Sapphire R7 260X OC 1GB Graphics Card Review

Final Thoughts

Pricing

The Sapphire R7 260X 1GB OC graphics card costs £75 at Amazon UK. We couldn’t find the same 1GB OC version we reviewed here today anywhere else but we found the 2GB version available for $132 at Amazon and $119.99 at Newegg in the USA. The 2GB version can be found in the UK for £79.99 at Amazon, just £5 more than the 1GB variant. The Sapphire R7 260X OC 1GB & 2GB graphics cards come with 2 year warranties.

Overview

Sapphire’s R7 260X 1GB OC graphics card is a mixed bag but still a solid product. Our results show it nudged ahead of the stock R7 260X in a few games but as we’ve mentioned the Sapphire R7 260X had the benefit of being tested with slightly newer drivers which explains that variance. Aside from that it was marginally slower than both other R7 260Xs we tested due to having a lower clock speed on the GPU and memory and having less video memory. Of course the difference in user experience is marginal, our summary results show it is only 1-2% slower than other R7 260Xs yet it costs a fair bit less and is incredibly cost effective – which is a good thing.

The overall design of the card is also pleasing, it runs really quiet, looks very nice and keeps the GPU cooler than the reference design. Okay, it isn’t the best cooling solution we’ve tested but it does the job, allows for overclocking and keeps temperatures in a good region. Overclocking wasn’t a strong point of this card either with the GPU core not winning the silicon lottery and the use of inferior Elpida memory which never overclocks very well. Hynix memory is the best for overclocking but most vendors choose Elpida and Samsung as it is cheaper and more widely available. I think the fact Sapphire offer 1GB and 2GB versions for such similar prices makes the 1GB model almost redundant: it makes more sense to pay a little more to get a much more future proofed experience, but at least the 1GB model is there if you really don’t need 2GB and what to save a bit of money.

The final point I want to draw upon is the “OC” moniker Sapphire use. Let me make this absolutely clear: this card runs at lower clock speeds than the reference design, it is not overclocked in any way. I think Sapphire should rename the card, it is misleading.

Pros

• Runs very quiet
• Lower temperatures than stock/reference design
• Good pricing
• 1GB and 2GB models available

Cons

• Lower clocks than reference model
• Elpidamemory chips limitsoverclocking potential
• Not overclocked – misleading title

“The Sapphire R7 260X 1GB OC graphics card is a solid buy if you’re looking for something capable of 1080p gaming on a strict budget. It won’t blow your socks off with anything special or innovative but it will offer you good performance with silent operation and at a decent price.“

Thank you to Sapphire for providing this review sample.