GeForce GTX 280 vs Radeon HD 4870 X2

CPU

GPU

GeForce GTX 280

2008Core: 602 MHz

Similar parts

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Radeon HD 4870 X2

2008Core: 700 MHz

Similar parts

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GeForce GTX 280 vs Radeon HD 4870 X2 Performance Spectrum

GeForce GTX 280

1 GB 236

1,285

0.0%

GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)

GeForce GTX 1070 (móvel)

RTX 2000 Ada Generation Embedded GPU

GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPU

Radeon HD 4870 X2

1 GB 286

1,309

+1.9%

Radeon HD 7550M/7650M

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 280 vs Radeon HD 4870 X2 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 GTX 280 vs Radeon HD 4870 X2: 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 280

2008

Why buy it

✅42.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Draws 236W instead of 286W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌2008 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
18% HIGHER MSRP
$649 MSRPvs$550 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.0 vs 2.4 G3D/$ ($649 MSRP vs $550 MSRP).

Radeon HD 4870 X2

2008

Why buy it

✅Costs $99 less on MSRP ($550 MSRP vs $649 MSRP).
✅Delivers 20.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 2.4 vs 2.0 G3D/$ ($550 MSRP vs $649 MSRP).
✅More future proof: TeraScale (2005−2013) on 55nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 280 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2008 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌21.2% higher power demand at 286W vs 236W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce GTX 280 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 42.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon HD 4870 X2 instead at 1,309 vs 1,285, 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 GTX 280 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 4870 X2 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $99 cheaper on MSRP at $550 vs $649, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 20.2% (2.4 vs 2.0), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 4870 X2 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 280 has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 280 vs Radeon HD 4870 X2 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 280

The GeForce GTX 280 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in June 16 2008. It features the Tesla 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 602 MHz. It has 240 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 236W. Manufactured using 65 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,285 points. Launch price was $649.

Radeon HD 4870 X2

The Radeon HD 4870 X2 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in August 12 2008. It features the TeraScale architecture. The core clock speed is 700 MHz. It has 800 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 286W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,309 points. Launch price was $550.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 280 scores 1,285 and the Radeon HD 4870 X2 reaches 1,309 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 280 is built on Tesla 2.0 while the Radeon HD 4870 X2 uses TeraScale, both on 65 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 240 (GeForce GTX 280) vs 800 (Radeon HD 4870 X2). Raw compute: 0.6221 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 280) vs 1.12 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 4870 X2).

Feature	GeForce GTX 280	Radeon HD 4870 X2
G3D Mark Score	1,285	1,309+2%
Architecture	Tesla 2.0	TeraScale
Process Node	65 nm	55 nm
Shading Units	240	800 ×2+233%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.6221 TFLOPS	1.12 TFLOPS ×2+80%
ROPs	32+100%	16 ×2
TMUs	80+100%	40 ×2
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 280 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 4870 X2 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 280	Radeon HD 4870 X2
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)

Both cards ship with 1 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce GTX 280 and 64-bit on the Radeon HD 4870 X2.

Feature	GeForce GTX 280	Radeon HD 4870 X2
VRAM Capacity	1 GB	1 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit+100%	64-bit
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.1 (10_0) (GeForce GTX 280) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 4870 X2). OpenGL: 3.3 vs 3.3. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce GTX 280	Radeon HD 4870 X2
DirectX	11.1 (10_0)+10%	10.1
OpenGL	3.3	3.3
Max Displays	2	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Decoder: PureVideo HD (VP2) vs UVD 2. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce GTX 280) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4,DivX (Radeon HD 4870 X2).

Feature	GeForce GTX 280	Radeon HD 4870 X2
Encoder	None	—
Decoder	PureVideo HD (VP2)	UVD 2
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4,DivX

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 280 draws 236W versus the Radeon HD 4870 X2's 286W — a 19.2% difference. The GeForce GTX 280 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce GTX 280) vs 650W (Radeon HD 4870 X2). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin vs 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 85 vs 90°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 280	Radeon HD 4870 X2
TDP	236W-17%	286W
Recommended PSU	550W-15%	650W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin	1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
Length	267mm	267mm
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	85-6%	90°C
Perf/Watt	5.4+17%	4.6

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 280 came in at $649, while the Radeon HD 4870 X2 launched at $550. On MSRP, Radeon HD 4870 X2 was 15.3% cheaper ($99 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.0 (GeForce GTX 280) vs 2.4 (Radeon HD 4870 X2) — the Radeon HD 4870 X2 offers 20% better value.

Feature	GeForce GTX 280	Radeon HD 4870 X2
MSRP	$649	$550-15%
Performance per Dollar	2.0	2.4+20%
Codename	GT200	R700
Release	June 16 2008	August 12 2008
Ranking	#802	#796

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