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AMD Radeon R9 M270 vs AMD Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire

AMD Radeon R9 M270

► remove from comparison AMD Radeon R9 M270

The AMD Radeon R9 M270 is an upper mid-range, DirectX 12-capable graphics card for notebooks. It is manufactured in 28nm and based on the GCN (Graphics Core Next) architecture from AMD. The R9 M270 is probably just a renamed Radeon HD 8870M with 640 shader units (725 - 775 MHz) and up to 4 GB of GDDR5 memory (1125 MHz / 4500 MHz effective).

According to this information (not yet officially confirmed), the performance of the R9 M270 should exactly match its predecessor. Thus, the GPU should be somewhat slower than a Nvidia GeForce GTX 760M

Please note: The technical specifications and clock rates are based on speculation and have not been verified by the manufacturer. The R9 M270 has been first seen in the Lenovo Y40.

AMD Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire

► remove from comparison AMD Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire

The AMD Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire (also known as CF or CrossFireX) is a combination of two high-end graphics cards for big and heavy laptops. Usually, each single R9 M290X renders a single frame in an alternating manner. Therefore, it may suffer from micro stuttering in low frame rates below 30 FPS due to staggering timespans between two frames (e.g., irregular delays between sequential frames). Compared to the Radeon HD 8970M CF, the R9 M290X CF offers exactly the same amount of shaders and the same clock rates.

The R9 M290X is based on the desktop HD 7870 Pitcairn chip with 1280 1D shaders and 80 texture units. The GCN (graphics core next) architecture supports DirectX 12 (FL 11_1) and OpenGL 4.3. More information on the features of the single R9 M290X can be found on the GPU page.

Performance

The Performance of two R9 M290X GPUs in Crossfire mode is just slightly below the Nvidia GeForce GTX 780M SLI, but cannot compete with the GTX 880M SLI. Regardless, modern and demanding games like Battlefield 4 or Metro Last Light are still playable in high resolutions and max. settings with anti-aliasing.

Features

Features of the M290X include the new UVD3 video decoder for decoding MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, VC-1, MPEG-2, Flash, Multi-View Codec (MVC) and MPEG-4 part 2 (DivX, xVid) HD videos directly from the AMD GPU.

The M290 series also supports automatic graphics switching between the integrated GPU and discrete GPU. Called Enduro, the technology supersedes AMD's Dynamic Switchable Graphics and is similar to Nvidia's Optimus. Furthermore, each M290X can directly support up to 6 connected monitors using Eyefinity Technology if Enduro is disabled.

Other features of the M290 series include ZeroCore for reducing power consumption when the display is turned off. Power Gating, however, is not supported according to AMD. PowerTune allows automatic overclocking and underclocking of the graphics card as long as the GPU is within its TDP range. For example, the chip may be underclocked when running FurMark and OCCT, but will overclock in certain games like Lost Planet, Crysis or Resident Evil 5.

The integrated HD audio processor is able to transmit HD Audio (TrueHD or DTS Master Audio) over HDMI and DisplayPort (e.g., for Blu-Ray videos). Additionally, it now allows audio to output simultaneously and in parallel to multiple devices with the new Discrete Digital Multipoint Audio (DDMA) feature.

Power Consumption

The power consumption of the CF combination is very high (2x 100 Watt) and thus only suited for very large desktop replacement laptops.

AMD Radeon R9 M270AMD Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
Radeon R9 M200 Series
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire 2560 @ 0.85 - 0.9 GHz2x 256 Bit @ 4800 MHz
Radeon R9 M295X compare 2048 @ 0.85 GHz256 Bit @ 5448 MHz
Radeon R9 M290X compare 1280 @ 0.85 - 0.9 GHz256 Bit @ 4800 MHz
Radeon R9 M280X compare 896 @ 0.9 - 1 GHz128 Bit @ 5500 MHz
Radeon R9 M275 compare 640 @ 0.93 GHz128 Bit @ 4500 MHz
Radeon R9 M270 640 @ 0.73 GHz128 Bit @ 4500 MHz
Radeon R9 M265X compare 640 @ 0.63 GHz128 Bit @ 4000 MHz
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire 2560 @ 0.85 - 0.9 GHz2x 256 Bit @ 4800 MHz
Radeon R9 M295X compare 2048 @ 0.85 GHz256 Bit @ 5448 MHz
Radeon R9 M290X compare 1280 @ 0.85 - 0.9 GHz256 Bit @ 4800 MHz
Radeon R9 M280X compare 896 @ 0.9 - 1 GHz128 Bit @ 5500 MHz
Radeon R9 M275 compare 640 @ 0.93 GHz128 Bit @ 4500 MHz
Radeon R9 M270 640 @ 0.73 GHz128 Bit @ 4500 MHz
Radeon R9 M265X compare 640 @ 0.63 GHz128 Bit @ 4000 MHz
ArchitectureGCNGCN
Pipelines640 - unified2560 - unified
Core Speed725 MHz850 - 900 (Boost) MHz
Memory Speed4500 MHz4800 MHz
Memory Bus Width128 Bit2x 256 Bit
Memory TypeGDDR5GDDR5
Max. Amount of Memory4 GB2x 4096 MB
Shared Memorynono
APIDirectX 12 (FL 11_1), Shader 5.0, OpenGL 4.2DirectX 12 (FL 11_1), Shader 5.0, OpenGL 4.3
Transistors1.5 Billion0 Billion
technology28 nm28 nm
FeaturesOpenCL 1.2
Notebook Sizelargelarge
Date of Announcement01.04.2014 01.03.2014
CodenameNeptune CF
Power Consumption200 Watt

