GeForce GTX 280
Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)
GeForce GTX 280 vs Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) 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 280 vs Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) 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 280 vs Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop): 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
2008Why buy it
- ✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 512 MB).
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) 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.
- ❌275.1% HIGHER MSRP$649 MSRPvs$173 MSRP
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.0 vs 7.5 G3D/$ ($649 MSRP vs $173 MSRP).
- ❌686.7% higher power demand at 236W vs 30W.
Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)
2014Why buy it
- ✅22.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Costs $476 less on MSRP ($173 MSRP vs $649 MSRP).
- ✅Delivers 279.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 7.5 vs 2.0 G3D/$ ($173 MSRP vs $649 MSRP).
- ✅Draws 30W instead of 236W, a 206W reduction.
Trade-offs
- ❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌2014 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
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GeForce GTX 280 vs Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) 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 R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)
The Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 14 2014. It features the GCN architecture. The core clock speed is 720 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,300 points.
Graphics Performance
The GeForce GTX 280 scores 1,285 and the Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) reaches 1,300 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 280 is built on Tesla 2.0 while the Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) uses GCN, both on 65 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 240 (GeForce GTX 280) vs 512 (Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 280 | Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 1,285 | 1,300+1% |
| Architecture | Tesla 2.0 | GCN |
| Process Node | 65 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 240 | 512+113% |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce GTX 280 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 280 | Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) |
|---|---|---|
| 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 280 has 1 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) carries 512 MB. GeForce GTX 280 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 GTX 280 and 128-bit on the Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 280 | Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 1 GB+100% | 0.5 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | Unknown | Unknown |
| Bus Width | 128-bit | 128-bit |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 11.1 (10_0) (GeForce GTX 280) vs 12 (Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)). Vulkan: N/A vs 1.1. OpenGL: 3.3 vs 4.5. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 3.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 280 | Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 11.1 (10_0) | 12+8% |
| Vulkan | N/A | 1.1 |
| OpenGL | 3.3 | 4.5+36% |
| Max Displays | 2 | 3+50% |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: None (GeForce GTX 280) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)). Decoder: PureVideo HD (VP2) vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce GTX 280) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 280 | Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | None | VCE 2.0 |
| Decoder | PureVideo HD (VP2) | UVD 4.2 |
| Codecs | H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 | H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce GTX 280 draws 236W versus the Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)'s 30W — a 154.9% difference. The Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce GTX 280) vs 350W (Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin vs None. Typical load temperature: 85 vs 80°C.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 280 | Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 236W | 30W-87% |
| Recommended PSU | 550W | 350W-36% |
| Power Connector | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | None |
| Length | 267mm | — |
| Height | 111mm | — |
| Slots | 2 | — |
| Temp (Load) | 85 | 80°C-6% |
| Perf/Watt | 5.4 | 43.3+702% |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce GTX 280 came in at $649, while the Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) launched at $173. On MSRP, Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) was 73.3% cheaper ($476 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.0 (GeForce GTX 280) vs 7.5 (Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)) — the Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) offers 275% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) (2014 vs 2008).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 280 | Radeon R7 512 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $649 | $173-73% |
| Performance per Dollar | 2.0 | 7.5+275% |
| Codename | GT200 | Kaveri Spectre |
| Release | June 16 2008 | January 14 2014 |
| Ranking | #802 | #830 |
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