The next-generation of AMD's GPUs have been released, with the starting lineup of the R9 280x, 270x and 260X landing first. Granted, these are all rebrands of high end 7 series cards with some extra Mantle treatment, but it's still worth knowing these things are out there and how they perform.
There have been a few tweaks to the architecture, like minor clock speed adjustments, but for the most part the cards are the same, making it hard to recommend the new range as of yet. Ultimately, it's about AMD ditching the HD branding it's used for the past few years, since that sort of nomenclature isn't exactly eye catching anymore.
So the cards with new names and slightly different clock speeds, are the 7970 GHz edition, which is now the 280X, the 7870 GHz edition has been renamed to the 270X and the 260X replaces the R7790.
While the internal performance of each of these cards should be about the same, prices have been dropped $50 or more in some cases, so even finding a cheaper 7 series alternative might be a bit difficult. On top of that, the 260X is sporting the new TrueAudio and updated crossfire configuration compared to its older counterpart.
We'll have to wait until later this month to see the big daddy of the new generation, the 290X hit the shelves, at which point we'll get our first real look at the Hawaii core and what it can do.
Anyone in the market for a good rebranded GPU?
