Radeon HD 8280G vs Radeon HD 8400

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 8280G vs Radeon HD 8400 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 8280G vs Radeon HD 8400: 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 8280G

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 8400 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.
❌
66.7% HIGHER MSRP
$50 MSRPvs$30 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.4 vs 9.0 G3D/$ ($50 MSRP vs $30 MSRP).

Radeon HD 8400

2012

Why buy it

✅21.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $20 less on MSRP ($30 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).
✅Delivers 67.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 9.0 vs 5.4 G3D/$ ($30 MSRP vs $50 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.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 8400 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 and by 0.4% in PassMark G3D (271 vs 270), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon HD 8280G is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a newer 2013 generation instead of 2012. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 8400 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% (9.0 vs 5.4), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 8400 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon HD 8280G has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 8280G vs Radeon HD 8400 Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 8280G

The Radeon HD 8280G 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: 270 points.

Radeon HD 8400

The Radeon HD 8400 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: 271 points. Launch price was $349.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 8280G scores 270 and the Radeon HD 8400 reaches 271 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 8280G is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon HD 8400 uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 640 (Radeon HD 8280G) vs 1,280 (Radeon HD 8400). Raw compute: 0.992 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8280G) vs 2.56 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8400).

Feature	Radeon HD 8280G	Radeon HD 8400
G3D Mark Score	270	271
Architecture	GCN 1.0	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	640	1280+100%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.992 TFLOPS	2.56 TFLOPS+158%
ROPs	16	32+100%
TMUs	40	80+100%
L1 Cache	160 KB	320 KB+100%
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 8280G	Radeon HD 8400
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 8280G and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 8400. L2 Cache: 256 KB (Radeon HD 8280G) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 8400) — the Radeon HD 8400 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 8280G	Radeon HD 8400
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 8280G draws 50W versus the Radeon HD 8400's 200W — a 120% difference. The Radeon HD 8280G is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 8280G) vs 350W (Radeon HD 8400). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin.

Feature	Radeon HD 8280G	Radeon HD 8400
TDP	50W-75%	200W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	1x 6-pin
Slots	—	0
Temp (Load)	—	75
Perf/Watt	5.4+286%	1.4

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 8280G came in at $50, while the Radeon HD 8400 launched at $30. On MSRP, Radeon HD 8400 was 40% cheaper ($20 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 5.4 (Radeon HD 8280G) vs 9.0 (Radeon HD 8400) — the Radeon HD 8400 offers 66.7% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 8280G (2013 vs 2012).

Feature	Radeon HD 8280G	Radeon HD 8400
MSRP	$50	$30-40%
Performance per Dollar	5.4	9.0+67%
Codename	Venus	Pitcairn
Release	April 1 2013	March 5 2012
Ranking	#745	#460

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