This AMD Radeon HD 7800 Series video card has 800 megahertz processor frequency. High performance and throughput (153 gigabits per second) are provided by a 256-bit bus. The computing system processes data equal to 1.76 teraflops. There are 16 computational units, and 64 texture units. There are two cores for computing processes.
The memory format corresponds to the GDDR5 marking, and support for DirectX version 11 will help speed up interaction with operating system applications. To better optimize the performance of the card, it is necessary to monitor driver updates, since only they can fully unlock all the capabilities of the GPU and provide access to the necessary settings. Basic drivers that identify the video card in the system are included with the card, and the updated version can be viewed on the AMD website.
This AMD Radeon HD 7800 Series graphics processor supports the latest built-in technologies that allow you to enjoy high-quality and smooth images in 60 frames, and the resolution can reach 4096 x 2160 pixels. The same applies to the audio stream, which meets all modern requirements, producing high-quality sound.
Radeon 7870
This AMD Radeon HD 7800 Series video card is a powerful successor to the previous card. It has a whole gigahertz at its disposal to work with the graphics processor. The performance for computing operations is much higher than in the previous version - 2.56 teraflops. There are 20 computational units and 80 texture units. 
Since this is the flagship of the 7800 series, it is superior to its brother in many respects. Support for tessellation technology has been implemented in video cards from this manufacturer for a long time, but in this version it is taken to the limit. Now you can enjoy a three-dimensional image that is amazing in its realism and detail. And improved anti-aliasing will help achieve a smooth and pleasant picture.
In other parameters, this representative of the AMD Radeon HD 7800 Series is completely identical in characteristics to the previous video card. Both cards are capable of supporting 3D technology in both video and games. It is also possible to connect multiple cards to improve the performance, but this parameter may also depend on the capabilities of the motherboard.
Radeon R9 270 review | New or updated?
"The Pitcairn GPU has 20 Compute Units (CU), each of which consists of four Vector Units (VU). Each vector unit, in turn, includes 16 stream processors and one texture processing unit. In total, we get 1280 stream processors and 80 texture units for the senior representative of the 7800 line. Radeon HD 7850 a stripped-down version of the Pitcairn GPU is used: four computational units have been removed, giving a total of 1024 stream processors and 64 texture processing units.
AMD retained all eight rasterization units, each consisting of four Color ROP units, resulting in up to 32 raster operations per cycle. Four 64-bit memory controllers are connected to the rasterization units via a common interface. This gives us a 256-bit memory bus."
So if Radeon R9 270X will replace Radeon HD 7870, Then Radeon R9 270 must replace Radeon HD 7850 with a stripped down version of the GPU, right? However, if you look at the characteristics, frequencies and prices of the current AMD line, an interesting thing becomes clear.
| Radeon HD 7850 | Radeon HD 7870 | Radeon R9 270 | Radeon R9 270X | |
| Number of shader cores | 1024 | 1280 | 1280 | 1280 |
| Number of texturing blocks | 64 | 80 | 80 | 80 |
| Number of rasterization blocks | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 |
| Manufacturing process, nm | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 |
| Core frequency, MHz | 860 | 1000 | 925 | 1050 |
| Memory frequency, MHz | 1200 GDDR5 | 1200 GDDR5 | 1400 GDDR5 | 1400 GDDR5 |
| Memory bus, bit | 256 | 256 | 256 | 256 |
| Memory bandwidth, GB | 153,6 | 153,6 | 179,2 | 179,2 |
| Thermal package simple/max., W | 130 | 175 | 150 | 180 |
| Power connectors | 1 x 6-pin | 2 x 6-pin | 1 x 6-pin | 2 x 6-pin |
| Price | $140-$220 | $170-$230 | $180 | $200-$220 |
We were surprised to find that Radeon R9 270 not overclocked Radeon HD 7850, as was expected. This is, in essence, Radeon HD 7870 with a core frequency lowered by 75 MHz, a GDDR5 video memory frequency increased by 200 MHz, and a thermal package lowered by 25 W at a price of $180.
