NVS 310 vs Radeon HD 8280G

NVS 310

2015Core: 902 MHzBoost: 1033 MHz
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 8280G

2013Core: 725 MHzBoost: 775 MHz
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NVS 310 vs Radeon HD 8280G 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.

NVS 310 vs Radeon HD 8280G: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

NVS 310

2015

Why buy it

  • More future proof: Maxwell (2014−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 2015 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 218% HIGHER MSRP
    $159 MSRPvs$50 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.7 vs 5.4 G3D/$ ($159 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).
  • 36% higher power demand at 68W vs 50W.

Radeon HD 8280G

2013

Why buy it

  • Costs $109 less on MSRP ($50 MSRP vs $159 MSRP).
  • Delivers 212.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.4 vs 1.7 G3D/$ ($50 MSRP vs $159 MSRP).
  • Draws 50W instead of 68W, a 18W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • 2013 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
NVS 310 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 1.9% in PassMark G3D (275 vs 270), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
NVS 310 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?
Radeon HD 8280G makes the most sense to buy today. It is $109 cheaper on MSRP at $50 vs $159, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 212.2% (5.4 vs 1.7), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 8280G is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, NVS 310 has the stronger long-term case.

NVS 310 vs Radeon HD 8280G Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

NVS 310

The NVS 310 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in November 4 2015. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 902 MHz to 1033 MHz. It has 512 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 68W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 275 points.

AMD

Radeon HD 8280G

The Radeon HD 8280G is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 1 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 725 MHz to 775 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 270 points.

Graphics Performance

The NVS 310 scores 275 and the Radeon HD 8280G reaches 270 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The NVS 310 is built on Maxwell while the Radeon HD 8280G uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 512 (NVS 310) vs 640 (Radeon HD 8280G). Raw compute: 1.058 TFLOPS ×2 (NVS 310) vs 0.992 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8280G). Boost clocks: 1033 MHz vs 775 MHz.

FeatureNVS 310Radeon HD 8280G
G3D Mark Score
275+2%
270
Architecture
Maxwell
GCN 1.0
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
512 ×2
640+25%
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.058 TFLOPS ×2+7%
0.992 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1033 MHz+33%
775 MHz
ROPs
16 ×2
16
TMUs
32 ×2
40+25%
L1 Cache
256 KB+60%
160 KB
L2 Cache
1 MB+300%
0.25 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureNVS 310Radeon HD 8280G
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 512 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the NVS 310 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 8280G. L2 Cache: 1 MB (NVS 310) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon HD 8280G) — the NVS 310 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureNVS 310Radeon HD 8280G
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
128-bit+100%
L2 Cache
1 MB+300%
0.25 MB
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The NVS 310 draws 68W versus the Radeon HD 8280G's 50W — a 30.5% difference. The Radeon HD 8280G is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (NVS 310) vs 350W (Radeon HD 8280G). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 1x 6-pin.

FeatureNVS 310Radeon HD 8280G
TDP
68W
50W-26%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
1x 6-pin
Length
145mm
Height
69mm
Slots
1
Temp (Load)
75°C
Perf/Watt
4.0
5.4+35%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the NVS 310 came in at $159, while the Radeon HD 8280G launched at $50. On MSRP, Radeon HD 8280G was 68.6% cheaper ($109 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.7 (NVS 310) vs 5.4 (Radeon HD 8280G) — the Radeon HD 8280G offers 217.6% better value. The newer card here is NVS 310 (2015 vs 2013).

FeatureNVS 310Radeon HD 8280G
MSRP
$159
$50-69%
Performance per Dollar
1.7
5.4+218%
Codename
GM107
Venus
Release
November 4 2015
April 1 2013
Ranking
#826
#745

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