Radeon 860M vs Radeon R9 270X

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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

Radeon 860M

2025

Why buy it

✅More future proof: RDNA 3.5 (2024−2025) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 15W instead of 180W, a 165W reduction.
✅More future proof: RDNA 3.5 (2024−2025) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 270X across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 24.5 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $199 MSRP).

Radeon R9 270X

2013

Why buy it

✅49.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 24.5 vs 0 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌1100% higher power demand at 180W vs 15W.

Radeon 860M

2025

Radeon R9 270X

2013

Why buy it

✅More future proof: RDNA 3.5 (2024−2025) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 15W instead of 180W, a 165W reduction.
✅More future proof: RDNA 3.5 (2024−2025) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅49.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 24.5 vs 0 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 270X across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 24.5 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $199 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌1100% higher power demand at 180W vs 15W.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon R9 270X better than Radeon 860M?

Yes. Radeon R9 270X is clearly the better overall GPU here. Radeon R9 270X averages 49.2% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 4,874 vs 4,838 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Radeon R9 270X is a 2013 card with FSR upscaling, while Radeon 860M is a 2025 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Radeon 860M is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2025 generation instead of 2013, 100.0% more ray-tracing hardware, and a 4nm process instead of 28nm. That makes it the safer long-run choice for modern games.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

Radeon R9 270X is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. Radeon R9 270X is priced in an unclear MSRP range at $199 MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 49.2% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 0.7% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%. Radeon 860M is the newer 2025 card, so it still has a real case if you care more about newer architecture, lower power draw (15W vs 180W), and future-proofing than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

When does Radeon 860M make more sense than Radeon R9 270X?

Yes. Radeon 860M is still an excellent gaming GPU in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It makes more sense if your priority is newer architecture, lower power draw (15W vs 180W), future-proofing, and staying closer to an unclear MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Radeon R9 270X. The trade-off is that Radeon R9 270X currently gives you 0.7% higher G3D Mark and 49.2% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

Radeon 860M Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 270X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Radeon 860M	Radeon R9 270X
1080p
low	37 FPS	78 FPS
medium	23 FPS	66 FPS
high	17 FPS	53 FPS
ultra	9 FPS	35 FPS
1440p
low	28 FPS	69 FPS
medium	16 FPS	59 FPS
high	9 FPS	42 FPS
ultra	5 FPS	27 FPS
4K
low	11 FPS	24 FPS
medium	7 FPS	23 FPS
high	4 FPS	15 FPS
ultra	3 FPS	13 FPS

Open Radeon 860M Open Radeon R9 270X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Radeon 860M	Radeon R9 270X
1080p
low	95 FPS	116 FPS
medium	61 FPS	86 FPS
high	40 FPS	66 FPS
ultra	29 FPS	41 FPS
1440p
low	62 FPS	65 FPS
medium	32 FPS	44 FPS
high	23 FPS	32 FPS
ultra	18 FPS	22 FPS
4K
low	25 FPS	24 FPS
medium	14 FPS	16 FPS
high	12 FPS	13 FPS
ultra	9 FPS	9 FPS

Open Radeon 860M Open Radeon R9 270X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Radeon 860M	Radeon R9 270X
1080p
low	218 FPS	219 FPS
medium	174 FPS	175 FPS
high	145 FPS	146 FPS
ultra	109 FPS	110 FPS
1440p
low	163 FPS	164 FPS
medium	131 FPS	132 FPS
high	109 FPS	110 FPS
ultra	82 FPS	82 FPS
4K
low	109 FPS	110 FPS
medium	87 FPS	88 FPS
high	72 FPS	73 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	55 FPS

Open Radeon 860M Open Radeon R9 270X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Radeon 860M	Radeon R9 270X
1080p
low	149 FPS	137 FPS
medium	116 FPS	112 FPS
high	98 FPS	96 FPS
ultra	78 FPS	82 FPS
1440p
low	103 FPS	100 FPS
medium	82 FPS	83 FPS
high	69 FPS	72 FPS
ultra	53 FPS	57 FPS
4K
low	62 FPS	59 FPS
medium	49 FPS	46 FPS
high	39 FPS	36 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	26 FPS

Open Radeon 860M Open Radeon R9 270X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon 860M and Radeon R9 270X

Radeon 860M

The Radeon 860M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in Marchar 2025. It features the RDNA 3.5 architecture. The core clock ranges from 600 MHz to 3000 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 15W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. It features 8 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,838 points.

Radeon R9 270X

The Radeon R9 270X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 8 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1050 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 180W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,874 points. Launch price was $199.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon 860M scores 4,838 and the Radeon R9 270X reaches 4,874 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon 860M is built on RDNA 3.5 while the Radeon R9 270X uses GCN 1.0, both on 4 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 512 (Radeon 860M) vs 1,280 (Radeon R9 270X). Raw compute: 3.072 TFLOPS (Radeon 860M) vs 2.688 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 270X). Boost clocks: 3000 MHz vs 1050 MHz.

Feature	Radeon 860M	Radeon R9 270X
G3D Mark Score	4,838	4,874
Architecture	RDNA 3.5	GCN 1.0
Process Node	4 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	512	1280+150%
Compute (TFLOPS)	3.072 TFLOPS+14%	2.688 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	3000 MHz+186%	1050 MHz
ROPs	8	32+300%
TMUs	32	80+150%
L1 Cache	64 KB	320 KB+400%
L2 Cache	1 MB+100%	0.5 MB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling + RSR	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon 860M	Radeon R9 270X
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

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The Radeon 860M comes with 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 270X has 4 GB. The Radeon R9 270X offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: System vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 1 MB (Radeon 860M) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon R9 270X) — the Radeon 860M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon 860M	Radeon R9 270X
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	4 GB+100%
Memory Type	Shared	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	System	179.2 GB/s
Bus Width	System	256-bit
L2 Cache	1 MB+100%	0.5 MB

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon 860M draws 15W versus the Radeon R9 270X's 180W — a 169.2% difference. The Radeon 860M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon 860M) vs 500W (Radeon R9 270X). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 2x 6-pin.

Feature	Radeon 860M	Radeon R9 270X
TDP	15W-92%	180W
Recommended PSU	350W-30%	500W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	2x 6-pin
Length	—	241mm
Height	—	109mm
Slots	—	2
Temp (Load)	—	80 C
Perf/Watt	322.5+1090%	27.1