Radeon HD 7870 XT vs Radeon R9 270

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

Radeon HD 7870 XT vs Radeon R9 270 FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

Radeon HD 7870 XT vs Radeon R9 270: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

Radeon HD 7870 XT

2012

Why buy it

✅8.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌2012 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
50.8% HIGHER MSRP
$270 MSRPvs$179 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 16.6 vs 24.1 G3D/$ ($270 MSRP vs $179 MSRP).
❌23.3% higher power demand at 185W vs 150W.

Radeon R9 270

2013

Why buy it

✅Costs $91 less on MSRP ($179 MSRP vs $270 MSRP).
✅Delivers 45.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 24.1 vs 16.6 G3D/$ ($179 MSRP vs $270 MSRP).
✅Draws 150W instead of 185W, a 35W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7870 XT across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2013 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 7870 XT is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 8.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 3.8% in PassMark G3D (4,470 vs 4,306), so the answer here is pretty clean.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

Radeon HD 7870 XT is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon R9 270 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $91 cheaper on MSRP at $179 vs $270, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 45.3% (24.1 vs 16.6), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R9 270 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon HD 7870 XT has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 7870 XT vs Radeon R9 270 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

Radeon HD 7870 XT

The Radeon HD 7870 XT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 19 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 925 MHz to 975 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 185W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,470 points. Launch price was $270.

Radeon R9 270

The Radeon R9 270 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 13 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 925 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,306 points. Launch price was $179.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 7870 XT scores 4,470 and the Radeon R9 270 reaches 4,306 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 7870 XT is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon R9 270 uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,536 (Radeon HD 7870 XT) vs 1,280 (Radeon R9 270). Raw compute: 2.995 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7870 XT) vs 2.368 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 270). Boost clocks: 975 MHz vs 925 MHz.

Feature	Radeon HD 7870 XT	Radeon R9 270
G3D Mark Score	4,470+4%	4,306
Architecture	GCN 1.0	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1536+20%	1280
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.995 TFLOPS+26%	2.368 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	975 MHz+5%	925 MHz
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	96+20%	80
L1 Cache	384 KB+20%	320 KB
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 7870 XT	Radeon R9 270
Upscaling Tech	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	AMD Anti-Lag	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 2 GB of GDDR5. Memory bandwidth: 192 GB/s (Radeon HD 7870 XT) vs 179.2 GB/s (Radeon R9 270) — a 7.1% advantage for the Radeon HD 7870 XT. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the Radeon HD 7870 XT and 256-bit on the Radeon R9 270.

Feature	Radeon HD 7870 XT	Radeon R9 270
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	192 GB/s+7%	179.2 GB/s
Bus Width	256-bit	256-bit
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 7870 XT draws 185W versus the Radeon R9 270's 150W — a 20.9% difference. The Radeon R9 270 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon HD 7870 XT) vs 500W (Radeon R9 270). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin.

Feature	Radeon HD 7870 XT	Radeon R9 270
TDP	185W	150W-19%
Recommended PSU	500W	500W
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	267mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	—
Temp (Load)	80	—
Perf/Watt	24.2	28.7+19%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 7870 XT came in at $270, while the Radeon R9 270 launched at $179. On MSRP, Radeon R9 270 was 33.7% cheaper ($91 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 16.6 (Radeon HD 7870 XT) vs 24.1 (Radeon R9 270) — the Radeon R9 270 offers 45.2% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R9 270 (2013 vs 2012).

Feature	Radeon HD 7870 XT	Radeon R9 270
MSRP	$270	$179-34%
Performance per Dollar	16.6	24.1+45%
Codename	Tahiti	Curacao
Release	November 19 2012	November 13 2013
Ranking	#469	#476

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