Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X vs Radeon HD 8990

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 7970 / R9 280X vs Radeon HD 8990 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 7970 / R9 280X vs Radeon HD 8990: 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 7970 / R9 280X

2013

Why buy it

✅Costs $700 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
✅Delivers 236.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 17.6 vs 5.2 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
✅Draws 200W instead of 375W, a 175W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 8990 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2013 hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon HD 8990

2013

Why buy it

✅1.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌2013 hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
234.1% HIGHER MSRP
$999 MSRPvs$299 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.2 vs 17.6 G3D/$ ($999 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
❌87.5% higher power demand at 375W vs 200W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 8990 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 1.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X instead at 5,248 vs 5,214, 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 7970 / R9 280X 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 7970 / R9 280X makes the most sense to buy today. It is $700 cheaper on MSRP at $299 vs $999, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 236.3% (17.6 vs 5.2), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon HD 8990 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X vs Radeon HD 8990 Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X

The Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 8 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,248 points. Launch price was $299.

Radeon HD 8990

The Radeon HD 8990 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 24 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 950 MHz to 1000 MHz. It has 2048 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 375W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,214 points. Launch price was $999.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X scores 5,248 and the Radeon HD 8990 reaches 5,214 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon HD 8990 uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,048 (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X) vs 2,048 (Radeon HD 8990). Raw compute: 4.096 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X) vs 4.096 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 8990). Boost clocks: 1000 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X	Radeon HD 8990
G3D Mark Score	5,248	5,214
Architecture	GCN 1.0	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2048	2048 ×2
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.096 TFLOPS	4.096 TFLOPS ×2
Boost Clock	1000 MHz	1000 MHz
ROPs	32	32 ×2
TMUs	128	128 ×2
L1 Cache	512 KB	512 KB
L2 Cache	768 KB	768 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X	Radeon HD 8990
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 3 GB of GDDR5. Memory bandwidth: 264 GB/s (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X) vs 288 GB/s x2 (Radeon HD 8990) — a 991.7% advantage for the Radeon HD 8990. Memory bus width is 384-bit on the Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X and 384-bit x2 on the Radeon HD 8990.

Feature	Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X	Radeon HD 8990
VRAM Capacity	3 GB	3 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	264 GB/s	288 GB/s x2+9%
Bus Width	384-bit	384-bit x2
L2 Cache	768 KB	768 KB

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X draws 200W versus the Radeon HD 8990's 375W — a 60.9% difference. The Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X) vs 750W (Radeon HD 8990). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs 2x 8-pin.

Feature	Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X	Radeon HD 8990
TDP	200W-47%	375W
Recommended PSU	500W-33%	750W
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	2x 8-pin
Length	275mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	—
Temp (Load)	80 C	—
Perf/Watt	26.2+88%	13.9

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X came in at $299, while the Radeon HD 8990 launched at $999. On MSRP, Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X was 70.1% cheaper ($700 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 17.6 (Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X) vs 5.2 (Radeon HD 8990) — the Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X offers 238.5% better value.

Feature	Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X	Radeon HD 8990
MSRP	$299-70%	$999
Performance per Dollar	17.6+238%	5.2
Codename	Tahiti	Malta
Release	October 8 2013	April 24 2013
Ranking	#404	#412

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