Radeon HD 8280 vs Radeon HD 8330E

AMD

Radeon HD 8280

2013Core: 725 MHzBoost: 775 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 8330E

2010Core: 800 MHz
Similar parts
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Radeon HD 8280 vs Radeon HD 8330E 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 8280 vs Radeon HD 8330E 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 8280 vs Radeon HD 8330E: 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 8280

2013

Why buy it

  • Draws 50W instead of 175W, a 125W 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 8330E across 48 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.
  • 66.7% HIGHER MSRP
    $50 MSRPvs$30 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.2 vs 8.7 G3D/$ ($50 MSRP vs $30 MSRP).

Radeon HD 8330E

2010

Why buy it

  • 16.6% more average FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $20 less on MSRP ($30 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).
  • Delivers 67.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 8.7 vs 5.2 G3D/$ ($30 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • 2010 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 250% higher power demand at 175W vs 50W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD 8330E is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 16.6% in average FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0.4% in PassMark G3D (262 vs 261), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon HD 8280 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2013 generation instead of 2010. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon HD 8330E makes the most sense to buy today. It is $20 cheaper on MSRP at $30 vs $50, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 67.3% (8.7 vs 5.2), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 8330E is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon HD 8280 has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 8280 vs Radeon HD 8330E Technical Specifications

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

AMD

Radeon HD 8280

The Radeon HD 8280 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: 261 points.

AMD

Radeon HD 8330E

The Radeon HD 8330E is manufactured by AMD. It was released in February 25 2010. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 800 MHz. It has 1120 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 175W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 262 points.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 8280 scores 261 and the Radeon HD 8330E reaches 262 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 8280 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon HD 8330E uses TeraScale 2, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 640 (Radeon HD 8280) vs 1,120 (Radeon HD 8330E). Raw compute: 0.992 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8280) vs 1.792 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8330E).

FeatureRadeon HD 8280Radeon HD 8330E
G3D Mark Score
261
262
Architecture
GCN 1.0
TeraScale 2
Process Node
28 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
640
1120+75%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.992 TFLOPS
1.792 TFLOPS+81%
ROPs
16
16
TMUs
40
56+40%
L1 Cache
160 KB+43%
112 KB
L2 Cache
256 KB
512 KB+100%
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling
FSR upscaling

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon HD 8280Radeon HD 8330E
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 512 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the Radeon HD 8280 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 8330E. L2 Cache: 256 KB (Radeon HD 8280) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 8330E) — the Radeon HD 8330E has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureRadeon HD 8280Radeon HD 8330E
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
L2 Cache
256 KB
512 KB+100%
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 8280 draws 50W versus the Radeon HD 8330E's 175W — a 111.1% difference. The Radeon HD 8280 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 8280) vs 350W (Radeon HD 8330E). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin.

FeatureRadeon HD 8280Radeon HD 8330E
TDP
50W-71%
175W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
1x 6-pin
Length
0mm
Height
0mm
Slots
0
Temp (Load)
75°C
Perf/Watt
5.2+247%
1.5
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 8280 came in at $50, while the Radeon HD 8330E launched at $30. On MSRP, Radeon HD 8330E was 40% cheaper ($20 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 5.2 (Radeon HD 8280) vs 8.7 (Radeon HD 8330E) — the Radeon HD 8330E offers 67.3% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 8280 (2013 vs 2010).

FeatureRadeon HD 8280Radeon HD 8330E
MSRP
$50
$30-40%
Performance per Dollar
5.2
8.7+67%
Codename
Venus
Cypress
Release
April 1 2013
February 25 2010
Ranking
#745
#724

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