Radeon HD 2900 GT vs Radeon HD 7480D

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.

Radeon HD 2900 GT vs Radeon HD 7480D 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.

Radeon HD 2900 GT vs Radeon HD 7480D: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

Radeon HD 2900 GT

2013

Why buy it

✅Draws 25W instead of 200W, a 175W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7480D across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2013 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
220.8% HIGHER MSRP
$170 MSRPvs$53 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.7 vs 5.3 G3D/$ ($170 MSRP vs $53 MSRP).

Radeon HD 7480D

2012

Why buy it

✅25.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $117 less on MSRP ($53 MSRP vs $170 MSRP).
✅Delivers 208.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.3 vs 1.7 G3D/$ ($53 MSRP vs $170 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌2012 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌700% higher power demand at 200W vs 25W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 7480D is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 25.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon HD 2900 GT instead at 292 vs 281, 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?

Radeon HD 2900 GT is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a newer 2013 generation instead of 2012. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 7480D makes the most sense to buy today. It is $117 cheaper on MSRP at $53 vs $170, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 208.7% (5.3 vs 1.7), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 7480D is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon HD 2900 GT has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 2900 GT vs Radeon HD 7480D Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 2900 GT

The Radeon HD 2900 GT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 7 2013. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 725 MHz. It has 480 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 25W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 292 points.

Radeon HD 7480D

The Radeon HD 7480D is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 5 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 281 points. Launch price was $349.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 2900 GT scores 292 and the Radeon HD 7480D reaches 281 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 2900 GT is built on TeraScale 2 while the Radeon HD 7480D uses GCN 1.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 480 (Radeon HD 2900 GT) vs 1,280 (Radeon HD 7480D). Raw compute: 0.696 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 2900 GT) vs 2.56 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7480D).

Feature	Radeon HD 2900 GT	Radeon HD 7480D
G3D Mark Score	292+4%	281
Architecture	TeraScale 2	GCN 1.0
Process Node	40 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	480	1280+167%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.696 TFLOPS	2.56 TFLOPS+268%
ROPs	8	32+300%
TMUs	24	80+233%
L1 Cache	48 KB	320 KB+567%
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 2900 GT	Radeon HD 7480D
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

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 512 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the Radeon HD 2900 GT and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 7480D. L2 Cache: 256 KB (Radeon HD 2900 GT) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 7480D) — the Radeon HD 7480D has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 2900 GT	Radeon HD 7480D
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	0.5 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 2900 GT draws 25W versus the Radeon HD 7480D's 200W — a 155.6% difference. The Radeon HD 2900 GT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 2900 GT) vs 350W (Radeon HD 7480D). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin.

Feature	Radeon HD 2900 GT	Radeon HD 7480D
TDP	25W-88%	200W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	241mm	—
Slots	2	—
Perf/Watt	11.7+736%	1.4

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 2900 GT came in at $170, while the Radeon HD 7480D launched at $53. On MSRP, Radeon HD 7480D was 68.8% cheaper ($117 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.7 (Radeon HD 2900 GT) vs 5.3 (Radeon HD 7480D) — the Radeon HD 7480D offers 211.8% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 2900 GT (2013 vs 2012).

Feature	Radeon HD 2900 GT	Radeon HD 7480D
MSRP	$170	$53-69%
Performance per Dollar	1.7	5.3+212%
Codename	Thames	Pitcairn
Release	January 7 2013	March 5 2012
Ranking	#883	#460

Search Radeon HD 2900 GT on Amazon

Search Radeon HD 7480D 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.