# Sapphire Radeon R7 265 2 GB



## W1zzard (Feb 10, 2014)

AMD today released their Radeon R7 265 in a preemptive strike to cover their bases against NVIDIA's upcoming GTX 750 Ti. While the card is based on the aging HD 7850, it still offers good gaming performance and comes with an excellent price/performance ratio.

*Show full review*


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## darkangel0504 (Feb 13, 2014)

a good price


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## Nihilus (Feb 13, 2014)

Great review, I knew this would be the one to wait for.  Amazingly after 2 years, the picarin cards are still leading the way in perf./$ and perf/watt.
I would imagine the 260x prices will drop as they are way too close in price and this card smokes it.


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## Jikex (Feb 13, 2014)

Did you get any pther models of R7 265 to review? Also, can you reduce Fan speed with MSI Afterburner or some other software? I wonder what temperature would card reach with something around 25-26dbA under load.


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## W1zzard (Feb 13, 2014)

Jikex said:


> Did you get any pther models of R7 265 to review? Also, can you reduce Fan speed with MSI Afterburner or some other software? I wonder what temperature would card reach with something around 25-26dbA under load.


No I haven't received any other R7 265 samples.

I did a quick test: set the fan to 20% fixed, which is the same speed as in idle. Under load temps reach 82°C (this might depend on your case airflow as well). But it shows that you can easily adjust noise levels with software.


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## Slomo4shO (Feb 13, 2014)

Nihilus said:


> Great review, I knew this would be the one to wait for.



This was the card to wait for? Considering that there have been periodic sales of the HD 7850 for around $100 over the last 9 months, I fail to see how waiting for a rebrand was worthwhile... 

The only cards worth waiting for are ones based on 20nm fab...


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## Medallish (Feb 13, 2014)

You should include the 270(non-X) it seems almost forgotten, but it's a fully featured Pitcairn with a TDP of 150W, seems a lot more attractive than this card tbh. Atleast if they alter the price.


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## Nihilus (Feb 13, 2014)

Slomo4shO said:


> This was the card to wait for? Considering that there have been periodic sales of the HD 7850 for around $100 over the last 9 months, I fail to see how waiting for a rebrand was worthwhile...
> 
> The only cards worth waiting for are ones based on 20nm fab...



The 7850hd was listed on here for $150 despite what can be "found". Even so, it still offers midway between 7850 and 7870 performance for 7850 price.  So yeah, it was the one to wait for - especially after the $140 260x, which way too high.  As for Nvidia, we should have GTX 750 reviews soon so I will keep quite until then.  Pr-release outlook hasn't been great though.

Lastly, fab reduction doesn't always guarantee a great advancement.  Look at intel processors going from such as the 2000 series to the 3000 series.  They lost o/c ability more than anything.


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## Slomo4shO (Feb 13, 2014)

Nihilus said:


> The 7850hd was listed on here for $150 despite what can be "found". Even so, it still offers midway between 7850 and 7870 performance for 7850 price.  So yeah, it was the one to wait for - especially after the $140 260x, which way too high.



I suppose that factory overclocked cards like the MSI 7850 Twin Frozr going for as little as $87 after rebate were just a figment of my imagination... I guess you couldn't be bothered to pickup a cheap 7850 months ago and overclocking it yourself... Clearly, it was worthwhile for you to wait for a factory overclocked rebrand so you can pay a premium for the same card...


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## Frick (Feb 13, 2014)

Slomo4shO said:


> I suppose that factory overclocked cards like the MSI 7850 Twin Frozr going for as little as $87 after rebate was just a figment of my imagination... I guess you couldn't be bothered to pickup a cheap 7850 months ago and overclocking it yourself... Clearly, it was worthwhile for you to wait for a factory overclocked rebrand so you can pay a premium for the same card...



Deals are deals, listing prices are listing prices. You might also live in different parts of the world, where Nihilus lives they might not have had constant deals.


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## Slomo4shO (Feb 13, 2014)

Frick said:


> Deals are deals, listing prices are listing prices. You might also live in different parts of the world, where Nihilus lives they might not have had constant deals.



I guess we should also ignore the fact that this rebranded release is a few weeks shy of the 2 year anniversary of the HD 7850...


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## tacosRcool (Feb 13, 2014)

That is a great price for the performance. I think the HD 7850 launch price was $249


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## Slomo4shO (Feb 13, 2014)

tacosRcool said:


> That is a great price for the performance. I think the HD 7850 launch price was $249



Yes, $250 when it release 2 years ago, it was $180 a year ago at the launch of the 7790...


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## Hamed2G (Feb 13, 2014)

Good performance at overclocking & good price.


