GeForce 7800 GT vs Radeon HD 8280E

NVIDIA

GeForce 7800 GT

2013Core: 875 MHzBoost: 928 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 8280E

2013Core: 725 MHzBoost: 775 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce 7800 GT vs Radeon HD 8280E Performance Spectrum

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.

GeForce 7800 GT vs Radeon HD 8280E FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

GeForce 7800 GT vs Radeon HD 8280E: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

GeForce 7800 GT

2013

Why buy it

  • 1.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 256 MB vs 512 MB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2013 hardware with 256 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 199.3% HIGHER MSRP
    $449 MSRPvs$150 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0.5 vs 1.7 G3D/$ ($449 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
  • 400% higher power demand at 250W vs 50W.

Radeon HD 8280E

2013

Why buy it

  • Costs $299 less on MSRP ($150 MSRP vs $449 MSRP).
  • Delivers 214.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 1.7 vs 0.5 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs $449 MSRP).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (512 MB vs 256 MB).
  • Draws 50W instead of 250W, a 200W reduction.
  • Measures 1mm instead of 228mm, a 227mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce 7800 GT across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2013 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce 7800 GT is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 1.2% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon HD 8280E instead at 256 vs 244, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce 7800 GT is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon HD 8280E makes the most sense to buy today. It is $299 cheaper on MSRP at $150 vs $449, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 214.1% (1.7 vs 0.5), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 8280E is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce 7800 GT has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce 7800 GT vs Radeon HD 8280E Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce 7800 GT

The GeForce 7800 GT is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in November 7 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 875 MHz to 928 MHz. It has 2880 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 244 points. Launch price was $699.

AMD

Radeon HD 8280E

The Radeon HD 8280E is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 1 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 725 MHz to 775 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 256 points.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce 7800 GT scores 244 and the Radeon HD 8280E reaches 256 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 7800 GT is built on Kepler while the Radeon HD 8280E uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,880 (GeForce 7800 GT) vs 640 (Radeon HD 8280E). Raw compute: 5.345 TFLOPS (GeForce 7800 GT) vs 0.992 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8280E). Boost clocks: 928 MHz vs 775 MHz.

FeatureGeForce 7800 GTRadeon HD 8280E
G3D Mark Score
244
256+5%
Architecture
Kepler
GCN 1.0
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
2880+350%
640
Compute (TFLOPS)
5.345 TFLOPS+439%
0.992 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
928 MHz+20%
775 MHz
ROPs
48+200%
16
TMUs
240+500%
40
L1 Cache
240 KB+50%
160 KB
L2 Cache
1.5 MB+500%
0.25 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 7800 GT gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 8280E leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce 7800 GTRadeon HD 8280E
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce 7800 GT has 256 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 8280E carries 512 MB. Radeon HD 8280E gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce 7800 GT and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 8280E. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce 7800 GT) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon HD 8280E) — the GeForce 7800 GT has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce 7800 GTRadeon HD 8280E
VRAM Capacity
0.25 GB
0.5 GB+100%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
L2 Cache
1.5 MB+500%
0.25 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 9.0c (GeForce 7800 GT) vs 11_1 (Radeon HD 8280E). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce 7800 GTRadeon HD 8280E
DirectX
9.0c
11_1+22%
Max Displays
2
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (GeForce 7800 GT) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon HD 8280E). Decoder: PureVideo vs UVD 4.2.

FeatureGeForce 7800 GTRadeon HD 8280E
Encoder
No
VCE 2.0
Decoder
PureVideo
UVD 4.2
Codecs
MPEG-2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 7800 GT draws 250W versus the Radeon HD 8280E's 50W — a 133.3% difference. The Radeon HD 8280E is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 7800 GT) vs 350W (Radeon HD 8280E). Power connectors: Legacy vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 228mm vs 1mm, occupying 1 vs 0 slots.

FeatureGeForce 7800 GTRadeon HD 8280E
TDP
250W
50W-80%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
Legacy
1x 6-pin
Length
228mm
1mm
Height
111mm
Slots
1
0-100%
Temp (Load)
85°C
Perf/Watt
1.0
5.1+410%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 7800 GT came in at $449, while the Radeon HD 8280E launched at $150. On MSRP, Radeon HD 8280E was 66.6% cheaper ($299 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 0.5 (GeForce 7800 GT) vs 1.7 (Radeon HD 8280E) — the Radeon HD 8280E offers 240% better value.

FeatureGeForce 7800 GTRadeon HD 8280E
MSRP
$449
$150-67%
Performance per Dollar
0.5
1.7+240%
Codename
GK110B
Venus
Release
November 7 2013
April 1 2013
Ranking
#278
#745

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