GeForce GTX 480 vs Radeon HD 7800-serie

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 480 vs Radeon HD 7800-serie 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 480 vs Radeon HD 7800-serie: 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 480

2010

Why buy it

✅9.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2010 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
43% HIGHER MSRP
$499 MSRPvs$349 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 8.2 vs 11.5 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
❌25% higher power demand at 250W vs 200W.

Radeon HD 7800-serie

2012

Why buy it

✅Costs $150 less on MSRP ($349 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
✅Delivers 41.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 11.5 vs 8.2 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Draws 200W instead of 250W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 480 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2012 hardware with 2 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 480 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 9.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1.1% in PassMark G3D (4,075 vs 4,029), so the answer here is pretty clean.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce GTX 480 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 7800-serie makes the most sense to buy today. It is $150 cheaper on MSRP at $349 vs $499, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 41.4% (11.5 vs 8.2), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 7800-serie is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 480 has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 480 vs Radeon HD 7800-serie Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 480

The GeForce GTX 480 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 26 2010. It features the Fermi architecture. The core clock speed is 700 MHz. It has 480 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,075 points. Launch price was $499.

Radeon HD 7800-serie

The Radeon HD 7800-serie is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 5 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,029 points. Launch price was $349.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 480 scores 4,075 and the Radeon HD 7800-serie reaches 4,029 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 480 is built on Fermi while the Radeon HD 7800-serie uses GCN 1.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 480 (GeForce GTX 480) vs 1,280 (Radeon HD 7800-serie). Raw compute: 1.345 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 480) vs 2.56 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7800-serie).

Feature	GeForce GTX 480	Radeon HD 7800-serie
G3D Mark Score	4,075+1%	4,029
Architecture	Fermi	GCN 1.0
Process Node	40 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	480	1280+167%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.345 TFLOPS	2.56 TFLOPS+90%
ROPs	48+50%	32
TMUs	60	80+33%
L1 Cache	960 KB+200%	320 KB
L2 Cache	768 KB+50%	512 KB

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 480 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 7800-serie leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 480	Radeon HD 7800-serie
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

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 480 has 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 7800-serie carries 2 GB. Radeon HD 7800-serie gives you 33.3% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 177.4 GB/s (GeForce GTX 480) vs 153.6 GB/s (Radeon HD 7800-serie) — a 15.5% advantage for the GeForce GTX 480. Memory bus width is 384-bit on the GeForce GTX 480 and 256-bit on the Radeon HD 7800-serie. L2 Cache: 768 KB (GeForce GTX 480) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 7800-serie) — the GeForce GTX 480 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 480	Radeon HD 7800-serie
VRAM Capacity	1.5 GB	2 GB+33%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	177.4 GB/s+15%	153.6 GB/s
Bus Width	384-bit+50%	256-bit
L2 Cache	768 KB+50%	512 KB

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 480 draws 250W versus the Radeon HD 7800-serie's 200W — a 22.2% difference. The Radeon HD 7800-serie is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce GTX 480) vs 500W (Radeon HD 7800-serie). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs 2x 6-pin.

Feature	GeForce GTX 480	Radeon HD 7800-serie
TDP	250W	200W-20%
Recommended PSU	600W	500W-17%
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	2x 6-pin
Length	267mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	—
Temp (Load)	90°C	—
Perf/Watt	16.3	20.1+23%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 480 came in at $499, while the Radeon HD 7800-serie launched at $349. On MSRP, Radeon HD 7800-serie was 30.1% cheaper ($150 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 8.2 (GeForce GTX 480) vs 11.5 (Radeon HD 7800-serie) — the Radeon HD 7800-serie offers 40.2% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 7800-serie (2012 vs 2010).

Feature	GeForce GTX 480	Radeon HD 7800-serie
MSRP	$499	$349-30%
Performance per Dollar	8.2	11.5+40%
Codename	GF100	Pitcairn
Release	March 26 2010	March 5 2012
Ranking	#488	#460

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