Radeon HD 6480G vs Radeon HD 8280

AMD

Radeon HD 6480G

2010Boost: 900 MHz
VS
AMD

Radeon HD 8280

2013Core: 725 MHzBoost: 775 MHz

Radeon HD 6480G vs Radeon HD 8280 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.

Radeon HD 6480G vs Radeon HD 8280 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 6480G vs Radeon HD 8280: 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 6480G

2010

Why buy it

  • 19.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

  • 2010 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 202% higher power demand at 151W vs 50W.

Radeon HD 8280

2013

Why buy it

  • Draws 50W instead of 151W, a 101W reduction.
  • More future proof: GCN 1.0 (2012−2020) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 6480G 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.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD 6480G is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 19.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon HD 8280 instead at 261 vs 257, 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 6480G is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon HD 8280 makes the most sense to buy today. It is priced the same on MSRP at $50 vs $50, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 1.6% (5.2 vs 5.1), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 8280 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon HD 6480G has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 6480G vs Radeon HD 8280 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

Radeon HD 6480G

The Radeon HD 6480G is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 21 2010. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The boost clock speed is 900 MHz. It has 1120 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 151W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 257 points. Launch price was $239.

AMD

Radeon HD 8280

The Radeon HD 8280 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: 261 points.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 6480G scores 257 and the Radeon HD 8280 reaches 261 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 6480G is built on TeraScale 2 while the Radeon HD 8280 uses GCN 1.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,120 (Radeon HD 6480G) vs 640 (Radeon HD 8280). Raw compute: 2.016 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6480G) vs 0.992 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8280). Boost clocks: 900 MHz vs 775 MHz.

FeatureRadeon HD 6480GRadeon HD 8280
G3D Mark Score
257
261+2%
Architecture
TeraScale 2
GCN 1.0
Process Node
40 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
1120+75%
640
Compute (TFLOPS)
2.016 TFLOPS+103%
0.992 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
900 MHz+16%
775 MHz
ROPs
32+100%
16
TMUs
56+40%
40
L1 Cache
224 KB+40%
160 KB
L2 Cache
512 KB+100%
256 KB
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling
FSR upscaling

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon HD 6480GRadeon HD 8280
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 6480G and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 8280. L2 Cache: 512 KB (Radeon HD 6480G) vs 256 KB (Radeon HD 8280) — the Radeon HD 6480G has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureRadeon HD 6480GRadeon HD 8280
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
L2 Cache
512 KB+100%
256 KB
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 6480G draws 151W versus the Radeon HD 8280's 50W — a 100.5% difference. The Radeon HD 8280 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 6480G) vs 350W (Radeon HD 8280). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin.

FeatureRadeon HD 6480GRadeon HD 8280
TDP
151W
50W-67%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
1x 6-pin
Perf/Watt
1.7
5.2+206%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 6480G came in at $50, while the Radeon HD 8280 launched at $50. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 5.1 (Radeon HD 6480G) vs 5.2 (Radeon HD 8280) — the Radeon HD 8280 offers 2% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 8280 (2013 vs 2010).

FeatureRadeon HD 6480GRadeon HD 8280
MSRP
$50
$50
Performance per Dollar
5.1
5.2+2%
Codename
Barts
Venus
Release
October 21 2010
April 1 2013
Ranking
#661
#745

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