GeForce GTX 670 vs Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X

CPU

GPU

GeForce GTX 670

2012Core: 915 MHzBoost: 980 MHz

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Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X

2013Boost: 1000 MHz

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GeForce GTX 670 vs Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X Performance Spectrum

GeForce GTX 670

4 GB 170

5,361

+2.2%

GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Mobile

Titan X Pascal

GeForce GTX 1070 SLI

RTX 4000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU

Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X

3 GB 200

5,248

0.0%

Radeon R7 260

Radeon RX 550 (móvel)

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 670 vs Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X 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 670 vs Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X: 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 670

2012

Why buy it

✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 3 GB).
✅Draws 170W instead of 200W, a 30W reduction.
✅Measures 241mm instead of 275mm, a 34mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2012 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
33.4% HIGHER MSRP
$399 MSRPvs$299 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 13.4 vs 17.6 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).

Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X

2013

Why buy it

✅20.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $100 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Delivers 30.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 17.6 vs 13.4 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2013 hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌17.6% higher power demand at 200W vs 170W.
❌14.1% longer card at 275mm vs 241mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 20.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GTX 670 instead at 5,361 vs 5,248, 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 670 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 4 GB vs 3 GB of VRAM. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X makes the most sense to buy today. It is $100 cheaper on MSRP at $299 vs $399, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 30.6% (17.6 vs 13.4), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 670 has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 670 vs Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 670

The GeForce GTX 670 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 10 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 915 MHz to 980 MHz. It has 1344 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 170W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,361 points. Launch price was $399.

Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X

The Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 8 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,248 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 670 scores 5,361 and the Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X reaches 5,248 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 670 is built on Kepler while the Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,344 (GeForce GTX 670) vs 2,048 (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X). Raw compute: 2.634 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 670) vs 4.096 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X). Boost clocks: 980 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 670	Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X
G3D Mark Score	5,361+2%	5,248
Architecture	Kepler	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1344	2048+52%
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.634 TFLOPS	4.096 TFLOPS+56%
Boost Clock	980 MHz	1000 MHz+2%
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	112	128+14%
L1 Cache	112 KB	512 KB+357%
L2 Cache	512 KB	768 KB+50%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 670 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 670	Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X
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 670 has 4 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X carries 3 GB. GeForce GTX 670 gives you 33.3% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 192 GB/s (GeForce GTX 670) vs 264 GB/s (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X) — a 37.5% advantage for the Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 670 and 384-bit on the Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X. L2 Cache: 512 KB (GeForce GTX 670) vs 768 KB (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X) — the Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 670	Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X
VRAM Capacity	4 GB+33%	3 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	192 GB/s	264 GB/s+38%
Bus Width	256-bit	384-bit+50%
L2 Cache	512 KB	768 KB+50%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce GTX 670) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X). Vulkan: N/A vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.

Feature	GeForce GTX 670	Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X
DirectX	12 (11_0)	12 (11_1)
Vulkan	N/A	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	6+50%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (3rd Gen) (GeForce GTX 670) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X). Decoder: NVDEC (1st Gen) vs UVD 3.2. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce GTX 670) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MPEG-4 (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X).

Feature	GeForce GTX 670	Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X
Encoder	NVENC (3rd Gen)	VCE 1.0
Decoder	NVDEC (1st Gen)	UVD 3.2
Codecs	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MPEG-4

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 670 draws 170W versus the Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X's 200W — a 16.2% difference. The GeForce GTX 670 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 670) vs 500W (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 241mm vs 275mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 82 C vs 80 C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 670	Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X
TDP	170W-15%	200W
Recommended PSU	500W	500W
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	241mm	275mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	82 C	80 C-2%
Perf/Watt	31.5+20%	26.2

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 670 came in at $399, while the Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X launched at $299. On MSRP, Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X was 25.1% cheaper ($100 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 13.4 (GeForce GTX 670) vs 17.6 (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X) — the Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X offers 31.3% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X (2013 vs 2012).

Feature	GeForce GTX 670	Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X
MSRP	$399	$299-25%
Performance per Dollar	13.4	17.6+31%
Codename	GK104	Tahiti
Release	May 10 2012	October 8 2013
Ranking	#424	#404

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