GeForce GTX 770
Radeon R9 280X
GeForce GTX 770 vs Radeon R9 280X 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 770 vs Radeon 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.
Path of Exile 2
Counter-Strike 2
League of Legends
Valorant
Among Us
Apex Legends
ARC Raiders
Baldur's Gate 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
GeForce GTX 770 vs Radeon 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 770
2013Why buy it
- ✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 3 GB).
- ✅More future proof: Kepler (2012−2018) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 280X 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.
- ❌33.4% HIGHER MSRP$399 MSRPvs$299 MSRP
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 14.9 vs 20.4 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
- ❌15% higher power demand at 230W vs 200W.
Radeon R9 280X
2013Why buy it
- ✅18.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Costs $100 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
- ✅Delivers 36.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 20.4 vs 14.9 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
- ✅GeForce GTX 770 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so Radeon R9 280X is the less risky modern option long term.
- ✅Draws 200W instead of 230W, a 30W reduction.
Trade-offs
- ❌Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌2013 hardware with 3 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
Quick Answers
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GeForce GTX 770 vs Radeon R9 280X Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
GeForce GTX 770
The GeForce GTX 770 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 30 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 1046 MHz to 1085 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 230W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,961 points. Launch price was $399.
Radeon R9 280X
The Radeon 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: 6,100 points. Launch price was $299.
Graphics Performance
The GeForce GTX 770 scores 5,961 and the Radeon R9 280X reaches 6,100 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 770 is built on Kepler while the Radeon R9 280X uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,536 (GeForce GTX 770) vs 2,048 (Radeon R9 280X). Raw compute: 3.333 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 770) vs 4.096 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 280X). Boost clocks: 1085 MHz vs 1000 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 770 | Radeon R9 280X |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 5,961 | 6,100+2% |
| Architecture | Kepler | GCN 1.0 |
| Process Node | 28 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 1536 | 2048+33% |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 3.333 TFLOPS | 4.096 TFLOPS+23% |
| Boost Clock | 1085 MHz+9% | 1000 MHz |
| ROPs | 32 | 32 |
| TMUs | 128 | 128 |
| L1 Cache | 128 KB | 512 KB+300% |
| L2 Cache | 512 KB | 768 KB+50% |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce GTX 770 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R9 280X leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 770 | Radeon 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 770 has 4 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 280X carries 3 GB. GeForce GTX 770 gives you 33.3% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 224 GB/s (GeForce GTX 770) vs 288 GB/s (Radeon R9 280X) — a 28.6% advantage for the Radeon R9 280X. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 770 and 384-bit on the Radeon R9 280X. L2 Cache: 512 KB (GeForce GTX 770) vs 768 KB (Radeon R9 280X) — the Radeon R9 280X has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 770 | Radeon R9 280X |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 4 GB+33% | 3 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 224 GB/s | 288 GB/s+29% |
| Bus Width | 256-bit | 384-bit+50% |
| L2 Cache | 512 KB | 768 KB+50% |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12.0 (GeForce GTX 770) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon R9 280X). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 770 | Radeon R9 280X |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12.0 | 12 (11_1) |
| Vulkan | 1.1 | 1.2+9% |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Max Displays | 4+33% | 3 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st gen (GeForce GTX 770) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 280X). Decoder: PureVideo VP5 vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce GTX 770) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon R9 280X).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 770 | Radeon R9 280X |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC 1st gen | VCE 2.0 |
| Decoder | PureVideo VP5 | UVD 4.2 |
| Codecs | H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 | H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce GTX 770 draws 230W versus the Radeon R9 280X's 200W — a 14% difference. The Radeon R9 280X is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce GTX 770) vs 500W (Radeon R9 280X). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 75°C.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 770 | Radeon R9 280X |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 230W | 200W-13% |
| Recommended PSU | 600W | 500W-17% |
| Power Connector | 6-pin + 8-pin | 6-pin + 8-pin |
| Length | 267mm | — |
| Height | 111mm | — |
| Slots | 2 | 2 |
| Temp (Load) | 80°C | 75°C-6% |
| Perf/Watt | 25.9 | 30.5+18% |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce GTX 770 came in at $399, while the Radeon R9 280X launched at $299. On MSRP, Radeon R9 280X was 25.1% cheaper ($100 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 14.9 (GeForce GTX 770) vs 20.4 (Radeon R9 280X) — the Radeon R9 280X offers 36.9% better value.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 770 | Radeon R9 280X |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $399 | $299-25% |
| Performance per Dollar | 14.9 | 20.4+37% |
| Codename | GK104 | Tahiti |
| Release | May 30 2013 | October 8 2013 |
| Ranking | #398 | #404 |
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