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## Jikex (Feb 13, 2014)

W1zzard said:


> No I haven't received any other R7 265 samples.
> I did a quick test: set the fan to 20% fixed, which is the same speed as in idle. Under load temps reach 82°C (this might depend on your case airflow as well). But it shows that you can easily adjust noise levels with software.


Ok, thanks. I guess I'll wait for 750 Ti reviews, and see, if it can provide lower noise/temps with similar performance. Or just try to find R7 265 with better cooler. Maybe HIS will release version with IceQ Turbo cooler once again, as the 7850 version is only available for crazy prices here in Poland (more than R9 270X).


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## Casecutter (Feb 13, 2014)

Nice offering given that 7850's especially the 2Gb's had almost waned from the market, while the GTX650Ti Boost dried up like mid-December the market between a R7 260X and R9 270 has languish.

So now with Nvidia bringing their new Maxwell, AMD deals out the gelding part that I’ll beat they don’t have all that huge amount anymore just intended to be a…. "squirrel".  This won’t disrupt much of anything as I don't see AMD seeing many of these 1024Sp Pitcairn’s (Curacaos?) coming from production nowadays, and they aren’t going to castrate good chips given how they can sell every 270X they deliver.

So all Nvidia has to deliver is reference GTX750Ti 2Gb card that’s say 35% more efficient than the GTX650Ti Boost (to withhold the 6-in), up the performance by say 5% to spar with this R7 265, while a $140 price that more attacks the R7 260X.  Then all Nividias’ AIB’s will basically only offer OC’d customs with the 6-pin that get more toward the GTX660 and 7870 level (another 8-10%), but can they bring for no more than $160 price?  That’s all the wiggle room they have given the 270(Non-X) is a $180 offering and provide another big leap-frog in performance.
.


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## Frick (Feb 13, 2014)

Slomo4shO said:


> I guess we should also ignore the fact that this rebranded release is a few weeks shy of the 2 year anniversary of the HD 7850...



That we should not ignore, but that's a different discussion. Today it seems it offers good performance for the money.


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## JDG1980 (Feb 13, 2014)

The R9 270 is supposed to be $179.99. But the cheapest one currently on Newegg is $229.99.
Unfortunately, none of AMD's MSRP designations can currently be taken at face value. AIB vendors and/or retailers are price gouging on everything. Until it actually shows up, I won't believe that this will actually retail for $149.99.


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## Casecutter (Feb 13, 2014)

Slomo4shO said:


> I guess we should also ignore the fact that this rebranded release is a few weeks shy of the 2 year anniversary of the HD 7850...


But let's not ignore that we're months away from seeing the next node (20Nm) from TSMC, even Nvidia is re-engineering on 28Nm, because that’s all we have.  Pitcairn/Curacaos is arguably the definitive iteration on 28Nm in terms of every matrix; efficiency/heat cost/performance/bandwidth and mainstream market segment saturation, although honestly the GK104 but as the enthusiast bracket spars just as righteously.

If it ain’t broke… even when AMD revisited the architecture with Bonaire they basically matched on a smaller scale. Now 2 years of research and development under the belt Nvidia will be benchmark/assessed by this high-watermark, while it will also uncover the GK106 short comings in a 221mm2 part.


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## Sasqui (Feb 13, 2014)

Nov 2012, paid $239 for 7870 (included FarCry3).

Oh, it did have a $40 rebate, so $199


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## Nihilus (Feb 13, 2014)

Slomo4shO said:


> I guess we should also ignore the fact that this rebranded release is a few weeks shy of the 2 year anniversary of the HD 7850...



I suppose you can buy a 7950 from a dude on the corner wearing a trench coat as well, but let's focus on actual listings. This has been gone over several times here already on these forums.  Going of list prices, this is a huge performance boost over the 260x for a little more money.  Also is very close to the 270 for much less money. 

Rebranded or not in is STILL the best mid-range value as of now.  Besides, what has team green done for midrange lately.  They are killing the 650 ti boost and replacing with the GTX 750s.  From what we know so far, they would have been BETTER OFF doing a rebrand of that card.


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## Nordic (Feb 13, 2014)

As mentioned in the conclusion there is lots of thermal headroom. Saphire could target 75c and it would be near silent.


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## Slomo4shO (Feb 13, 2014)

Casecutter said:


> But let's not ignore that we're months away from seeing the next node (20Nm) from TSMC



Yes, we are months away. Instead of being honest with consumers, both companies have decided to peddle existing cards to the market  by rebranding. Why did they not just keep the existing models and just cut prices which would end up with the same product at the same price? Because they wouldn't be able to exploit the average consumer with the guise of novelty...

