PowerColor's R9 270X PCS+ is the best R9 270X I've reviewed so far. While it still has its flaws, they are mostly minor. The card is overclocked to a frequency of 1100 MHz out of the box, which is decent; some other R9 270X cards go higher. However, PowerColor overclocked its memory too, by a small 25 MHz, but every bit helps. Most other manufacturers completely overlook memory for some reason. Overall, the R9 270X PCS+ has a 2% performance lead when averaged over the tests in our brand-new benchmarking suite. This means it's just 1% behind the HD 7950 and 11% faster than the HD 7870, which it replaces.
With the PCS+, PowerColor also introduces a new cooler I really like. Its metal construction endows it with a sturdy, high-quality feel, and it also cools well, keeping the card at good temperature and noise levels. Noise levels are greatly improved over the AMD reference design and quieter than most other R9 270X cards on the market, with the exception of MSI's recently released, very quiet cards. Personally, I would have designed the card to run just a few °C warmer, but quieter. The temperature difference will have no significant effect, while lower noise will certainly increase sales to the low-noise crowd. I also have to commend PowerColor for including a backplate with their card, which gives the product a completely different feel. Also included in the package is a free mobile power bank which can be used to recharge your tablet or phone on the go - a product everybody should have a use for.
PowerColor's R9 270X PCS+ is currently available online for $200, which means there is no price increase for all the improvements and the included mobile power bank. Compared to other cards on the market, the R9 270X series gives you the most bang for the buck, while still capable of playing games at decent framerates with full HD settings. At its price, the card also makes a great Christmas present; the package and its included goodies have that "xmas present" feel, which will certainly ensure many happy faces around your Christmas tree.