GeForce GTX 280M vs Radeon R7 M360

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 280M

2008Core: 602 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon R7 M360

2015Boost: 1000 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce GTX 280M vs Radeon R7 M360 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 280M vs Radeon R7 M360 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 280M vs Radeon R7 M360: 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 280M

2008

Why buy it

  • 18.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2008 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 4.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $120 MSRP).
  • 195% higher power demand at 236W vs 80W.

Radeon R7 M360

2015

Why buy it

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 4.9 vs 0 G3D/$ ($120 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • 300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 1 GB).
  • Draws 80W instead of 236W, a 156W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 280M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2015 hardware with 4 GB 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 GTX 280M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 18.1% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon R7 M360 instead at 585 vs 576, 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 280M 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 R7 M360 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R7 M360 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 280M has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 280M vs Radeon R7 M360 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 280M

The GeForce GTX 280M 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: 576 points. Launch price was $649.

AMD

Radeon R7 M360

The Radeon R7 M360 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 18 2015. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 80W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 585 points. Launch price was $109.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 280M scores 576 and the Radeon R7 M360 reaches 585 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 280M is built on Tesla 2.0 while the Radeon R7 M360 uses GCN 2.0, both on 65 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 240 (GeForce GTX 280M) vs 768 (Radeon R7 M360). Raw compute: 0.6221 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 280M) vs 1.613 TFLOPS (Radeon R7 M360).

FeatureGeForce GTX 280MRadeon R7 M360
G3D Mark Score
576
585+2%
Architecture
Tesla 2.0
GCN 2.0
Process Node
65 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
240
768+220%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.6221 TFLOPS
1.613 TFLOPS+159%
ROPs
32+100%
16
TMUs
80+67%
48
L2 Cache
256 KB
256 KB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 280M gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R7 M360 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 280MRadeon R7 M360
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 280M has 1 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R7 M360 carries 4 GB. Radeon R7 M360 gives you 300% 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 280M and 128-bit on the Radeon R7 M360.

FeatureGeForce GTX 280MRadeon R7 M360
VRAM Capacity
1 GB
4 GB+300%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
L2 Cache
256 KB
256 KB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.1 (10_0) (GeForce GTX 280M) vs 12 (12_0) (Radeon R7 M360). OpenGL: 3.3 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 0.

FeatureGeForce GTX 280MRadeon R7 M360
DirectX
11.1 (10_0)
12 (12_0)+8%
OpenGL
3.3
4.6+39%
Max Displays
2
0
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: PureVideo HD VP2 (GeForce GTX 280M) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon R7 M360). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP2 vs UVD 4.0. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce GTX 280M) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon R7 M360).

FeatureGeForce GTX 280MRadeon R7 M360
Encoder
PureVideo HD VP2
VCE 1.0
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP2
UVD 4.0
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 280M draws 236W versus the Radeon R7 M360's 80W — a 98.7% difference. The Radeon R7 M360 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 280M) vs 350W (Radeon R7 M360). Power connectors: None vs Mobile.

FeatureGeForce GTX 280MRadeon R7 M360
TDP
236W
80W-66%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
None
Mobile
Slots
0
Temp (Load)
85°C
Perf/Watt
2.4
7.3+204%
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon R7 M360 (2015 vs 2008).

FeatureGeForce GTX 280MRadeon R7 M360
MSRP
$120
Codename
GT200
Tobago
Release
June 16 2008
June 18 2015
Ranking
#802
#576

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