Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 vs Radeon Ryzen 7 6800H

AMD

Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280

2012Boost: 1250 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon Ryzen 7 6800H

2020Core: 1700 MHzBoost: 2105 MHz
Similar parts
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Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 vs Radeon Ryzen 7 6800H 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 7950 / R9 280 vs Radeon Ryzen 7 6800H 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 Ryzen 7 6800H: 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

  • 50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (3 GB vs 2 GB).
  • Draws 200W instead of 250W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon Ryzen 7 6800H across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2012 hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 39.5% HIGHER MSRP
    $279 MSRPvs$200 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 17.1 vs 24.3 G3D/$ ($279 MSRP vs $200 MSRP).

Radeon Ryzen 7 6800H

2020

Why buy it

  • 50.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $79 less on MSRP ($200 MSRP vs $279 MSRP).
  • Delivers 42% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 24.3 vs 17.1 G3D/$ ($200 MSRP vs $279 MSRP).
  • Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so Radeon Ryzen 7 6800H is the less risky modern option long term.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 3 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • Older hardware, 2 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.
  • 25% higher power demand at 250W vs 200W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon Ryzen 7 6800H is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 50.6% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1.8% in PassMark G3D (4,852 vs 4,765), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon Ryzen 7 6800H is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 7nm process instead of 28nm, 60 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2020 generation instead of 2012. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon Ryzen 7 6800H makes the most sense to buy today. It is $79 cheaper on MSRP at $200 vs $279, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 42% (24.3 vs 17.1), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 vs Radeon Ryzen 7 6800H Technical Specifications

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

AMD

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.

AMD

Radeon Ryzen 7 6800H

The Radeon Ryzen 7 6800H is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 28 2020. It features the RDNA 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1700 MHz to 2105 MHz. It has 3840 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. It features 60 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,852 points. Launch price was $579.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 scores 4,765 and the Radeon Ryzen 7 6800H reaches 4,852 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon Ryzen 7 6800H uses RDNA 2.0, both on 28 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 1,792 (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280) vs 3,840 (Radeon Ryzen 7 6800H). Raw compute: 2.867 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280) vs 16.17 TFLOPS (Radeon Ryzen 7 6800H). Boost clocks: 1250 MHz vs 2105 MHz.

FeatureRadeon HD 7950 / R9 280Radeon Ryzen 7 6800H
G3D Mark Score
4,765
4,852+2%
Architecture
GCN 1.0
RDNA 2.0
Process Node
28 nm
7 nm
Shading Units
1792
3840+114%
Compute (TFLOPS)
2.867 TFLOPS
16.17 TFLOPS+464%
Boost Clock
1250 MHz
2105 MHz+68%
ROPs
32
96+200%
TMUs
112
240+114%
L1 Cache
448 KB
768 KB+71%
L2 Cache
0.75 MB
4 MB+433%
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling
FSR upscaling + RSR

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon HD 7950 / R9 280Radeon Ryzen 7 6800H
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 Ryzen 7 6800H carries 2 GB. Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 gives you 50% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 384-bit on the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 and System on the Radeon Ryzen 7 6800H. L2 Cache: 0.75 MB (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280) vs 4 MB (Radeon Ryzen 7 6800H) — the Radeon Ryzen 7 6800H has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureRadeon HD 7950 / R9 280Radeon Ryzen 7 6800H
VRAM Capacity
3 GB+50%
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
Shared
Memory Bandwidth
240 GB/s
System
Bus Width
384-bit
System
L2 Cache
0.75 MB
4 MB+433%
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 draws 200W versus the Radeon Ryzen 7 6800H's 250W — a 22.2% difference. The Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280) vs 350W (Radeon Ryzen 7 6800H). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs None.

FeatureRadeon HD 7950 / R9 280Radeon Ryzen 7 6800H
TDP
200W-20%
250W
Recommended PSU
500W
350W-30%
Power Connector
2x 6-pin
None
Length
278mm
Height
111mm
Slots
2
Temp (Load)
80°C
Perf/Watt
23.8+23%
19.4
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 came in at $279, while the Radeon Ryzen 7 6800H launched at $200. On MSRP, Radeon Ryzen 7 6800H was 28.3% cheaper ($79 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 17.1 (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280) vs 24.3 (Radeon Ryzen 7 6800H) — the Radeon Ryzen 7 6800H offers 42.1% better value. The newer card here is Radeon Ryzen 7 6800H (2020 vs 2012).

FeatureRadeon HD 7950 / R9 280Radeon Ryzen 7 6800H
MSRP
$279
$200-28%
Performance per Dollar
17.1
24.3+42%
Codename
Tahiti
Navi 21
Release
January 31 2012
October 28 2020
Ranking
#454
#65

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