Chipversus Index
Jump to Section

Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 vs RTXA5000-24Q

CPUCPUGPUGPU
AMD

Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280

2012Boost: 1250 MHz
Similar parts
·······
Buy on Amazon
VS
NVIDIA

RTXA5000-24Q

2021Core: 1170 MHzBoost: 1695 MHz
Similar parts
·
Buy on Amazon

Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 vs RTXA5000-24Q Performance Spectrum

Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280
3 GB 200
4,765
0.0%
brand logoRadeon HD 8770
brand logoRadeon R7 360
brand logoRadeon RX 560
brand logoRadeon RX 460 (móvel)
brand logoRadeon RX 5500 XT
brand logoRadeon RX 6800M
brand logoRadeon RX 6850M XT
brand logoRadeon RX 6800
RTXA5000-24Q
2 GB 230
4,803
+0.8%
brand logoGeForce GTX 465
brand logoGeForce GTX 470
brand logoGeForce MX450
brand logoGeForce GTX 880M SLI
brand logoGeForce GTX 1060 5GB
brand logoGeForce RTX 2070 Super with Max-Q Design
brand logoGeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU
brand logoRTX 4000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU

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 RTXA5000-24Q: 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

  • ✅Costs $3,442 less on MSRP ($279 MSRP vs $3,721 MSRP).
  • ✅Delivers 1223.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 17.1 vs 1.3 G3D/$ ($279 MSRP vs $3,721 MSRP).
  • ✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (3 GB vs 2 GB).
  • ✅Draws 200W instead of 230W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • ❌2012 hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

RTXA5000-24Q

2021

Why buy it

  • ✅Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
  • ✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • ❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 3 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • ❌
    1233.7% HIGHER MSRP
    $3,721 MSRPvs$279 MSRP
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.3 vs 17.1 G3D/$ ($3,721 MSRP vs $279 MSRP).
  • ❌15% higher power demand at 230W vs 200W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
RTXA5000-24Q is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 0.8% in PassMark G3D (4,803 vs 4,765), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
RTXA5000-24Q is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 8nm process instead of 28nm, 64 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2021 generation instead of 2012. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $3,442 cheaper on MSRP at $279 vs $3,721, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 1223.1% (17.1 vs 1.3), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, RTXA5000-24Q has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 vs RTXA5000-24Q 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.

NVIDIA

RTXA5000-24Q

The RTXA5000-24Q is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 12 2021. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1170 MHz to 1695 MHz. It has 8192 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 230W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 64 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,803 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 scores 4,765 and the RTXA5000-24Q reaches 4,803 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 is built on GCN 1.0 while the RTXA5000-24Q uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 1,792 (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280) vs 8,192 (RTXA5000-24Q). Raw compute: 2.867 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280) vs 27.77 TFLOPS (RTXA5000-24Q). Boost clocks: 1250 MHz vs 1695 MHz.

FeatureRadeon HD 7950 / R9 280RTXA5000-24Q
G3D Mark Score
4,765
4,803
Architecture
GCN 1.0
Ampere
Process Node
28 nm
8 nm
Shading Units
1792
8192+357%
Compute (TFLOPS)
2.867 TFLOPS
27.77 TFLOPS+869%
Boost Clock
1250 MHz
1695 MHz+36%
ROPs
32
96+200%
TMUs
112
256+129%
L1 Cache
0.44 MB
8 MB+1718%
L2 Cache
0.75 MB
6 MB+700%
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The RTXA5000-24Q gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureRadeon HD 7950 / R9 280RTXA5000-24Q
Upscaling Tech
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
AMD Anti-Lag
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 has 3 GB of VRAM, while the RTXA5000-24Q 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 64-bit on the RTXA5000-24Q. L2 Cache: 0.75 MB (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280) vs 6 MB (RTXA5000-24Q) — the RTXA5000-24Q has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureRadeon HD 7950 / R9 280RTXA5000-24Q
VRAM Capacity
3 GB+50%
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
384-bit+500%
64-bit
L2 Cache
0.75 MB
6 MB+700%
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 draws 200W versus the RTXA5000-24Q's 230W — a 14% difference. The Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280) vs 350W (RTXA5000-24Q). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered.

FeatureRadeon HD 7950 / R9 280RTXA5000-24Q
TDP
200W-13%
230W
Recommended PSU
500W
350W-30%
Power Connector
2x 6-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
278mm
—
Height
111mm
—
Slots
2
—
Temp (Load)
80°C
—
Perf/Watt
23.8+14%
20.9
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 came in at $279, while the RTXA5000-24Q launched at $3721. On MSRP, Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 was 92.5% cheaper ($3442 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 17.1 (Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280) vs 1.3 (RTXA5000-24Q) — the Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 offers 1215.4% better value. The newer card here is RTXA5000-24Q (2021 vs 2012).

FeatureRadeon HD 7950 / R9 280RTXA5000-24Q
MSRP
$279-93%
$3721
Performance per Dollar
17.1+1215%
1.3
Codename
Tahiti
GA102
Release
January 31 2012
April 12 2021
Ranking
#454
#53
Search Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280 on AmazonSearch RTXA5000-24Q 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.