GeForce GTX 760 Ti vs Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X

CPU

GPU

GeForce GTX 760 Ti

2013Core: 875 MHzBoost: 928 MHz

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Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X

2013Boost: 1000 MHz

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GeForce GTX 760 Ti vs Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X Performance Spectrum

GeForce GTX 760 Ti

2 GB 250

5,307

+1.1%

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 760 Ti 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 760 Ti 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 760 Ti

2013

Why buy it

✅0.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $50 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Delivers 21.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 21.3 vs 17.6 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Measures 241mm instead of 275mm, a 34mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 3 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2013 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌25% higher power demand at 250W vs 200W.

Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X

2013

Why buy it

✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (3 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Draws 200W instead of 250W, a 50W reduction.
✅More future proof: GCN 1.0 (2012−2020) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 760 Ti across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2013 hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
20.1% HIGHER MSRP
$299 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 17.6 vs 21.3 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
❌14.1% longer card at 275mm vs 241mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce GTX 760 Ti is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 0.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1.1% in PassMark G3D (5,307 vs 5,248), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce GTX 760 Ti 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?

GeForce GTX 760 Ti makes the most sense to buy today. It is $50 cheaper on MSRP at $249 vs $299, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 21.4% (21.3 vs 17.6), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce GTX 760 Ti vs Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 760 Ti

The GeForce GTX 760 Ti is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in November 7 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 875 MHz to 928 MHz. It has 2880 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,307 points. Launch price was $699.

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 760 Ti scores 5,307 and the Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X reaches 5,248 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 760 Ti is built on Kepler while the Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,880 (GeForce GTX 760 Ti) vs 2,048 (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X). Raw compute: 5.345 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 760 Ti) vs 4.096 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X). Boost clocks: 928 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 760 Ti	Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X
G3D Mark Score	5,307+1%	5,248
Architecture	Kepler	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2880+41%	2048
Compute (TFLOPS)	5.345 TFLOPS+30%	4.096 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	928 MHz	1000 MHz+8%
ROPs	48+50%	32
TMUs	240+88%	128
L1 Cache	240 KB	512 KB+113%
L2 Cache	1.5 MB+100%	0.75 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 760 Ti 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 760 Ti	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 760 Ti has 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X carries 3 GB. Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X gives you 50% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 192 GB/s (GeForce GTX 760 Ti) 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 760 Ti and 384-bit on the Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 760 Ti) vs 0.75 MB (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X) — the GeForce GTX 760 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 760 Ti	Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	3 GB+50%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	192 GB/s	264 GB/s+38%
Bus Width	256-bit	384-bit+50%
L2 Cache	1.5 MB+100%	0.75 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11_0 (GeForce GTX 760 Ti) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.

Feature	GeForce GTX 760 Ti	Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X
DirectX	11_0	12 (11_1)+9%
Max Displays	4	6+50%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 3rd Gen (GeForce GTX 760 Ti) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X). Decoder: NVDEC 1st Gen vs UVD 3.2.

Feature	GeForce GTX 760 Ti	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,MPEG-4

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 760 Ti draws 250W versus the Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X's 200W — a 22.2% difference. The Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 760 Ti) 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.

Feature	GeForce GTX 760 Ti	Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X
TDP	250W	200W-20%
Recommended PSU	500W	500W
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	241mm	275mm
Height	—	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	—	80 C
Perf/Watt	21.2	26.2+24%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 760 Ti came in at $249, while the Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X launched at $299. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 760 Ti was 16.7% cheaper ($50 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 21.3 (GeForce GTX 760 Ti) vs 17.6 (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X) — the GeForce GTX 760 Ti offers 21% better value.

Feature	GeForce GTX 760 Ti	Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X
MSRP	$249-17%	$299
Performance per Dollar	21.3+21%	17.6
Codename	GK110B	Tahiti
Release	November 7 2013	October 8 2013
Ranking	#278	#404

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