Radeon R9 270 vs Radeon Ryzen 7 6800U

AMD

Radeon R9 270

2013Boost: 925 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon Ryzen 7 6800U

2020Core: 1700 MHzBoost: 2105 MHz
Similar parts
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Radeon R9 270 vs Radeon Ryzen 7 6800U Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

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 R9 270 vs Radeon Ryzen 7 6800U 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 R9 270 vs Radeon Ryzen 7 6800U: 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 R9 270

2013

Why buy it

  • Costs $271 less on MSRP ($179 MSRP vs $450 MSRP).
  • Delivers 156.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 24.1 vs 9.4 G3D/$ ($179 MSRP vs $450 MSRP).
  • Draws 150W instead of 250W, a 100W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon Ryzen 7 6800U 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.

Radeon Ryzen 7 6800U

2020

Why buy it

  • 68.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Radeon R9 270 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so Radeon Ryzen 7 6800U is the less risky modern option long term.
  • More future proof: RDNA 2.0 (2020−2025) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Older hardware, 2 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.
  • 151.4% HIGHER MSRP
    $450 MSRPvs$179 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 9.4 vs 24.1 G3D/$ ($450 MSRP vs $179 MSRP).
  • 66.7% higher power demand at 250W vs 150W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon Ryzen 7 6800U is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 68.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon R9 270 instead at 4,306 vs 4,225, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon Ryzen 7 6800U is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 7nm process instead of 28nm, 60 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2020 generation instead of 2013. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon R9 270 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $271 cheaper on MSRP at $179 vs $450, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 156.2% (24.1 vs 9.4), 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 Ryzen 7 6800U has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon R9 270 vs Radeon Ryzen 7 6800U Technical Specifications

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

AMD

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.

AMD

Radeon Ryzen 7 6800U

The Radeon Ryzen 7 6800U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 28 2020. It features the RDNA 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1700 MHz to 2105 MHz. It has 3840 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. It features 60 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,225 points. Launch price was $579.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 270 scores 4,306 and the Radeon Ryzen 7 6800U reaches 4,225 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 270 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon Ryzen 7 6800U uses RDNA 2.0, both on 28 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 1,280 (Radeon R9 270) vs 3,840 (Radeon Ryzen 7 6800U). Raw compute: 2.368 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 270) vs 16.17 TFLOPS (Radeon Ryzen 7 6800U). Boost clocks: 925 MHz vs 2105 MHz.

FeatureRadeon R9 270Radeon Ryzen 7 6800U
G3D Mark Score
4,306+2%
4,225
Architecture
GCN 1.0
RDNA 2.0
Process Node
28 nm
7 nm
Shading Units
1280
3840+200%
Compute (TFLOPS)
2.368 TFLOPS
16.17 TFLOPS+583%
Boost Clock
925 MHz
2105 MHz+128%
ROPs
32
96+200%
TMUs
80
240+200%
L1 Cache
320 KB
768 KB+140%
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
4 MB+700%
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling
FSR upscaling + RSR

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon R9 270Radeon Ryzen 7 6800U
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 video memory. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the Radeon R9 270 and System on the Radeon Ryzen 7 6800U. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (Radeon R9 270) vs 4 MB (Radeon Ryzen 7 6800U) — the Radeon Ryzen 7 6800U has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureRadeon R9 270Radeon Ryzen 7 6800U
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
Shared
Memory Bandwidth
179.2 GB/s
System
Bus Width
256-bit
System
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
4 MB+700%
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 270 draws 150W versus the Radeon Ryzen 7 6800U's 250W — a 50% difference. The Radeon R9 270 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon R9 270) vs 350W (Radeon Ryzen 7 6800U). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs None.

FeatureRadeon R9 270Radeon Ryzen 7 6800U
TDP
150W-40%
250W
Recommended PSU
500W
350W-30%
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
None
Perf/Watt
28.7+70%
16.9
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon R9 270 came in at $179, while the Radeon Ryzen 7 6800U launched at $450. On MSRP, Radeon R9 270 was 60.2% cheaper ($271 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 24.1 (Radeon R9 270) vs 9.4 (Radeon Ryzen 7 6800U) — the Radeon R9 270 offers 156.4% better value. The newer card here is Radeon Ryzen 7 6800U (2020 vs 2013).

FeatureRadeon R9 270Radeon Ryzen 7 6800U
MSRP
$179-60%
$450
Performance per Dollar
24.1+156%
9.4
Codename
Curacao
Navi 21
Release
November 13 2013
October 28 2020
Ranking
#476
#65

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