First let's look at frequencies. It looks like lower core clocks and faster RAM are needed to provide performance levels like the old one. Radeon HD 7870. However, this makes no sense. Why underclock Pitcairn and spend more money on more expensive GDDR5 memory? We have only one guess: AMD wants performance Radeon HD 7870, and at the same time fit into the limitations inherent in a single six-pin auxiliary power connector. As you can see, the thermal package Radeon R9 270 is 150 W versus 175 W for Radeon HD 7870. AND Radeon R9 270X, And Radeon HD 7870 require two auxiliary connectors.
As for the price of $180, it turns out that Radeon R9 270$20 cheaper than recently introduced Radeon R9 270X, which has the same memory frequency (1400 MHz), but with a core frequency increased by 125 MHz (1050 MHz). Let's assume that the cards actually cost $180 at release. In this case, Radeon R9 270 will be $10 cheaper GeForce GTX 660– its main competitor from Nvidia. Moreover, with this price Radeon R9 270 on average it will be cheaper Radeon HD 7870, which has become noticeably more accessible over the past few months. But this was a temporary phenomenon, as retailers wanted to unload warehouses. We have already learned from AMD that Radeon HD 7870 And Radeon HD 7850 will soon disappear from sale.
It's also worth noting that using the Pitcairn/Curacao processor, Radeon R9 270 And Radeon R9 270X do not support the new AMD TrueAudio feature. For this you will need a Radeon R7 260 or Radeon R9 290. Like other chips based on the GCN architecture, it includes support for AMD's Mantle API, although it is too early to talk about the success of this technology.
Please be aware that the new Radeon R9 series (270, 270X, 280X, 290 and 290X) do not include AMD Never Settle kits. For example, buying Radeon R7 260X In the US online store, you can choose two games from the silver level of the AMD Never Settle package. In addition, AMD provides customers with Battlefield 4. In this, it relies on retailers and the company’s partners, who independently select models with a game coupon included, and there are only 1000 such coupons.
So the main question is: how Radeon R9 270 looks compared to Radeon HD 7870? How good is the new product next to GeForce GTX 660? The test results will help us answer these questions. But first, let's look at our test sample.
Sapphire Dual-X R9 270
Sapphire Dual-X R9 270 features moderate "factory" overclocking. The processor processes commands at a frequency of 945 MHz (from the original 925 MHz), and the GDDR5 memory has a frequency of 1400 MHz. However, our Radeon R9 270 runs at frequencies similar to the AMD reference card.
The Dual-X card uses Sapphire's own cooler with two axial fans.
Sapphire Radeon R9 270 equipped with two two-pin connectors DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort output. Since the card has a TDP of 150 W, it only has one six-pin auxiliary power connector. AMD requires that Radeon R9 270 was limited to only one CrossFire connector, that is, only two cards can be combined in a bundle.
Radeon R9 270 review | Test bench and benchmarks
In our lab, we have almost completely eliminated mechanical hard drives, and instead use solid-state drives, which are not characterized by I/O latency. Samsung sent drives to our offices Samsung 840 Pro 256 GB, so we use them as standard.
Naturally, discrete graphics require a stable power supply, for this XFX sent us a PRO850W power supply with an 80 PLUS Bronze certificate. The modular power supply has a single +12V rail rated at 70. According to XFX, this model provides continuous (non-peak) power of up to 850 W at 50 degrees Celsius (noticeably more than most cases).
