GeForce GTX 760 vs Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280

CPU

GPU

GeForce GTX 760

2013Core: 980 MHzBoost: 1033 MHz

Similar parts

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Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280

2012Boost: 1250 MHz

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GeForce GTX 760 vs Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 Performance Spectrum

GeForce GTX 760

4 GB 170

4,813

+1.0%

GeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design

GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU

RTX 4000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU

Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280

3 GB 200

4,765

0.0%

Radeon HD 8770

Radeon R7 360

Radeon RX 560

Radeon RX 460 (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 vs Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 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 vs Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280: 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

2013

Why buy it

✅Costs $30 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $279 MSRP).
✅Delivers 13.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 19.3 vs 17.1 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $279 MSRP).
✅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 278mm, a 37mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2013 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280

2012

Why buy it

✅24.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2012 hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
12% HIGHER MSRP
$279 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 17.1 vs 19.3 G3D/$ ($279 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
❌17.6% higher power demand at 200W vs 170W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 24.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GTX 760 instead at 4,813 vs 4,765, 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 760 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 4 GB vs 3 GB of VRAM and a newer 2013 generation instead of 2012. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce GTX 760 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $30 cheaper on MSRP at $249 vs $279, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 13.2% (19.3 vs 17.1), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GTX 760 vs Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 760

The GeForce GTX 760 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in June 25 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 980 MHz to 1033 MHz. It has 1152 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 170W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,813 points. Launch price was $249.

Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280

The Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 31 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1250 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,765 points. Launch price was $449.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 760 scores 4,813 and the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 reaches 4,765 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 760 is built on Kepler while the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,152 (GeForce GTX 760) vs 1,792 (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280). Raw compute: 2.378 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 760) vs 2.867 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280). Boost clocks: 1033 MHz vs 1250 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 760	Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280
G3D Mark Score	4,813+1%	4,765
Architecture	Kepler	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1152	1792+56%
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.378 TFLOPS	2.867 TFLOPS+21%
Boost Clock	1033 MHz	1250 MHz+21%
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	96	112+17%
L1 Cache	96 KB	448 KB+367%
L2 Cache	512 KB	768 KB+50%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 760 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 760	Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280
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 has 4 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 carries 3 GB. GeForce GTX 760 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 760) vs 240 GB/s (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280) — a 25% advantage for the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 760 and 384-bit on the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280. L2 Cache: 512 KB (GeForce GTX 760) vs 768 KB (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280) — the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 760	Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280
VRAM Capacity	4 GB+33%	3 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	192 GB/s	240 GB/s+25%
Bus Width	256-bit	384-bit+50%
L2 Cache	512 KB	768 KB+50%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce GTX 760) vs 12 (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.3 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 760	Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280
DirectX	12 (11_0)	12
Vulkan	1.2	1.2
OpenGL	4.3	4.6+7%
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st gen (GeForce GTX 760) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280). Decoder: NVDEC 1st gen vs UVD 3.2. Supported codecs: H.264 (GeForce GTX 760) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MVC (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280).

Feature	GeForce GTX 760	Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280
Encoder	NVENC 1st gen	VCE 1.0
Decoder	NVDEC 1st gen	UVD 3.2
Codecs	H.264	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MVC

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 760 draws 170W versus the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280's 200W — a 16.2% difference. The GeForce GTX 760 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 760) vs 500W (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 241mm vs 278mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 80°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 760	Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280
TDP	170W-15%	200W
Recommended PSU	500W	500W
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	2x 6-pin
Length	241mm	278mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	80°C	80°C
Perf/Watt	28.3+19%	23.8

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 760 came in at $249, while the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 launched at $279. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 760 was 10.8% cheaper ($30 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 19.3 (GeForce GTX 760) vs 17.1 (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280) — the GeForce GTX 760 offers 12.9% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 760 (2013 vs 2012).

Feature	GeForce GTX 760	Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280
MSRP	$249-11%	$279
Performance per Dollar	19.3+13%	17.1
Codename	GK104	Tahiti
Release	June 25 2013	January 31 2012
Ranking	#450	#454

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