This duopoly does nothing to benefit consumers. Having reviews such as this one(at least w1zzard acknowledges it as a rebrand whereas may others don't) referring to the HD 7850 as the "previous generation option" only helps to propagate the illusion of a 1 year product cycle which no longer exists...


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## Casecutter (Feb 13, 2014)

Slomo4shO said:


> the illusion of a 1 year product cycle which no longer exists...


Because node fab process has slowed and risk with such new nodes necessitates AMD/Nvidia have to be even more careful and judicious of each shrink as to when they can or should move.  AMD got stung in the move to 28mm; higher cost, slow ramp-up of good chips… Neither want to be the one to find themselves in a repeat of that.  So much of this "game" (business) hinges on TSCM and their proper execution.  And that's why we are, where we are… today.


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## Delta6326 (Feb 13, 2014)

The 650 Ti Boost still looking strong.

Glad I got my 7870 Tahiti LE for $139.99 OC's to 7950 speeds.


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## Rowsol (Feb 13, 2014)

All this review needs is a price/performance after overclock.  If it's already near the top of the chart that hefty overclock makes this the best for the money?


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## HD64G (Feb 13, 2014)

Nihilus said:


> The 7850hd was listed on here for $150 despite what can be "found". Even so, it still offers midway between 7850 and 7870 performance for 7850 price.  So yeah, it was the one to wait for - especially after the $140 260x, which way too high.  As for Nvidia, we should have GTX 750 reviews soon so I will keep quite until then.  Pr-release outlook hasn't been great though.
> 
> Lastly, fab reduction doesn't always guarantee a great advancement.  Look at intel processors going from such as the 2000 series to the 3000 series.  They lost o/c ability more than anything.



Intel CPUs lost thermal ability due to its FinFet 3D architecture in putting the tranzistors in smaller volume.


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## Eric_Cartman (Feb 13, 2014)

Another rebrand from AMD?  It is pathetic how they are deceiving customers by trying to selling 2 year old cards as new.


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## Nihilus (Feb 13, 2014)

If they were selling at the same launch price as the HD 7850, then that would be deceptive but they are not.  Look at what intel does: Sells the 2600k, then the next year the 3700k, then the 4700k.  Mostly the same product.  Every company does it.  Why reinvent the wheel every time?  Two years from now, if they want to sell it as a "beginner" card for $75, more power to them.
  Boo frickin' hoo - they did not shrink the die.  Sorry, but a precious die shrink will save you all of $10 on your power bill. 
Why is a rebrand so terrible when the customer gets a great card for a great price.  PLEASE tell me how this is "immoral by geek law."  Would it make you happy if AMD took a wheelbarrow of money and lit it on fire so the universe would be at balance?


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## Nordic (Feb 13, 2014)

> Sorry super nerds, but a precious die shrink will save you all of $10 on your power bill.


When it comes to efficiency tdp and heat output I think more about noise than I do about my power bill.


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## 1d10t15m (Feb 13, 2014)

Eric_Cartman said:


> Another rebrand from AMD?  It is pathetic how they are deceiving customers by trying to selling 2 year old cards as new.



Because nVidia did not do the same with G92 chips? 8800GTS > 9800GT/9800GTX/9800GTX+ > GTS 250 ring any bells?

I'd rather have a decent card with good price/performance ratio and more rattle on the market, becacuse the more they fight between them selves the more we will get in the end.

If you want more performance out of single gpu card than go for eVga GTX 780 TI KingPin classified, friend got one, says it's a blast...


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## Slomo4shO (Feb 13, 2014)

Nihilus said:


> Look at what intel does: Sells the 2600k, then the next year the 3700k, then the 4700k.  Mostly the same product.



If you think the three generations of i5s are the "same" product...  Clearly no architecture or node changes between the different generations... Just a rebranding and price shift... oh wait...


Since you don't have a clue, what differentiates a rebrand and a price drop from just a price drop? Deception... If you can't comprehend this, it wouldn't be a surprise 





Rowsol said:


> All this review needs is a price/performance after overclock.  If it's already near the top of the chart that hefty overclock makes this the best for the money?


Not sure why the review suggests that the GTX 650 Ti Boost is $130, it hasn't been available anywhere for months and the launch price was $170 for the 2GB version and the price cut from October dropped it down to $150...


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## HalfAHertz (Feb 14, 2014)

Will we be able to CF these with the original 7850s?


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## Nihilus (Feb 14, 2014)

*edit* AMD released a product that is a great price/perf and perf/watt.  That is all that matters.  *edit*  If the consumer is "confused" that this might be some magical new product, well too bad for them.
Oh and the nerve of Ford- i got a2013 F-150 only to learn it is basically a re badged 2012.  I don't care that it has plenty of power and gets great gas mileage. 
I WAS DECEIVED!!!!


