We have given AMD some heavy criticism over the reference design cooler which is in our opinion, not representative of such a good company. The GIGABYTE card puts some of these problems to bed. It is far cooler and perhaps most importantly much, much quieter. The PCB has also received a refresh with a higher specification on the VRM. Sadly, all of this didn't allow the card to be overclocked any higher than the reference design which was a great shame as we were expecting better. The factory overclock is however most welcome and will be sufficient for most who will buy this card.
Comparing this card to the other AMD R9 270X versions available, you will find this cards factory overclock to be relatively conservative. the card is however cheaper than most and because you get such a great cooling design thrown into the deal we cannot grumble at the price.
The Windforce cooler has certainly made this GPU a more attractive proposition as it puts right what AMD did wrong. It is priced about right too so if you are looking for a mid-range graphics card capable of playing the latest titles at 1080p, you could do a lot worse than to invest in this very capable yet quiet graphics card.
To summarise:
With the noisy AMD cooler replaced with the Windforce design, GIGABYTE have made the R9 270X a viable option for those looking mid-range performance.
Pros
+ Factory Overclock
+ Very quiet in operation
+ Great aesthetics
Cons
- Retains 'old' Pitcairn technology
- No better at overclocking than the reference design
+ Factory Overclock
+ Very quiet in operation
+ Great aesthetics
Cons
- Retains 'old' Pitcairn technology
- No better at overclocking than the reference design
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