We tested Radeon R9 270 along with three other Pitcairn/Curacao based maps: Radeon HD 7850 , Radeon HD 7870 And Radeon R9 270X. Also to measure the difference between Radeon R9 270 and the younger model we included in testing Radeon R7 260X with Bonaire chip (it replaces Radeon HD 7850). Competitors from Nvidia are presented GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost And GeForce GTX 660 .
| Test bench configuration | |
| CPU | Intel Core i5-2550K (Sandy Bridge), overclocked to 4.2 GHz @ 1.3 V |
| Motherboard | Asus P8Z77-V LX LGA 1155, Intel Z77M chipset |
| Net | built-in Gigabit LAN controller |
| RAM | Corsair Performance Memory, 4 x 4 GB, 1866 MT/s, CL 9-9-9-24-1T |
| Storage device | Samsung 840 Pro SSD 256 GB SATA 6Gb/s |
| Video cards | reference Radeon HD 7850 1GB 860 MHz GPU, 1 GB GDDR5 at 1200 MHz (4800 MT/s) reference Radeon HD 7870 1000 MHz GPU, 2 GB GDDR5 at 1200 MHz (4800 MT/s) Sapphire Dual-X R9 270 945 MHz GPU, 2 GB GDDR5 @ 1400 MHz (5300 MT/s) reference Radeon R9 270X 1050 MHz GPU, 2 GB GDDR5 at 1400 MHz (5300 MT/s) reference Nvidia GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost 980/1033 MHz GPU, 2 GB GDDR5 at 1502 MHz (6008 MT/s) reference Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 980/1033 MHz GPU, 2 GB GDDR5 at 1502 MHz (6008 MT/s) |
| power unit | XFX PRO850W, ATX12V, EPS12V |
| System software and drivers | |
| operating system | Windows 8 Professional 64-bit |
| DirectX | DirectX 11 |
| Video drivers | AMD Catalyst 13.11 Beta 9.2 Nvidia GeForce 331.65 WHQL |
| Test configuration | |
| Metro: Last Light | version 1.0.0.0, DirectX 10, built-in benchmark |
| Call Of Duty: Ghosts | version 1.6.89.06, version 1.5.26.05, 25 seconds. Fraps |
| Tomb Raider | version 1.04, THG test, 60 seconds. Fraps |
| Battlefield 4 | version 1.2, Direct X 11, built-in benchmark, 60 seconds. Fraps |
| BioShock Infinite | version 1.0.1441711, built-in benchmark, Fraps |
| Company Of Heroes 2 | version 3.0.0.9804, built-in benchmark, Fraps |
Radeon R9 270 review | Test results
Call Of Duty: Ghosts
Let's start with the new game Call of Duty: Ghosts. We'll soon publish a full performance analysis of this game, and today you'll see what video cards under $200 can do in this highly anticipated game at a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels with high quality detail.
Radeon R9 270 performance is not inferior Radeon HD 7870, this is what we expected. The new one is a little faster GeForce GTX 660 and significantly ahead Radeon HD 7850 And GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost showing almost identical results.
The Curacao/Pitcairn GPUs show the lowest frametime fluctuation, although the game generates far more spikes than we'd like. But let's not forget that the game is still completely new, and it is quite possible that future patches will add stability to it.
Battlefield 4
Battlefield 4 It's only a few weeks older than the new Call of Duty, but its Frostbite 3 engine is undoubtedly more modern. How will he show himself? Radeon R9 270 in a new generation blockbuster?
It's not surprising that Radeon R9 270 comes on the same level as Radeon HD 7870 . GeForce GTX 660 breathes down her back, and Radeon HD 7850 the results are close to GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost .
IN Battlefield 4 Frametime fluctuations are lower than in Call Of Duty: Ghosts, with slightly more spikes seen on the Radeon cards.
Metro: Last Light
The Metro series is known for high graphics loads at the highest detail settings. To get acceptable frame rates with our cards, we had to lower the graphics quality.
It was possible to play it safe and lower a few more parameters, since in the most difficult places for the graphics subsystem, the frame rate drops below the 30 FPS mark. Be that as it may, the finishing order is no different from the results of the test in Call of Duty and Battlefield 4 .
Overall, Metro: Last Light exhibits low frametime fluctuations, but does exhibit a few noticeable spikes. Moreover, this effect is noticeable in all tested cards.
BioShock Infinite
BioShock Infinite runs on Epic's new Unreal engine. As you know, it is less demanding on the graphics subsystem.
