapping.

Foundry

TSMC

Process Size

28 nm

Architecture

GCN 1.0

Memory Specifications

Memory Size

2GB

Memory Type

GDDR5

Memory Bus

The memory bus width refers to the number of bits of data that the video memory can transfer within a single clock cycle. The larger the bus width, the greater the amount of data that can be transmitted instantaneously, making it one of the crucial parameters of video memory. The memory bandwidth is calculated as: Memory Bandwidth = Memory Frequency x Memory Bus Width / 8. Therefore, when the memory frequencies are similar, the memory bus width will determine the size of the memory bandwidth.

256bit

Memory Clock

1200MHz

Bandwidth

Memory bandwidth refers to the data transfer rate between the graphics chip and the video memory. It is measured in bytes per second, and the formula to calculate it is: memory bandwidth = working frequency × memory bus width / 8 bits.

153.6 GB/s

Theoretical Performance

Pixel Rate

Pixel fill rate refers to the number of pixels a graphics processing unit (GPU) can render per second, measured in MPixels/s (million pixels per second) or GPixels/s (billion pixels per second). It is the most commonly used metric to evaluate the pixel processing performance of a graphics card.

29.60 GPixel/s

Texture Rate

Texture fill rate refers to the number of texture map elements (texels) that a GPU can map to pixels in a single second.

59.20 GTexel/s

FP64 (double)

An important metric for measuring GPU performance is floating-point computing capability. Double-precision floating-point numbers (64-bit) are required for scientific computing that demands a wide numeric range and high accuracy, while single-precision floating-point numbers (32-bit) are used for common multimedia and graphics processing tasks. Half-precision floating-point numbers (16-bit) are used for applications like machine learning, where lower precision is acceptable.

118.4 GFLOPS

FP32 (float)

An important metric for measuring GPU performance is floating-point computing capability. Single-precision floating-point numbers (32-bit) are used for common multimedia and graphics processing tasks, while double-precision floating-point numbers (64-bit) are required for scientific computing that demands a wide numeric range and high accuracy. Half-precision floating-point numbers (16-bit) are used for applications like machine learning, where lower precision is acceptable.

1.856 TFLOPS

Miscellaneous

Shading Units

The most fundamental processing unit is the Streaming Processor (SP), where specific instructions and tasks are executed. GPUs perform parallel computing, which means multiple SPs work simultaneously to process tasks.

1024

L1 Cache

16 KB (per CU)

L2 Cache

512KB

TDP

150W

Vulkan Version

Vulkan is a cross-platform graphics and compute API by Khronos Group, offering high performance and low CPU overhead. It lets developers control the GPU directly, reduces rendering overhead, and supports multi-threading and multi-core processors.

1.2

OpenCL Version

1.2

OpenGL

4.6

DirectX

12 (11_1)

Power Connectors

1x 6-pin

Shader Model

5.1

ROPs

The Raster Operations Pipeline (ROPs) is primarily responsible for handling lighting and reflection calculations in games, as well as managing effects like anti-aliasing (AA), high resolution, smoke, and fire. The more demanding the anti-aliasing and lighting effects in a game, the higher the performance requirements for the ROPs; otherwise, it may result in a sharp drop in frame rate.

Suggested PSU

450W

Benchmarks

FP32 (float)

Score

1.856 TFLOPS

Compared to Other GPU

FP32 (float) / TFLOPS

GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max Q

1.943 +4.7%

Jetson Orin NX 16 GB

1.918 +3.3%

Radeon R9 270 1024SP

1.856

Playstation 4 GPU

1.806 -2.7%

Radeon Vega 7

1.736 -6.5%