GeForce RTX 2060 vs Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X

CPU

GPU

GeForce RTX 2060

2019Core: 1365 MHzBoost: 1680 MHz

RTX family

·······

Buy on Amazon

Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X

2013Boost: 1000 MHz

Similar parts

·······

Buy on Amazon

GeForce RTX 2060 vs Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X Performance Spectrum

GeForce RTX 2060

6 GB 160

14,114

+168.9%

GeForce GTX 1650

GeForce GTX TITAN Black

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB

GeForce RTX 3050 8GB

GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile

RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation

RTX 4000 Ada Generation

GeForce RTX 3080 Ti

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 RTX 2060 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 RTX 2060 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 RTX 2060

2019

Why buy it

✅98.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 130.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 17.6 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 3 GB).
✅Better long-term bet: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X

2013

Why buy it

✅Costs $50 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 2060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
❌2013 hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 17.6 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce RTX 2060 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 98.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 168.9% in PassMark G3D (14,114 vs 5,248), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce RTX 2060 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 6 GB vs 3 GB of VRAM, a 12nm process instead of 28nm, 30 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2019 generation instead of 2013. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce RTX 2060 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $50 more expensive on MSRP at $349 vs $299, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 130.4% (40.4 vs 17.6), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce RTX 2060 vs Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X Technical Specifications

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

GeForce RTX 2060

The GeForce RTX 2060 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 7 2019. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1365 MHz to 1680 MHz. It has 1920 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 160W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. It features 30 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 14,114 points. Launch price was $349.

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

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 2060 scores 14,114 versus the Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X's 5,248 — the GeForce RTX 2060 leads by 168.9%. The GeForce RTX 2060 is built on Turing while the Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X uses GCN 1.0, both on 12 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,920 (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 2,048 (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X). Raw compute: 6.451 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 4.096 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X). Boost clocks: 1680 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	GeForce RTX 2060	Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X
G3D Mark Score	14,114+169%	5,248
Architecture	Turing	GCN 1.0
Process Node	12 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1920	2048+7%
Compute (TFLOPS)	6.451 TFLOPS+57%	4.096 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1680 MHz+68%	1000 MHz
ROPs	48+50%	32
TMUs	120	128+7%
L1 Cache	1.9 MB+280%	0.5 MB
L2 Cache	3 MB+300%	0.75 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 2060 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 RTX 2060	Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X
Upscaling Tech	DLSS 2 Super Resolution	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 RTX 2060 has 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X carries 3 GB. GeForce RTX 2060 gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 336 GB/s (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 264 GB/s (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X) — a 27.3% advantage for the GeForce RTX 2060. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 2060 and 384-bit on the Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 0.75 MB (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X) — the GeForce RTX 2060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 2060	Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X
VRAM Capacity	6 GB+100%	3 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	336 GB/s+27%	264 GB/s
Bus Width	192-bit	384-bit+100%
L2 Cache	3 MB+300%	0.75 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.

Feature	GeForce RTX 2060	Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X
DirectX	12 Ultimate (12_2)	12 (11_1)
Vulkan	1.3+8%	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	6+50%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Turing) (GeForce RTX 2060) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X). Decoder: NVDEC (Turing) vs UVD 3.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,VP9,VP8,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce RTX 2060) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MPEG-4 (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X).

Feature	GeForce RTX 2060	Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X
Encoder	NVENC (Turing)	VCE 1.0
Decoder	NVDEC (Turing)	UVD 3.2
Codecs	H.264,H.265,VP9,VP8,MPEG-2,VC-1	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MPEG-4

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 2060 draws 160W versus the Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X's 200W — a 22.2% difference. The GeForce RTX 2060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 500W (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 229mm vs 275mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 72 vs 80 C.

Feature	GeForce RTX 2060	Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X
TDP	160W-20%	200W
Recommended PSU	500W	500W
Power Connector	8-pin	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	229mm	275mm
Height	113mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	72-10%	80 C
Perf/Watt	88.2+237%	26.2

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 2060 came in at $349, while the Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X launched at $299. On MSRP, Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X was 14.3% cheaper ($50 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 17.6 (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X) — the GeForce RTX 2060 offers 129.5% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 2060 (2019 vs 2013).

Feature	GeForce RTX 2060	Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X
MSRP	$349	$299-14%
Performance per Dollar	40.4+130%	17.6
Codename	TU106	Tahiti
Release	January 7 2019	October 8 2013
Ranking	#168	#404

Search GeForce RTX 2060 on Amazon

Search Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X on Amazon

Affiliate Disclosure

ChipVERSUS is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through our links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support our work in providing comprehensive PC building guides and tools.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.