AMD Radeon R7 370

AMD Radeon R7 370 in 2025: Is This Graphics Card Worth Considering?
Review for Budget Gamers and Office Users
Introduction
In 2025, the graphics card market is flooded with innovations: ray tracing, AI rendering, and 8K resolutions. However, for many users, the key factor remains price. The AMD Radeon R7 370, a card from 2015, is still available for sale as an affordable solution. Let's explore who might find it suitable today.
Architecture and Key Features
Core: Graphics Core Next (GCN 1.0) architecture, 28nm manufacturing process.
Features:
- No hardware support for ray tracing or equivalent to DLSS.
- Compatibility with FidelityFX Contrast Adaptive Sharpening (CAS) via drivers—this technology enhances image clarity without taxing the GPU.
- Support for DirectX 12 (Feature Level 12_0), Vulkan 1.3, OpenGL 4.6.
The card was designed for basic tasks, hence modern features like FSR 3.0 or Ray Tracing are not available.
Memory: Modest Specs
Type and Capacity: 4 GB GDDR5.
Bus and Bandwidth: 256-bit bus, 179 GB/s.
Impact on Performance:
- For 2025 games, 4 GB of VRAM is the minimum threshold. In projects like Cyberpunk 2077 or Starfield, high-quality textures can cause stutter due to buffer overflows.
- In office tasks and older games (e.g., CS:GO, Dota 2), the memory is more than sufficient.
Gaming Performance: Realistic Expectations
1080p (Low/Medium Settings):
- Fortnite: 45-55 FPS (without FSR).
- Apex Legends: 40-50 FPS.
- GTA V: 60-70 FPS.
- Hogwarts Legacy: 25-30 FPS (minimum settings).
1440p and 4K: Not recommended—frame rates drop below 30 FPS even in less demanding titles.
Ray Tracing: Not supported. In games with hybrid rendering (e.g., Shadow of the Tomb Raider), enabling RTX will reduce FPS to 10-15.
Professional Tasks: Limited Applicability
- Video Editing: Can handle rendering in 1080p in DaVinci Resolve or Premiere Pro, but for 4K or effects, a more powerful card is necessary.
- 3D Modeling: In Blender and AutoCAD—only simple scenes. OpenCL acceleration works, but it’s slower than modern GPUs.
- Scientific Calculations: Not suitable for complex simulations.
Power Consumption and Heat Dissipation
TDP: 150W.
Recommendations:
- Power Supply: At least 450W (e.g., Corsair CX450).
- Cooling: A card with 2 fans (Sapphire Nitro) or a turbine (reference design).
- Case: Essential to have 2-3 fans for intake and exhaust.
Even under load, the GPU rarely heats above 75°C, but thermal throttling might occur in compact cases.
Comparison with Competitors
2025 Analogues (new, $120-150):
- NVIDIA GTX 1650 (4 GB GDDR6): 20-30% faster in games, supports DLSS 1.0.
- AMD RX 6400 (4 GB GDDR6): Better performance in DX12/Vulkan, but requires PCIe 4.0.
- Intel Arc A380 (6 GB GDDR6): Handles modern APIs better, but the drivers are unstable.
Conclusion: The R7 370 falls behind even budget newcomers but has the advantage in price (around $80-100 for a new card).
Practical Tips
1. Power Supply: 450-500W with 80+ Bronze certification (EVGA 500 BQ).
2. Compatibility:
- Motherboard: PCIe 3.0 x16 (backward compatibility with PCIe 2.0).
- CPU: Will not bottleneck with Ryzen 3 3200G or Intel i3-10100.
3. Drivers: Use Adrenalin 22.6.1—the latest stable version for GCN 1.0.
Pros and Cons
✅ Pros:
- Low price ($80-100).
- Energy efficiency for its class.
- Quiet operation in idle mode.
❌ Cons:
- No support for modern technologies (FSR 3.0, Ray Tracing).
- Limited performance in new games.
- Risk of encountering used units marketed as new.
Final Verdict: Who is the R7 370 Suitable For?
- Budget Gamers: Suitable for playing older or less demanding games (Indie projects, MOBA).
- Office PCs: Supports 4K monitors via DisplayPort, accelerates rendering in browsers.
- Spare GPU: As a temporary replacement until a new card is purchased.
Alternative: If the budget allows, add $50-70 and get an AMD RX 6400 or NVIDIA GTX 1650—providing more upgrade options.
Conclusion
The Radeon R7 370 in 2025 is a choice for those who value minimalism and are not chasing ultra settings. It serves as a “workhorse” for basic tasks but nothing more. If your goal is comfortable gaming for new releases, it is worth considering more modern solutions.