Radeon 760M vs Radeon R9 280

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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

Radeon 760M

2024

Why buy it

✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 3 GB).
✅More future proof: RDNA 3.0 (2022−2026) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 15W instead of 200W, a 185W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 280 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 19.8 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $279 MSRP).

Radeon R9 280

2014

Why buy it

✅59.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 19.8 vs 0 G3D/$ ($279 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌1233.3% higher power demand at 200W vs 15W.

Radeon 760M

2024

Radeon R9 280

2014

Why buy it

✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 3 GB).
✅More future proof: RDNA 3.0 (2022−2026) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 15W instead of 200W, a 185W reduction.

Why buy it

✅59.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 19.8 vs 0 G3D/$ ($279 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 280 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 19.8 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $279 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌1233.3% higher power demand at 200W vs 15W.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon R9 280 better than Radeon 760M?

Yes. Radeon R9 280 is clearly the better overall GPU here. Radeon R9 280 averages 59.2% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 5,532 vs 5,449 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Radeon R9 280 is a 2014 card with FSR upscaling, while Radeon 760M is a 2024 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Radeon 760M is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2024 generation instead of 2014, more VRAM at 4 GB instead of 3 GB, 100.0% more ray-tracing hardware, and a 4nm process instead of 28nm. That extra memory headroom makes it the safer pick for newer games, heavier textures, and higher settings over time.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

Radeon R9 280 is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. Radeon R9 280 is priced in an unclear MSRP range at $279 MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 59.2% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 1.5% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%. Radeon 760M is the newer 2024 card, so it still has a real case if you care more about newer architecture, lower power draw (15W vs 200W), and future-proofing than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

When does Radeon 760M make more sense than Radeon R9 280?

Yes. Radeon 760M is still an excellent gaming GPU in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It makes more sense if your priority is newer architecture, lower power draw (15W vs 200W), future-proofing, and staying closer to an unclear MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Radeon R9 280. The trade-off is that Radeon R9 280 currently gives you 1.5% higher G3D Mark and 59.2% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

Radeon 760M Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 280 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Radeon 760M	Radeon R9 280
1080p
low	46 FPS	77 FPS
medium	29 FPS	63 FPS
high	21 FPS	50 FPS
ultra	12 FPS	33 FPS
1440p
low	32 FPS	65 FPS
medium	19 FPS	54 FPS
high	11 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	6 FPS	24 FPS
4K
low	12 FPS	24 FPS
medium	8 FPS	23 FPS
high	5 FPS	14 FPS
ultra	3 FPS	12 FPS

Open Radeon 760M Open Radeon R9 280

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Radeon 760M	Radeon R9 280
1080p
low	87 FPS	129 FPS
medium	61 FPS	100 FPS
high	42 FPS	79 FPS
ultra	29 FPS	53 FPS
1440p
low	56 FPS	73 FPS
medium	36 FPS	53 FPS
high	28 FPS	39 FPS
ultra	20 FPS	28 FPS
4K
low	29 FPS	28 FPS
medium	21 FPS	20 FPS
high	16 FPS	16 FPS
ultra	11 FPS	11 FPS

Open Radeon 760M Open Radeon R9 280

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Radeon 760M	Radeon R9 280
1080p
low	245 FPS	249 FPS
medium	196 FPS	199 FPS
high	163 FPS	166 FPS
ultra	123 FPS	124 FPS
1440p
low	184 FPS	187 FPS
medium	147 FPS	149 FPS
high	123 FPS	124 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	93 FPS
4K
low	123 FPS	124 FPS
medium	98 FPS	100 FPS
high	77 FPS	83 FPS
ultra	53 FPS	62 FPS

Open Radeon 760M Open Radeon R9 280

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Radeon 760M	Radeon R9 280
1080p
low	154 FPS	140 FPS
medium	120 FPS	116 FPS
high	103 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	81 FPS	85 FPS
1440p
low	109 FPS	103 FPS
medium	87 FPS	85 FPS
high	74 FPS	74 FPS
ultra	58 FPS	59 FPS
4K
low	65 FPS	62 FPS
medium	52 FPS	48 FPS
high	42 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	30 FPS	27 FPS

Open Radeon 760M Open Radeon R9 280

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon 760M and Radeon R9 280

Radeon 760M

The Radeon 760M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 31 2024. It features the RDNA 3.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 800 MHz to 2599 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 15W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. It features 8 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,449 points.

Radeon R9 280

The Radeon R9 280 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 4 2014. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 933 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,532 points. Launch price was $279.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon 760M scores 5,449 and the Radeon R9 280 reaches 5,532 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon 760M is built on RDNA 3.0 while the Radeon R9 280 uses GCN 1.0, both on 4 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 512 (Radeon 760M) vs 1,792 (Radeon R9 280). Raw compute: 5.323 TFLOPS (Radeon 760M) vs 3.344 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 280). Boost clocks: 2599 MHz vs 933 MHz.

Feature	Radeon 760M	Radeon R9 280
G3D Mark Score	5,449	5,532+2%
Architecture	RDNA 3.0	GCN 1.0
Process Node	4 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	512	1792+250%
Compute (TFLOPS)	5.323 TFLOPS+59%	3.344 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	2599 MHz+179%	933 MHz
ROPs	16	32+100%
TMUs	32	112+250%
L1 Cache	128 KB	448 KB+250%
L2 Cache	2 MB+167%	0.75 MB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling + RSR	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon 760M	Radeon R9 280
Upscaling Tech	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	AMD Anti-Lag	AMD Anti-Lag

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The Radeon 760M comes with 4 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 280 has 3 GB. The Radeon 760M offers 33.3% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: System vs 384-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (Radeon 760M) vs 0.75 MB (Radeon R9 280) — the Radeon 760M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon 760M	Radeon R9 280
VRAM Capacity	4 GB+33%	3 GB
Memory Type	Shared	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	System	240 GB/s
Bus Width	System	384-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB+167%	0.75 MB

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Power & Dimensions

The Radeon 760M draws 15W versus the Radeon R9 280's 200W — a 172.1% difference. The Radeon 760M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon 760M) vs 500W (Radeon R9 280). Power connectors: None vs 6-pin + 8-pin.