Radeon HD 8240 vs Radeon HD 8280E

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 8240 vs Radeon HD 8280E 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 8240 vs Radeon HD 8280E: 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 8240

2012

Why buy it

✅21.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $100 less on MSRP ($50 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
✅Delivers 188.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 4.9 vs 1.7 G3D/$ ($50 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌2012 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌300% higher power demand at 200W vs 50W.

Radeon HD 8280E

2013

Why buy it

✅Draws 50W instead of 200W, a 150W reduction.
✅More future proof: GCN 1.0 (2012−2020) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 8240 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2013 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
200% HIGHER MSRP
$150 MSRPvs$50 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.7 vs 4.9 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 8240 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 21.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon HD 8280E instead at 256 vs 246, 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 8240 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 8240 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $100 cheaper on MSRP at $50 vs $150, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 188.3% (4.9 vs 1.7), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Radeon HD 8240 vs Radeon HD 8280E Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 8240

The Radeon HD 8240 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 5 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 246 points. Launch price was $349.

Radeon HD 8280E

The Radeon HD 8280E is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 1 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 725 MHz to 775 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 256 points.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 8240 scores 246 and the Radeon HD 8280E reaches 256 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 8240 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon HD 8280E uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,280 (Radeon HD 8240) vs 640 (Radeon HD 8280E). Raw compute: 2.56 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8240) vs 0.992 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8280E).

Feature	Radeon HD 8240	Radeon HD 8280E
G3D Mark Score	246	256+4%
Architecture	GCN 1.0	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1280+100%	640
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.56 TFLOPS+158%	0.992 TFLOPS
ROPs	32+100%	16
TMUs	80+100%	40
L1 Cache	320 KB+100%	160 KB
L2 Cache	512 KB+100%	256 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 8240	Radeon HD 8280E
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

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Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 512 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the Radeon HD 8240 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 8280E. L2 Cache: 512 KB (Radeon HD 8240) vs 256 KB (Radeon HD 8280E) — the Radeon HD 8240 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 8240	Radeon HD 8280E
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	0.5 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	512 KB+100%	256 KB

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 8240 draws 200W versus the Radeon HD 8280E's 50W — a 120% difference. The Radeon HD 8280E is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 8240) vs 350W (Radeon HD 8280E). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin.

Feature	Radeon HD 8240	Radeon HD 8280E
TDP	200W	50W-75%
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	—	1mm
Slots	—	0
Perf/Watt	1.2	5.1+325%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 8240 came in at $50, while the Radeon HD 8280E launched at $150. On MSRP, Radeon HD 8240 was 66.7% cheaper ($100 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 4.9 (Radeon HD 8240) vs 1.7 (Radeon HD 8280E) — the Radeon HD 8240 offers 188.2% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 8280E (2013 vs 2012).

Feature	Radeon HD 8240	Radeon HD 8280E
MSRP	$50-67%	$150
Performance per Dollar	4.9+188%	1.7
Codename	Pitcairn	Venus
Release	March 5 2012	April 1 2013
Ranking	#460	#745

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