Benchmarks

Performance Rating - 3DMark 11 + Fire Strike + Time Spy - Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
4.8 pt (14%)
3DMark - 3DMark Cloud Gate Score
22183 Points (24%)
3DMark - 3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics
71977 Points (19%)
3DMark - 3DMark Fire Strike Standard Score
8176 Points (14%)
3DMark - 3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics
10551 Points (12%)
3DMark - 3DMark Ice Storm Graphics
284150 Points (34%)
3DMark 11 - 3DM11 Performance Score
11503 Points (16%)
3DMark 11 - 3DM11 Performance GPU
14147 Points (12%)
3DMark Vantage
3DM Vant. Perf. total + AMD Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
3DMark Vantage - 3DM Vant. Perf. total
32792 Points (10%)
3DM Vant. Perf. GPU no PhysX + AMD Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
3DMark Vantage - 3DM Vant. Perf. GPU no PhysX
37644 Points (21%)
Unigine Heaven 3.0 - Unigine Heaven 3.0 DX 11
122.1 fps (40%)
Unigine Heaven 2.1 - Heaven 2.1 high
150 fps (28%)
SPECviewperf 12
specvp12 sw-03 + AMD Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 sw-03
51.3 fps (13%)
specvp12 snx-02 + AMD Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 snx-02
14.5 fps (2%)
specvp12 showcase-01 + AMD Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 showcase-01
33.8 fps (7%)
specvp12 mediacal-01 + AMD Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 mediacal-01
17.7 fps (5%)
specvp12 maya-04 + AMD Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 maya-04
41 fps (11%)
specvp12 energy-01 + AMD Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 energy-01
2.3 fps (2%)
specvp12 creo-01 + AMD Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 creo-01
31.9 fps (13%)
specvp12 catia-04 + AMD Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 catia-04
48.5 fps (8%)
Cinebench R11.5 Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64 Bit + AMD Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
Cinebench R11.5 - Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64 Bit
90.9 fps (31%)
Cinebench R15
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit + AMD Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
Cinebench R15 - Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit
100.4 fps (6%)

Average Benchmarks AMD Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire → 0% n=

- Range of benchmark values for this graphics card
- Average benchmark values for this graphics card
* Smaller numbers mean a higher performance
1 This benchmark is not used for the average calculation

Game Benchmarks

The following benchmarks stem from our benchmarks of review laptops. The performance depends on the used graphics memory, clock rate, processor, system settings, drivers, and operating systems. So the results don't have to be representative for all laptops with this GPU. For detailed information on the benchmark results, click on the fps number.

Thief

Thief

2014
low 1024x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
60.3  fps
med. 1366x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
57.3  fps
high 1366x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
57  fps
ultra 1920x1080
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
52.1  fps
low 1024x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
70.8  fps
med. 1366x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
43.1  fps
high 1366x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
21.5  fps
ultra 1920x1080
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
17  fps
low 1024x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
53.2  fps
med. 1366x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
50.1  fps
high 1366x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
37.4  fps
ultra 1920x1080
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
27.1  fps
low 1024x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
152.4  fps
med. 1366x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
132.2  fps
high 1366x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
120.6  fps
ultra 1920x1080
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
77.2  fps
F1 2013

F1 2013

2013
low 1024x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
118  fps
med. 1366x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
98  fps
high 1366x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
96  fps
ultra 1920x1080
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
86  fps
low 1280x720
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
67  fps
med. 1366x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
55.9  fps
high 1366x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
50.2  fps
ultra 1920x1080
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
48.6  fps
Dota 2

Dota 2

2013
low 1024x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
119.2  fps
med. 1366x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
116.6  fps
ultra 1920x1080
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
109.6  fps
GRID 2

GRID 2

2013
low 1024x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
192.9  fps
med. 1366x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
134  fps
high 1366x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
119  fps
ultra 1920x1080
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
108.3  fps
low 1024x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
97.4  fps
med. 1366x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
91.9  fps
high 1366x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
80.3  fps
ultra 1920x1080
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
52.6  fps
low 1280x720
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
173.4  fps
med. 1366x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
152.6  fps
high 1366x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
145.5  fps
ultra 1920x1080
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
85  fps
low 1024x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
379.1  fps
med. 1366x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
353.2  fps
high 1366x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
295.9  fps
ultra 1920x1080
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
127.2  fps
Crysis 3

Crysis 3

2013
low 1024x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
120.8  fps
med. 1366x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
107.7  fps
high 1366x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
86.6  fps
ultra 1920x1080
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
38  fps
Far Cry 3

Far Cry 3

2012
low 1024x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
106.6  fps
med. 1366x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
102.6  fps
high 1366x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
81.3  fps
ultra 1920x1080
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
54.1  fps
low 1024x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
73.8  fps
med. 1366x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
69.7  fps
high 1366x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
62.2  fps
ultra 1920x1080
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
59.5  fps
low 1024x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
52.2  fps
high 1366x768
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
36.3  fps
ultra 1920x1080
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire:
32.9  fps
AMD Radeon R9 M290X Crossfirelowmed.highultraQHD4K
Thief60.357.35752.1
X-Plane 10.2570.843.121.517
Call of Duty: Ghosts53.250.137.427.1
Battlefield 4152.4132.2120.677.2
F1 2013118989686
Saints Row IV6755.950.248.6
Dota 2119.2116.6109.6
GRID 2192.9134119108.3
Metro: Last Light97.491.980.352.6
BioShock Infinite173.4152.6145.585
Tomb Raider379.1353.2295.9127.2
Crysis 3120.8107.786.638
Far Cry 3106.6102.681.354.1
Hitman: Absolution73.869.762.259.5
Guild Wars 252.236.332.9
< 30 fps
< 60 fps
< 120 fps
≥ 120 fps

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Redaktion, 2017-09- 8 (Update: 2023-07- 1)