GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB
Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB vs Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 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 GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB vs Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 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.
Path of Exile 2
Counter-Strike 2
League of Legends
Valorant
Among Us
Apex Legends
ARC Raiders
Baldur's Gate 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB 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.
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB
2019Why buy it
- ✅Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB is the less risky modern option long term.
- ✅Draws 75W instead of 200W, a 125W reduction.
- ✅More future proof: Pascal (2016−2021) on 14nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌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.
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 17.1 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $279 MSRP).
Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280
2012Why buy it
- ✅45.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 17.1 vs 0 G3D/$ ($279 MSRP vs Unknown 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.
- ❌166.7% higher power demand at 200W vs 75W.
Quick Answers
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GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB vs Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB
The GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in February 1 2019. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1366 MHz to 1442 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,800 points.
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 GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB scores 4,800 and the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 reaches 4,765 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB is built on Pascal while the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 uses GCN 1.0, both on 14 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 768 (GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB) vs 1,792 (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280). Raw compute: 2.215 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB) vs 2.867 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280). Boost clocks: 1442 MHz vs 1250 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB | Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 4,800 | 4,765 |
| Architecture | Pascal | GCN 1.0 |
| Process Node | 14 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 768 | 1792+133% |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 2.215 TFLOPS | 2.867 TFLOPS+29% |
| Boost Clock | 1442 MHz+15% | 1250 MHz |
| ROPs | 24 | 32+33% |
| TMUs | 48 | 112+133% |
| L1 Cache | 288 KB | 448 KB+56% |
| L2 Cache | 768 KB | 768 KB |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB | 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 | NVIDIA Reflex | AMD Anti-Lag |
Video Memory (VRAM)
The GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB 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 bandwidth: 84 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB) vs 240 GB/s (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280) — a 185.7% advantage for the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280. Memory bus width is 96-bit on the GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB and 384-bit on the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB | Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 2 GB | 3 GB+50% |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 84 GB/s | 240 GB/s+186% |
| Bus Width | 96-bit | 384-bit+300% |
| L2 Cache | 768 KB | 768 KB |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 (12_1) (GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB) vs 12 (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB | Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 (12_1) | 12 |
| Vulkan | 1.3+8% | 1.2 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Max Displays | 4 | 4 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: NVENC (6th Gen) (GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280). Decoder: NVDEC (3rd Gen) vs UVD 3.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265 (HEVC),VP9 (GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MVC (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB | Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC (6th Gen) | VCE 1.0 |
| Decoder | NVDEC (3rd Gen) | UVD 3.2 |
| Codecs | H.264,H.265 (HEVC),VP9 | H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MVC |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB draws 75W versus the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280's 200W — a 90.9% difference. The GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB) vs 500W (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 2x 6-pin. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 80°C.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB | Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 75W-63% | 200W |
| Recommended PSU | 350W-30% | 500W |
| Power Connector | PCIe-powered | 2x 6-pin |
| Length | — | 278mm |
| Height | — | 111mm |
| Slots | 0-100% | 2 |
| Temp (Load) | 80°C | 80°C |
| Perf/Watt | 64.0+169% | 23.8 |
Value Analysis
The newer card here is GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB (2019 vs 2012).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB | Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | — | $279 |
| Codename | GP107 | Tahiti |
| Release | February 1 2019 | January 31 2012 |
| Ranking | #453 | #454 |
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