For the first time we see how Radeon R9 270 overtakes the old one Radeon HD 7870. Memory bandwidth, rather than GPU speed, seems to play a key role here.
GeForce GTX 660 in this game she showed herself simply wonderful, overtaking Radeon R9 270X .
The engine seems to be well optimized as we are seeing very low lags between frames. There's nothing to worry about.
Tomb Raider
The new implementation of the game features a new approach to the main character - Lara Croft, including an impressive imitation of real hair through the TressFX function.
As always, Radeon HD 7870 and a new one in a sample of 300 frames.
Company Of Heroes 2
Company of Heroes 2 is a sequel to the popular RTS World War II from the studio Relic. We've seen how it puts a heavy load on the CPU and GPU, so let's take a look at the results.
Radeon cards give expected performance, while Nvidia GeForce accelerators are left behind. It looks like the driver developers still have some work to do on the game.
In the frame time fluctuation graph, all cards show strange behavior. Bursts lasting up to 5-10 seconds are observed at regular intervals. We weren't sure how these metrics would impact average performance calculations, so we excluded the Company of Heroes results from the overall chart on the last page.
Radeon R9 270 review | Power consumption and temperature tests
Our German colleagues received a factory overclocked video card from Asus, so our results with the card at reduced frequencies may differ from the results of editors from Germany.
We see good idle power consumption figures when working with a single monitor. However, AMD cards are noticeably inferior to Nvidia when connecting multiple displays.
GeForce graphics cards win in Blu-ray playback, but AMD cards regain their position in gaming and computing tasks.
Particularly impressive is the new Radeon R9 270, since it has factory overclocking.
This graph doesn't say much about the reference cooler Radeon R9 270, however, Asus Direct CU II does a good job of managing the chip's heat dissipation and keeping temperatures low during extended gaming tasks. Under load, the GPU temperature does not exceed 70 degrees Celsius.
Radeon R9 270 review | A worthy replacement for the Radeon HD 7870
How Radeon R9 270 Radeon R9 270 GeForce GTX 660 Radeon R9 270 will decrease soon.
Anyway, Radeon R9 270 does not change the market situation, as it did Radeon R9 280X. However, it is a cost-effective solution with more modest power requirements. If the price GeForce GTX 660 remains at the current level, then Radeon R9 270 is likely to get a recommendation in our monthly article series
AMD has officially unveiled a new series of video cards based on the 28nm GCN microarchitecture – AMD Radeon HD 7800. At the moment, it includes two models: and. The new products are based on AMD “Pitcairn Pro” and AMD “Pitcairn XT” graphics processors, which operate at clock frequencies of 860 MHz and 1000 MHz, respectively. Thus, the video card will become the second in the company’s lineup (after AMD Radeon HD 7770) with the name “Ghz Edition”.
The solution is equipped with 16 computing units, 1024 stream processors, 64 texture units and 32 ROP units. The video subsystem of the new product consists of 256-bit GDDR5 chips with a total capacity of 2 GB. Their nominal clock frequency is 1200 MHz, and their effective clock frequency is 4800 MHz.
The external interfaces of the model include four ports: DVI, HDMI and two miniDisplayPort.
The graphics adapter has a better structure, which includes: 20 computational units, 1280 stream processors, 80 texture and 32 ROP units. The video subsystem of this new product, as well as the set of its external interfaces, is identical to the model.
