GeForce GTX 950 vs Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X

CPU

GPU

GeForce GTX 950

2015Core: 1024 MHzBoost: 1188 MHz

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Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X

2013Boost: 1000 MHz

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GeForce GTX 950 vs Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X Performance Spectrum

GeForce GTX 950

2 GB 90

5,357

+2.1%

GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU

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 950 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 950 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 950

2015

Why buy it

✅Costs $140 less on MSRP ($159 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Delivers 92% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 33.7 vs 17.6 G3D/$ ($159 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Draws 90W instead of 200W, a 110W reduction.
✅Measures 202mm instead of 275mm, a 73mm 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.
❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 3 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2015 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X

2013

Why buy it

✅42.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (3 GB vs 2 GB).

Trade-offs

❌2013 hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
88.1% HIGHER MSRP
$299 MSRPvs$159 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 17.6 vs 33.7 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs $159 MSRP).
❌122.2% higher power demand at 200W vs 90W.
❌36.1% longer card at 275mm vs 202mm.

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 42.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GTX 950 instead at 5,357 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 950 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a newer 2015 generation instead of 2013. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce GTX 950 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $140 cheaper on MSRP at $159 vs $299, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 92% (33.7 vs 17.6), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GTX 950 vs Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 950

The GeForce GTX 950 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in August 20 2015. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1024 MHz to 1188 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 90W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,357 points. Launch price was $159.

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 950 scores 5,357 and the Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X reaches 5,248 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 950 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 768 (GeForce GTX 950) vs 2,048 (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X). Raw compute: 1.825 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 950) vs 4.096 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X). Boost clocks: 1188 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 950	Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X
G3D Mark Score	5,357+2%	5,248
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	768	2048+167%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.825 TFLOPS	4.096 TFLOPS+124%
Boost Clock	1188 MHz+19%	1000 MHz
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	48	128+167%
L1 Cache	288 KB	512 KB+78%
L2 Cache	1 MB+33%	0.75 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 950 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 950	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 950 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: 106 GB/s (GeForce GTX 950) vs 264 GB/s (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X) — a 149.1% advantage for the Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce GTX 950 and 384-bit on the Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce GTX 950) vs 0.75 MB (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X) — the GeForce GTX 950 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 950	Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	3 GB+50%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	106 GB/s	264 GB/s+149%
Bus Width	128-bit	384-bit+200%
L2 Cache	1 MB+33%	0.75 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12_1 (GeForce GTX 950) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.

Feature	GeForce GTX 950	Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X
DirectX	12_1	12 (11_1)
Max Displays	4	6+50%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 2nd Gen (GeForce GTX 950) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X). Decoder: NVDEC 2nd Gen vs UVD 3.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265 (GeForce GTX 950) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MPEG-4 (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X).

Feature	GeForce GTX 950	Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X
Encoder	NVENC 2nd Gen	VCE 1.0
Decoder	NVDEC 2nd Gen	UVD 3.2
Codecs	H.264,H.265	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MPEG-4

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 950 draws 90W versus the Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X's 200W — a 75.9% difference. The GeForce GTX 950 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 950) vs 500W (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 202mm vs 275mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 950	Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X
TDP	90W-55%	200W
Recommended PSU	350W-30%	500W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	202mm	275mm
Height	—	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	—	80 C
Perf/Watt	59.5+127%	26.2

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 950 came in at $159, while the Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X launched at $299. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 950 was 46.8% cheaper ($140 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 33.7 (GeForce GTX 950) vs 17.6 (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X) — the GeForce GTX 950 offers 91.5% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 950 (2015 vs 2013).

Feature	GeForce GTX 950	Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X
MSRP	$159-47%	$299
Performance per Dollar	33.7+91%	17.6
Codename	GM206	Tahiti
Release	August 20 2015	October 8 2013
Ranking	#425	#404

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