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 7950 / R9 280 vs Radeon R9 270X 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 7950 / R9 280 vs Radeon R9 270X: 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 7950 / R9 280

2012

Why buy it

✅12.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2012 hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
40.2% HIGHER MSRP
$279 MSRPvs$199 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 17.1 vs 24.5 G3D/$ ($279 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌15.4% longer card at 278mm vs 241mm.

Radeon R9 270X

2013

Why buy it

✅Costs $80 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $279 MSRP).
✅Delivers 43.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 24.5 vs 17.1 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $279 MSRP).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 3 GB).
✅Measures 241mm instead of 278mm, a 37mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2013 hardware with 4 GB 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 7950 / R9 280 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 12.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon R9 270X instead at 4,874 vs 4,765, 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 7950 / R9 280 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 R9 270X makes the most sense to buy today. It is $80 cheaper on MSRP at $199 vs $279, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 43.4% (24.5 vs 17.1), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R9 270X is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 vs Radeon R9 270X Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280

The Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 31 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1250 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,765 points. Launch price was $449.

Radeon R9 270X

The Radeon R9 270X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 8 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1050 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 180W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,874 points. Launch price was $199.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 scores 4,765 and the Radeon R9 270X reaches 4,874 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon R9 270X uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,792 (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280) vs 1,280 (Radeon R9 270X). Raw compute: 2.867 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280) vs 2.688 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 270X). Boost clocks: 1250 MHz vs 1050 MHz.

Feature	Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280	Radeon R9 270X
G3D Mark Score	4,765	4,874+2%
Architecture	GCN 1.0	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1792+40%	1280
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.867 TFLOPS+7%	2.688 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1250 MHz+19%	1050 MHz
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	112+40%	80
L1 Cache	448 KB+40%	320 KB
L2 Cache	768 KB+50%	512 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280	Radeon R9 270X
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)

The Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 has 3 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 270X carries 4 GB. Radeon R9 270X gives you 33.3% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 240 GB/s (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280) vs 179.2 GB/s (Radeon R9 270X) — a 33.9% advantage for the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280. Memory bus width is 384-bit on the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 and 256-bit on the Radeon R9 270X. L2 Cache: 768 KB (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280) vs 512 KB (Radeon R9 270X) — the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280	Radeon R9 270X
VRAM Capacity	3 GB	4 GB+33%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	240 GB/s+34%	179.2 GB/s
Bus Width	384-bit+50%	256-bit
L2 Cache	768 KB+50%	512 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon R9 270X). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280	Radeon R9 270X
DirectX	12	12 (11_1)
Vulkan	1.2	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon R9 270X). Decoder: UVD 3.2 vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MVC (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MPEG-4 (Radeon R9 270X).

Feature	Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280	Radeon R9 270X
Encoder	VCE 1.0	VCE 1.0
Decoder	UVD 3.2	UVD 4.2
Codecs	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MVC	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MPEG-4

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 draws 200W versus the Radeon R9 270X's 180W — a 10.5% difference. The Radeon R9 270X is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280) vs 500W (Radeon R9 270X). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 278mm vs 241mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 80 C.

Feature	Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280	Radeon R9 270X
TDP	200W	180W-10%
Recommended PSU	500W	500W
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	2x 6-pin
Length	278mm	241mm
Height	111mm	109mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	80°C	80 C
Perf/Watt	23.8	27.1+14%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 came in at $279, while the Radeon R9 270X launched at $199. On MSRP, Radeon R9 270X was 28.7% cheaper ($80 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 17.1 (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280) vs 24.5 (Radeon R9 270X) — the Radeon R9 270X offers 43.3% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R9 270X (2013 vs 2012).

Feature	Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280	Radeon R9 270X
MSRP	$279	$199-29%
Performance per Dollar	17.1	24.5+43%
Codename	Tahiti	Curacao
Release	January 31 2012	October 8 2013
Ranking	#454	#448

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