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GRID K280Q vs Radeon HD 6970

CPUCPUGPUGPU

GRID K280Q

2013Core: 745 MHz
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 6970

2010Boost: 880 MHz
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GRID K280Q vs Radeon HD 6970 Performance Spectrum

GRID K280Q
2 GB 225
2,840
+0.3%
brand logoGeForce GTX 550 Ti
brand logoGeForce GTX 570M
brand logoGeForce GTX 745
brand logoGeForce GTX 650 Ti
brand logoGeForce GTX 980M
brand logoGeForce RTX 3050 OEM
brand logoGeForce RTX 2070
brand logoRTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation
Radeon HD 6970
2 GB 250
2,831
0.0%
brand logoRadeon 630
brand logoRadeon R7 450
brand logoRadeon HD 6870
brand logoRadeon RX 550X
brand logoRadeon RX 6500M
brand logoRadeon RX 7400
brand logoRadeon RX 8050S
brand logoRadeon RX 6750 XT

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.

GRID K280Q vs Radeon HD 6970: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

GRID K280Q

2013

Why buy it

  • ✅Measures 1mm instead of 286mm, a 285mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.
  • ✅More future proof: Kepler (2012−2018) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • ❌2013 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • ❌
    442% HIGHER MSRP
    $2,000 MSRPvs$369 MSRP
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.4 vs 7.7 G3D/$ ($2,000 MSRP vs $369 MSRP).

Radeon HD 6970

2010

Why buy it

  • ✅Costs $1,631 less on MSRP ($369 MSRP vs $2,000 MSRP).
  • ✅Delivers 440.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 7.7 vs 1.4 G3D/$ ($369 MSRP vs $2,000 MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • ❌2010 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • ❌28500% longer card at 286mm vs 1mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GRID K280Q is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 0.3% in PassMark G3D (2,840 vs 2,831), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GRID K280Q is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2013 generation instead of 2010. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon HD 6970 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $1,631 cheaper on MSRP at $369 vs $2,000, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 440.3% (7.7 vs 1.4), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 6970 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GRID K280Q has the stronger long-term case.

GRID K280Q vs Radeon HD 6970 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GRID K280Q

The GRID K280Q is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in June 28 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock speed is 745 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 225W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,840 points. Launch price was $1,875.

AMD

Radeon HD 6970

The Radeon HD 6970 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in December 14 2010. It features the TeraScale 3 architecture. The boost clock speed is 880 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,831 points. Launch price was $369.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GRID K280Q scores 2,840 and the Radeon HD 6970 reaches 2,831 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GRID K280Q is built on Kepler while the Radeon HD 6970 uses TeraScale 3, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 1,536 (GRID K280Q) vs 1,536 (Radeon HD 6970). Raw compute: 2.289 TFLOPS (GRID K280Q) vs 2.703 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6970).

FeatureGRID K280QRadeon HD 6970
G3D Mark Score
2,840
2,831
Architecture
Kepler
TeraScale 3
Process Node
28 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
1536
1536
Compute (TFLOPS)
2.289 TFLOPS
2.703 TFLOPS+18%
ROPs
32
32
TMUs
128+33%
96
L1 Cache
128 KB
192 KB+50%
L2 Cache
512 KB
512 KB
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureGRID K280QRadeon HD 6970
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 2 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the GRID K280Q and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 6970.

FeatureGRID K280QRadeon HD 6970
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
128-bit+100%
L2 Cache
512 KB
512 KB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11_0 (GRID K280Q) vs 11.0 (Radeon HD 6970). Maximum simultaneous displays: 0 vs 6.

FeatureGRID K280QRadeon HD 6970
DirectX
11_0
11.0
Max Displays
0
6
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GRID K280Q draws 225W versus the Radeon HD 6970's 250W — a 10.5% difference. The GRID K280Q is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GRID K280Q) vs 550W (Radeon HD 6970). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 1mm vs 286mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots.

FeatureGRID K280QRadeon HD 6970
TDP
225W-10%
250W
Recommended PSU
350W-36%
550W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
6-pin + 8-pin
Length
1mm
286mm
Height
—
111mm
Slots
0-100%
2
Temp (Load)
—
90
Perf/Watt
12.6+12%
11.3
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GRID K280Q came in at $2000, while the Radeon HD 6970 launched at $369. On MSRP, Radeon HD 6970 was 81.5% cheaper ($1631 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.4 (GRID K280Q) vs 7.7 (Radeon HD 6970) — the Radeon HD 6970 offers 450% better value. The newer card here is GRID K280Q (2013 vs 2010).

FeatureGRID K280QRadeon HD 6970
MSRP
$2000
$369-82%
Performance per Dollar
1.4
7.7+450%
Codename
GK104
Cayman
Release
June 28 2013
December 14 2010
Ranking
#595
#596
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