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CMP 30HX vs Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280

CPUCPUGPUGPU

CMP 30HX

2021Core: 1530 MHzBoost: 1785 MHz
Buy on Amazon
VS
AMD

Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280

2012Boost: 1250 MHz
Buy on Amazon

CMP 30HX vs Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 Performance Spectrum

CMP 30HX
2 GB 125
4,892
+2.7%
brand logoGeForce GTX 465
brand logoGeForce GTX 680M
brand logoGeForce GTX 680MX
brand logoGeForce GTX 880M SLI
brand logoGeForce GTX 1060 5GB
brand logoGeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design
brand logoGeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU
brand logoRTX 4000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU
Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280
3 GB 200
4,765
0.0%
brand logoRadeon HD 8770
brand logoRadeon R7 360
brand logoRadeon RX 560
brand logoRadeon RX 460 (móvel)
brand logoRadeon RX 5500 XT
brand logoRadeon RX 6800M
brand logoRadeon RX 6850M XT
brand logoRadeon RX 6800

About G3D Mark

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

CMP 30HX vs Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

CMP 30HX

2021

Why buy it

  • ✅Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so CMP 30HX is the less risky modern option long term.
  • ✅Draws 125W instead of 200W, a 75W reduction.
  • ✅Measures 229mm instead of 278mm, a 49mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • ❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 3 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • ❌Older hardware, 2 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.
  • ❌
    186.4% HIGHER MSRP
    $799 MSRPvs$279 MSRP
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 6.1 vs 17.1 G3D/$ ($799 MSRP vs $279 MSRP).

Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280

2012

Why buy it

  • ✅Costs $520 less on MSRP ($279 MSRP vs $799 MSRP).
  • ✅Delivers 178.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 17.1 vs 6.1 G3D/$ ($279 MSRP vs $799 MSRP).
  • ✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (3 GB vs 2 GB).

Trade-offs

  • ❌2012 hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • ❌60% higher power demand at 200W vs 125W.
  • ❌21.4% longer card at 278mm vs 229mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
CMP 30HX is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 2.7% in PassMark G3D (4,892 vs 4,765), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
CMP 30HX is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 12nm process instead of 28nm and a newer 2021 generation instead of 2012. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $520 cheaper on MSRP at $279 vs $799, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 178.9% (17.1 vs 6.1), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, CMP 30HX has the stronger long-term case.

CMP 30HX vs Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

NVIDIA

CMP 30HX

The CMP 30HX is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in February 25 2021. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1530 MHz to 1785 MHz. It has 1408 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 125W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,892 points. Launch price was $799.

AMD

Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280

The Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 31 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1250 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,765 points. Launch price was $449.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The CMP 30HX scores 4,892 and the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 reaches 4,765 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The CMP 30HX is built on Turing while the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 uses GCN 1.0, both on 12 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,408 (CMP 30HX) vs 1,792 (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280). Raw compute: 5.027 TFLOPS (CMP 30HX) vs 2.867 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280). Boost clocks: 1785 MHz vs 1250 MHz.

FeatureCMP 30HXRadeon HD 7950 / R9 280
G3D Mark Score
4,892+3%
4,765
Architecture
Turing
GCN 1.0
Process Node
12 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
1408
1792+27%
Compute (TFLOPS)
5.027 TFLOPS+75%
2.867 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1785 MHz+43%
1250 MHz
ROPs
48+50%
32
TMUs
88
112+27%
L1 Cache
1.4 MB+218%
0.44 MB
L2 Cache
1.5 MB+100%
0.75 MB
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureCMP 30HXRadeon HD 7950 / R9 280
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The CMP 30HX has 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 carries 3 GB. Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 gives you 50% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the CMP 30HX and 384-bit on the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (CMP 30HX) vs 0.75 MB (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280) — the CMP 30HX has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureCMP 30HXRadeon HD 7950 / R9 280
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
3 GB+50%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
384-bit+500%
L2 Cache
1.5 MB+100%
0.75 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (CMP 30HX) vs 12 (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 0 vs 4.

FeatureCMP 30HXRadeon HD 7950 / R9 280
DirectX
12
12
Vulkan
1.2
1.2
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
0
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (CMP 30HX) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280). Decoder: No vs UVD 3.2.

FeatureCMP 30HXRadeon HD 7950 / R9 280
Encoder
No
VCE 1.0
Decoder
No
UVD 3.2
Codecs
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MVC
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The CMP 30HX draws 125W versus the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280's 200W — a 46.2% difference. The CMP 30HX is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (CMP 30HX) vs 500W (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 229mm vs 278mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 80°C.

FeatureCMP 30HXRadeon HD 7950 / R9 280
TDP
125W-38%
200W
Recommended PSU
350W-30%
500W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
2x 6-pin
Length
229mm
278mm
Height
111mm
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
75°C-6%
80°C
Perf/Watt
39.1+64%
23.8
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the CMP 30HX came in at $799, while the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 launched at $279. On MSRP, Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 was 65.1% cheaper ($520 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 6.1 (CMP 30HX) vs 17.1 (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280) — the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 offers 180.3% better value. The newer card here is CMP 30HX (2021 vs 2012).

FeatureCMP 30HXRadeon HD 7950 / R9 280
MSRP
$799
$279-65%
Performance per Dollar
6.1
17.1+180%
Codename
TU116
Tahiti
Release
February 25 2021
January 31 2012
Ranking
#447
#454
Search CMP 30HX on AmazonSearch Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 on Amazon

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