Radeon HD 7990 vs Radeon R9 280

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 7990 vs Radeon R9 280 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 7990 vs Radeon R9 280: 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 7990

2013

Why buy it

✅4.2% 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.
❌
258.1% HIGHER MSRP
$999 MSRPvs$279 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.6 vs 19.8 G3D/$ ($999 MSRP vs $279 MSRP).
❌87.5% higher power demand at 375W vs 200W.

Radeon R9 280

2014

Why buy it

✅Costs $720 less on MSRP ($279 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
✅Delivers 255.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 19.8 vs 5.6 G3D/$ ($279 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
✅Draws 200W instead of 375W, a 175W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7990 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2014 hardware with 3 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 7990 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 4.2% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0.6% in PassMark G3D (5,566 vs 5,532), so the answer here is pretty clean.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

Radeon HD 7990 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 280 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $720 cheaper on MSRP at $279 vs $999, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 255.9% (19.8 vs 5.6), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R9 280 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon HD 7990 has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 7990 vs Radeon R9 280 Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 7990

The Radeon HD 7990 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: 5,566 points. Launch price was $999.

Radeon R9 280

The Radeon R9 280 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 4 2014. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 933 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,532 points. Launch price was $279.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 7990 scores 5,566 and the Radeon R9 280 reaches 5,532 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 7990 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon R9 280 uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,048 (Radeon HD 7990) vs 1,792 (Radeon R9 280). Raw compute: 4.096 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 7990) vs 3.344 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 280). Boost clocks: 1000 MHz vs 933 MHz.

Feature	Radeon HD 7990	Radeon R9 280
G3D Mark Score	5,566	5,532
Architecture	GCN 1.0	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2048 ×2+14%	1792
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.096 TFLOPS ×2+22%	3.344 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1000 MHz+7%	933 MHz
ROPs	32 ×2	32
TMUs	128 ×2+14%	112
L1 Cache	512 KB+14%	448 KB
L2 Cache	768 KB	768 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 7990	Radeon R9 280
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: 288 GB/s x2 (Radeon HD 7990) vs 240 GB/s (Radeon R9 280) — a 1100.8% advantage for the Radeon HD 7990. Memory bus width is 384-bit x2 on the Radeon HD 7990 and 384-bit on the Radeon R9 280.

Feature	Radeon HD 7990	Radeon R9 280
VRAM Capacity	3 GB	3 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	288 GB/s x2+20%	240 GB/s
Bus Width	384-bit x2	384-bit
L2 Cache	768 KB	768 KB

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 7990 draws 375W versus the Radeon R9 280's 200W — a 60.9% difference. The Radeon R9 280 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (Radeon HD 7990) vs 500W (Radeon R9 280). Power connectors: 2x 8-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin.

Feature	Radeon HD 7990	Radeon R9 280
TDP	375W	200W-47%
Recommended PSU	750W	500W-33%
Power Connector	2x 8-pin	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	305mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	—
Temp (Load)	85	—
Perf/Watt	14.8	27.7+87%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 7990 came in at $999, while the Radeon R9 280 launched at $279. On MSRP, Radeon R9 280 was 72.1% cheaper ($720 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 5.6 (Radeon HD 7990) vs 19.8 (Radeon R9 280) — the Radeon R9 280 offers 253.6% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R9 280 (2014 vs 2013).

Feature	Radeon HD 7990	Radeon R9 280
MSRP	$999	$279-72%
Performance per Dollar	5.6	19.8+254%
Codename	Malta	Tahiti
Release	April 24 2013	March 4 2014
Ranking	#412	#415

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