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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

CMP 30HX

2021

Why buy it

✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 is already obsolete for modern gaming.
✅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.
❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 2 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.
❌
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

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌60% higher power demand at 200W vs 125W.
❌21.4% longer card at 278mm vs 229mm.

CMP 30HX

2021

Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280

2012

Why buy it

✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 is already obsolete for modern gaming.
✅Draws 125W instead of 200W, a 75W reduction.
✅Measures 229mm instead of 278mm, a 49mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

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

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 3 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 2 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.
❌
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).

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌60% higher power demand at 200W vs 125W.
❌21.4% longer card at 278mm vs 229mm.

Quick Answers

So, is CMP 30HX better than Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280?

Yes. CMP 30HX is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 4,892 vs 4,765 in G3D Mark. On top of that, CMP 30HX is a 2021 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, while Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 is a 2012 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

CMP 30HX is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2021 generation instead of 2012, the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling, and a 12nm process instead of 28nm. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

CMP 30HX is the smarter buy by a wide margin. CMP 30HX is about 186.4% more expensive on MSRP at $799 MSRP versus $279 MSRP, and you are getting 2.7% higher G3D Mark. Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 is 2012 hardware with 3 GB of VRAM, 4,765 in G3D Mark, and FSR upscaling. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

CMP 30HX Benchmark Check

Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	CMP 30HX	Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280
1080p
low	124 FPS	78 FPS
medium	110 FPS	64 FPS
high	93 FPS	51 FPS
ultra	70 FPS	33 FPS
1440p
low	109 FPS	66 FPS
medium	92 FPS	55 FPS
high	77 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	57 FPS	25 FPS
4K
low	49 FPS	24 FPS
medium	46 FPS	23 FPS
high	33 FPS	15 FPS
ultra	29 FPS	13 FPS

Open CMP 30HX Open Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	CMP 30HX	Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280
1080p
low	204 FPS	131 FPS
medium	172 FPS	101 FPS
high	141 FPS	80 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	54 FPS
1440p
low	132 FPS	73 FPS
medium	104 FPS	53 FPS
high	85 FPS	40 FPS
ultra	63 FPS	29 FPS
4K
low	61 FPS	28 FPS
medium	49 FPS	20 FPS
high	46 FPS	16 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	12 FPS

Open CMP 30HX Open Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	CMP 30HX	Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280
1080p
low	220 FPS	214 FPS
medium	176 FPS	172 FPS
high	147 FPS	143 FPS
ultra	110 FPS	107 FPS
1440p
low	165 FPS	161 FPS
medium	132 FPS	129 FPS
high	110 FPS	107 FPS
ultra	83 FPS	80 FPS
4K
low	110 FPS	107 FPS
medium	88 FPS	86 FPS
high	73 FPS	71 FPS
ultra	55 FPS	54 FPS

Open CMP 30HX Open Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	CMP 30HX	Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280
1080p
low	220 FPS	142 FPS
medium	176 FPS	117 FPS
high	147 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	110 FPS	85 FPS
1440p
low	165 FPS	104 FPS
medium	132 FPS	86 FPS
high	110 FPS	74 FPS
ultra	83 FPS	59 FPS
4K
low	110 FPS	62 FPS
medium	86 FPS	48 FPS
high	73 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	55 FPS	27 FPS

Open CMP 30HX Open Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of CMP 30HX and Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280

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.

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.

Feature	CMP 30HX	Radeon 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)

Feature	CMP 30HX	Radeon 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 comes with 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 has 3 GB. The Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 offers 50% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 64-bit vs 384-bit. 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.

Feature	CMP 30HX	Radeon 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.

Feature	CMP 30HX	Radeon 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.

Feature	CMP 30HX	Radeon 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.

Feature	CMP 30HX	Radeon 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

The CMP 30HX launched at $799 MSRP, while the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 launched at $279. The Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 costs 65.1% less ($520 savings) on MSRP. 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 CMP 30HX is the newer GPU (2021 vs 2012).