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## Mindweaver (Feb 14, 2014)

I've had enough of your name calling Nihilus. One more time, and you'll be taking a break from TPU's forums. If you have a problem with someone then report them do not resort to name calling.


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## KainXS (Feb 14, 2014)

when it comes to rebranding amd and nvidia have both rebranded to hell and back but its not much of a problem if you know research what your buying really or like it anyway.



1d10t15m said:


> Because nVidia did not do the same with G92 chips? 8800GTS > 9800GT/9800GTX/9800GTX+ > GTS 250 ring any bells?



the 8800GTS(512) to 9800GT/9800GTX was not a rebrand really the GTX+ to GTS250 was though.


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## 1d10t15m (Feb 14, 2014)

KainXS said:


> when it comes to rebranding amd and nvidia have both rebranded to hell and back but its not much of a problem if you know research what your buying really or like it anyway.
> 
> 
> 
> the 8800GTS(512) to 9800GT/9800GTX was not a rebrand really the GTX+ to GTS250 was though.




Dunno, read couple of articles in the past that G92 chip is prised for its longevity because it went thro 3 generations of GPUs, tho yea you are right, 9800GTX+ to GTS250 was a true rebrand because they just changed the name of the card, while earlier they were changing bus and lots of other stuff i guess...

Anyway, lets not stray away from the given subject, R7 265 is a great deal right now considering its price/performance but I'd wait with gpu purchase another 6 months till nextgen games flood PC market and we actually see what will be needed to play them smoothly in HD...


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## Casecutter (Feb 14, 2014)

1d10t15m said:


> Anyway, lets not stray away from the given subject, R7 265 is a great deal right now considering its price/performance but I'd wait with gpu purchase another 6 months till nextgen games flood PC market and we actually see what will be needed to play them smoothly in HD...


Not to get down on you...

A) Can't actually say "it's a great deal right now" as it won't be on the market for another 15 or so days!  By the information in the review it appears on "paper" to be the right mix today. However, by next week we could have an all new matrix(s) to judge it by, and at that point it perhaps will show some of it age.  We shall see. 

B) Saying wait "6mo's to see" is never any great strategy, especially in the this mainstream level, there just to many unknowns.  If the games you presently have are taxing your system, you should discern if just a card and for the money you’ve can spend would make worthy improvements.  When the cards that truly improve on the NextGen arrive you probably won’t be able to afford them (and the game(s) and/or won’t provide an admirable bump at mainstream to overshadow the enjoyment of being able to play the games you have over the next 6 months terrifically, while perhaps still decent for those NextGen titles.


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## BorisDG (Feb 15, 2014)

The "full front" image is broken.


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## W1zzard (Feb 15, 2014)

BorisDG said:


> The "full front" image is broken.


fixed


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## west7 (Feb 17, 2014)

great price my freinds will be all over it


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## Fluffmeister (Feb 20, 2014)

Not bad for a paper Tiger, bit juicy, bit old, but not bad.


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## Xzibit (Feb 20, 2014)

Fluffmeister said:


> Not bad for a paper Tiger, bit juicy, bit old, but not bad.



There is always this.

SAPPHIRE DUAL-X OC Radeon HD 7850 2GB for $169.99  w/rebate $154.99 @ Newegg


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## Fluffmeister (Feb 20, 2014)

True, but I'd prefer a shiny new R7 265.


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## seba00 (Feb 24, 2014)

Can I buy two cards to work in crossfire mode with *pcie gen 2*
Will the direct x also be 11.2 ?
_My motherboard is P5Q3 Deluxe/WiFi-AP @n 
Processor : Core 2 Duo E8600 (3.33GHz,1333FSB,L2:6MB,65W,rev.E0)
My graphic cards : Sapphire AMD HD4890 2Gb 975Mhz/1050Mhz (2x 6PIN)_

is there enough power given with only 6pin PEG /card my power supply is
seasonic *Platinum Series 860 W*
Thank You


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## W1zzard (Feb 25, 2014)

seba00 said:


> Can I buy two cards to work in crossfire mode with *pcie gen 2*
> Will the direct x also be 11.2 ?
> _My motherboard is P5Q3 Deluxe/WiFi-AP @n
> Processor : Core 2 Duo E8600 (3.33GHz,1333FSB,L2:6MB,65W,rev.E0)
> ...


Yes to all your questions


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## JumpingBamboo (Mar 20, 2014)

Surprisingly, Newegg is selling the 265 at the $150 price point AMD claims (you pay shipping). I was able to snag one for that price. Also, Newegg lists the card as including the CrossFire bridge but it is not included! This could be added to the article.


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