Mass sales of solutions will start on March 19. The recommended retail price for these new products will be $249 and $349, respectively. Comparative table of technical specifications of new video cards in the series AMD Radeon HD 7800 has the following form:
|
Production process standards, nm |
|||
|
Microarchitecture |
|||
|
GPU |
AMD "Pitcairn Pro" |
AMD "Pitcairn XT" |
|
|
Clock frequency, MHz |
|||
|
Number of computational units |
|||
|
Number of stream processors |
|||
|
Number of texture blocks |
|||
|
Number of ROP blocks |
|||
|
Video memory |
|||
|
Volume, GB |
|||
|
Nominal clock frequency, MHz |
|||
|
Effective clock frequency, MHz |
|||
|
Bus width, bits |
|||
|
Internal interface |
PCI Express 3.0 x16 |
||
|
External interfaces |
1 x DVI |
||
|
Approximate price, $ |
|||
|
Supported instructions and technologies |
DirectX 11.1, DirectCompute 11, OpenGL 4.2, OpenCL 1.2, AMD Eyefinity, AMD CrossFireX, AMD HD3D, AMD PowerPlay, AMD PowerTune, AMD Eyespeed, AMD ZeroCore |
||
10 Mar. 2016
This page below has links to download the latest free drivers for AMD video cards from the Radeon HD 7800 Series, which is part of the Radeon HD Series family. Installation files are taken from the official website and are suitable for: Windows 7, 10, 8, 8.1, XP, Vista 32/64-bit (x86/x64).
To make it easier to select the files you need, the version of your Windows and its bit depth are indicated below.
Your computer runs on:
- Download (153.5 MB / version 16.8.2 (Crimson Edition 16.8.2 Hotfix) / release date 08/12/2016)
For Windows 7 32-bit
- Download (239.8 MB / version 16.8.2 (Crimson Edition 16.8.2 Hotfix) / release date 08/12/2016)
For Windows 7 64-bit
- Download (134.8 MB / version 16.8.2 (Crimson Edition 16.8.2 Hotfix) / release date 08/12/2016)
For Windows 10 32-bit
- Download (208.24 MB / version 16.8.2 (Crimson Edition 16.8.2 Hotfix) / release date 08/12/2016)
For Windows 10 64-bit
- Download (205 MB / version 14.4 (Catalyst Software Suite) / release date 04/25/2014)
For Windows 8 32-bit
- Download (260 MB / version 14.4 (Catalyst Software Suite) / release date 04/25/2014)
For Windows 8 64-bit
- Download (154.21 MB / version 16.8.2 (Crimson Edition 16.8.2 Hotfix) / release date 08/12/2016)
For Windows 8.1 32-bit
- Download (239.88 MB / version 16.8.2 (Crimson Edition 16.8.2 Hotfix) / release date 08/12/2016)
For Windows 8.1 64-bit
- Download (179 MB / version 14.4 (Catalyst Software Suite) / release date 04/25/2014)
For Windows XP 32 and 64-bit
- Download (151 MB / version 13.12 (Catalyst Software Suite) / release date 12/18/2013)
For Windows Vista 32-bit
- Download (209 MB / version 13.12 (Catalyst Software Suite) / release date 12/18/2013)
For Windows Vista 64-bit
Fallback - Get drivers using AMD Driver Autodetect
This option is convenient because the program AMD Driver Autodetect will select and download the latest working drivers, which are suitable for your AMD video card and your version of Windows. The program does not require installation, it was created by AMD and files are downloaded from their official servers.
Instructions:
- Run AMD Driver Autodetect and it will immediately automatically select the necessary files for installing drivers.
- To download files, click on the “Download Now” button.
- Wait for the files to download and start the installation.
Modern games every year require more and more powerful video cards for graphics processing. One of the budget solutions for gamers will be the AMD Radeon HD 7800 Series. Let's look at the technical characteristics of this series, as well as its features and performance in games.
