Today AMD release their new R7 265 graphics card which they claim is an outstanding performer at 1080p resolution. The R7 265 is set to supplement the more expensive R9 270 which was designed to replace the last generation HD7870. The R7 265 looks set to replace the HD7850, which has proven so successful that it is still being sold – 2 years after release. Rather than focus on a reference board for our review we look at a custom Sapphire R7 265 with Dual X cooling system.
The AMD R7 265 features 2GB of GDDR5 memory which is connected via a 256 bit memory interface. It has 1,024 stream processors with the engine clock set to run at up to 925mhz.
The reference card features a single fan cooling system, but fortunately the version we review today has received some special treatment from Sapphire, featuring two large fans and thick copper heatpipes.
AMD R7 265 Specifications |
|
Stream Processors | 1,024 |
Engine Clock | up to 925mhz |
Compute Performance | 1.89 TFLOPS |
Memory Configuration | 2GB GDDR5 / 256-bit |
Memory Speed | Up to 5.6 Gbps |
Power Connectors | 1 x 6 pin |
Typical Board Power | 150W |
PCI-E Standard | PCI-E 3.0 |
AMD Crossfire Technology | Yes |
API Support | Direct X 11.2 OpenGL 4.3 Mantle |
You know im in two minds over this.
Firstly, for the price – wow, what a great deal.
But another rebadge with some ‘tweaks’ from AMD? come on, its such a cop out 🙁 At least they didnt send you a reference card. makes a change!
The HD7850 continues to live – to be fair its AMD’s best GPU ever. Thats my take, so plenty of life still left in it, especially for £100.
The GTX760 is faster, but its £200, it wont be faster than two of these in Crossfire, for the same money!
Im glad the 7850 is still around. I got upgraded to one under warranty when my 6870 died. Its great and it can play pretty much anything almost on full at 1080p.
Then I did something silly and I got another one. Crossfire is really disappointing to me. There are too many games that don’t support it properly.