Sapphire Radeon R7 260X 2GB OC 2x DVI Video Card Review
Final Thoughts and Conclusions
The Sapphire R7 260X has many of the features commonly found in the more expensive gamer level card. This includes 2GB of GDDR5 memory, CrossFireX compatibility, an overclocked GPU, GCN, multi-monitor support and resolutions up to 4K! That is a lot of features packed into a little card. With all those features, that doesn’t mean it will fit every need, in fact it is geared towards casual or mainstream gamers. People wanting to play the latest games at decent framerates in high quality graphics.
One of the most graphically demanding games, Crysis 3, was playable at 1080P with medium graphics. Sure it was a little choppy, however if the MSAA was turned down or graphics level dropped a little the FPS went up. Battlefield 4, received scores in the mid 40’s at 1080P and high graphics. That’s not bad at all for a video card meant for casual gamers. In addition, while it came factory overclocked to 1150MHz, Sapphire TriXX makes it easy to push the card a little further to help get a higher FPS score.
No matter what was tossed at the Sapphire R7 260X the fan speed never went over 50%. Most of the time it was at 20% which was nearly silent (sitting 12 inches from the card with the side panel off), once the fan sped up, it could be heard but it wasn’t a loud whine sound; just a little hum from the fan spinning. When the fan would reach it’s maximum speed the card also reached it’s highest temperature of 68C when it was under a full load for over 30 minutes.
While many graphics cards are getting longer, the R7 series has gone back to being shorter than most. Measuring only 8.5 inches long, it is shorter than the standard ATX motherboard’s 9.6 inches. It should be small enough to fit in most cases that are designed for smaller motherboards like mini-ITX or micro-ATX; provided they accept full height cards.
There are two models of this video card, we reviewed SAPPHIRE R7 260X 2GB GDDR5 OC 2x DVI, with model number 11222-00-20G. It features a slightly higher clock speed, memory speed and has two DVI ports.
If you don’t need to have the highest performing video card available, but want something low cost and can still play the latest games without major issues the AMD Radeon R7 260X is a great choice. Don’t forget that at select retailers you also get 2 free games with this card, as it meets AMD’s Radeon Rewards Silver level! All this for a card that you can get for $129.99 shipped after rebate. At this price, it is hard to beat and that is why it is sold out at Newegg this very second. Most other Radeon R7 260X cards that are clocked at 1150-1190MHz on the core are in the $145-$159 price range.
Legit Bottom Line: Most gamers wouldn’t give the Sapphire R7 260X a chance, however keeping in mind the audience it is aimed at it is a great card for the price.