Let's look at the characteristics of the AMD Radeon HD 7800 Series in the form of a table:
| Technical process | 28 nm | |
| GPU | Pitcairn | |
| Frequency (min. max. on models) | 800-1000 MHz | |
| RAM | Type | GDDR5 |
| Volume | 2 GB | |
| Frequency | 800-1200 MHz | |
| Bandwidth | 153.6 GB/s | |
| Interfaces | Memory size | 256-bit |
| Tire type | PCI Express 3.0 | |
| Architecture | GCN | |
| Stream processors per block | from 64 to 80 | |
| Number of blocks | from 16 to 20 | |
| Total stream processors | 1024-1280 | |
| Cores for geometry processing | 2 pcs. | |
| Cores for asynchronous computing | 2 pcs. | |
| Connectors | HDMI DisplayPort 1.2 |
|
| Supported technologies and software | DirectX 11 | Yes |
| OpenGL 4.2 | Yes | |
| Eyefinity (monitor merging) | up to 6 pcs. | |
| ZeroCore Power | Sleeping mode | |
| Catalyst | Branded Drivers and setup | |
| App Acceleration | Improving video playback quality | |
| AMDHD3D | 3D graphics processing | |
| Power Tune | Dynamically adjusting power consumption | |
The line was produced in March 2012. Based on it, the following models were released:
- HD7850;
- HD7870;
- HD7890.
At the moment, the model range is no longer produced. At the start of sales, the average price in stores was $249 and $349.
Review
At AMD, after entering a new technological process, it was decided to divide the overall production series into subgroups. Therefore, a total of 4 lines were formed based on the 28nm process technology, which are presented in the table:
The HD 7800 with the "Pitcairn" GPU uses the Graphic Core Next microarchitecture. The series was launched in March 2012 and is no longer in production today.
At one time, video cards from Pitcairn were quite popular and showed an excellent price/quality ratio. As of 2018, the current series is not popular and it is extremely difficult to find a device in new condition. Despite the fact that the graphics core is already outdated, when combined with a powerful processor, a PC can run various games at medium and high settings.
What games will run on the AMD Radeon HD 7800 Series
Video cards were released back in 2012, but they can still be used on modern toys. Tests in AMD Radeon HD 7800 Series games were carried out with the following hardware:
- Processor: Core I5 6500 3.2 GHz.
- RAM: 16 GB DDR4 2133 Dual.
- Hard drive: Hitachi 1TB.
- Motherboard: Asus H170M-Plus.
- Resolution: 1920x1080px.
The results are as follows:
| Name of the game | Graphics quality | |
| Assassins Creed Syndicate | Hight | 31 |
| WarThunder | Cinema (Ultra) | 55-65 |
| Quantum Break | Average | 30-42 |
| Assassins Creed Unity | Average | 30 |
| Shadow Warrior 2 | High | 35-45 |
| Dying Light | High | 40-50 |
| Fallout 4 | Ultra | 38-43 |
| GTA 5 | Above average | 45-50 |
| DOOM | High | 40 |
| Rise Of The Tomb Raider | High | 30-40 |
| Warface | High | 90-100 |
| The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine | High | 25-35 |
| World Of Tanks | High | 60-80 |
Overall performance largely depends on the correct combination of processor and video card. If you take a powerful modern generation processor like Ryzen or Core I5, then they will be able to show high FPS in most modern games, even with an old video card.
After analyzing the technical characteristics and tests in games, we come to the following conclusions: it is not recommended to buy for powerful games in 2018; it is better to choose newer models.
The performance will be enough for comfortable home work and for running multiplayer games like CS:GO, World Of Tanks.
How to overclock a video card
To achieve maximum performance, you can overclock the AMD Radeon HD 7800. To do this, you will need to install the driver and configure it.
The main changes need to be made in the “Games” section. If you use a modern driver, profiles can be configured individually for each video game.
Go to the desired profile and go to the “Frame Rate Control” setting. By default, the video card squeezes out maximum FPS and spends all resources on it.
For a comfortable game of shooters, 60 frames per second is enough. For CS:GO, WarFace, WarThunder, it is enough to set the limit to 70 FPS.
Setting OverDrive allows you to adjust operating parameters: GPU and memory frequencies, fan efficiency and power consumption levels. These parameters must be configured individually for each PC build.
Download drivers for AMD Radeon HD 7800 Series
To download drivers for Radeon HD 7800 Series, use the proprietary autosearch program. You can download it on the manufacturer’s official website. There you can also find drivers for each OS version: Windows 7, Windows 10, etc.
