GeForce GTX 950 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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce GTX 950

2015

Why buy it

✅Costs $120 less on MSRP ($159 MSRP vs $279 MSRP).
✅Delivers 69.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 33.7 vs 19.8 G3D/$ ($159 MSRP vs $279 MSRP).
✅Draws 90W instead of 200W, a 110W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 280 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 3 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

Radeon R9 280

2014

Why buy it

✅40.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (3 GB vs 2 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
75.5% HIGHER MSRP
$279 MSRPvs$159 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 19.8 vs 33.7 G3D/$ ($279 MSRP vs $159 MSRP).
❌122.2% higher power demand at 200W vs 90W.

GeForce GTX 950

2015

Radeon R9 280

2014

Why buy it

✅Costs $120 less on MSRP ($159 MSRP vs $279 MSRP).
✅Delivers 69.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 33.7 vs 19.8 G3D/$ ($159 MSRP vs $279 MSRP).
✅Draws 90W instead of 200W, a 110W reduction.

Why buy it

✅40.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (3 GB vs 2 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 280 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 3 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
75.5% HIGHER MSRP
$279 MSRPvs$159 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 19.8 vs 33.7 G3D/$ ($279 MSRP vs $159 MSRP).
❌122.2% higher power demand at 200W vs 90W.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon R9 280 better than GeForce GTX 950?

Yes. Radeon R9 280 is the better GPU overall here. You are getting 40.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data, 3.3% higher PassMark G3D performance, and 3 GB vs 2 GB of VRAM. It also comes from 2014 instead of 2015, which helps its case as the more complete modern gaming card.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce GTX 950 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2015 generation instead of 2014 and the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

Radeon R9 280 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Radeon R9 280 is about 75.5% more expensive on MSRP at $279 MSRP versus $159 MSRP, and you are getting 40.4% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 3.3% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 950 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

When does GeForce GTX 950 make more sense than Radeon R9 280?

Yes. GeForce GTX 950 is still an excellent gaming GPU in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It makes more sense if your priority is newer architecture, lower power draw (90W vs 200W), future-proofing, and staying closer to $159 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Radeon R9 280. The trade-off is that Radeon R9 280 currently gives you 3.3% higher G3D Mark and 40.4% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. GeForce GTX 950 still holds the G3D-per-dollar lead, so the performance win comes with a real value premium.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

GeForce GTX 950 Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 280 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 950	Radeon R9 280
1080p
low	79 FPS	77 FPS
medium	64 FPS	63 FPS
high	52 FPS	50 FPS
ultra	34 FPS	33 FPS
1440p
low	66 FPS	65 FPS
medium	54 FPS	54 FPS
high	39 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	25 FPS	24 FPS
4K
low	23 FPS	24 FPS
medium	22 FPS	23 FPS
high	14 FPS	14 FPS
ultra	12 FPS	12 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 950 Open Radeon R9 280

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 950	Radeon R9 280
1080p
low	107 FPS	129 FPS
medium	79 FPS	100 FPS
high	61 FPS	79 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	53 FPS
1440p
low	54 FPS	73 FPS
medium	39 FPS	53 FPS
high	26 FPS	39 FPS
ultra	17 FPS	28 FPS
4K
low	21 FPS	28 FPS
medium	14 FPS	20 FPS
high	11 FPS	16 FPS
ultra	7 FPS	11 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 950 Open Radeon R9 280

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 950	Radeon R9 280
1080p
low	241 FPS	249 FPS
medium	193 FPS	199 FPS
high	161 FPS	166 FPS
ultra	121 FPS	124 FPS
1440p
low	181 FPS	187 FPS
medium	145 FPS	149 FPS
high	121 FPS	124 FPS
ultra	90 FPS	93 FPS
4K
low	121 FPS	124 FPS
medium	96 FPS	100 FPS
high	77 FPS	83 FPS
ultra	48 FPS	62 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 950 Open Radeon R9 280

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 950	Radeon R9 280
1080p
low	140 FPS	140 FPS
medium	113 FPS	116 FPS
high	97 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	83 FPS	85 FPS
1440p
low	102 FPS	103 FPS
medium	84 FPS	85 FPS
high	73 FPS	74 FPS
ultra	60 FPS	59 FPS
4K
low	58 FPS	62 FPS
medium	46 FPS	48 FPS
high	35 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	27 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 950 Open Radeon R9 280

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 950 and Radeon R9 280

GeForce GTX 950

The GeForce GTX 950 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in August 20 2015. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1024 MHz to 1188 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 90W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,357 points. Launch price was $159.

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 GeForce GTX 950 scores 5,357 and the Radeon R9 280 reaches 5,532 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 950 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Radeon R9 280 uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 768 (GeForce GTX 950) vs 1,792 (Radeon R9 280). Raw compute: 1.825 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 950) vs 3.344 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 280). Boost clocks: 1188 MHz vs 933 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 950	Radeon R9 280
G3D Mark Score	5,357	5,532+3%
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	768	1792+133%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.825 TFLOPS	3.344 TFLOPS+83%
Boost Clock	1188 MHz+27%	933 MHz
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	48	112+133%
L1 Cache	288 KB	448 KB+56%
L2 Cache	1 MB+33%	0.75 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 950 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon R9 280 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 950	Radeon R9 280
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 950 comes with 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 280 has 3 GB. The Radeon R9 280 offers 50% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 106 GB/s (GeForce GTX 950) vs 240 GB/s (Radeon R9 280) — a 126.4% advantage for the Radeon R9 280. Bus width: 128-bit vs 384-bit. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce GTX 950) vs 0.75 MB (Radeon R9 280) — the GeForce GTX 950 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 950	Radeon R9 280
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	3 GB+50%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	106 GB/s	240 GB/s+126%
Bus Width	128-bit	384-bit+200%
L2 Cache	1 MB+33%	0.75 MB

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 950 draws 90W versus the Radeon R9 280's 200W — a 75.9% difference. The GeForce GTX 950 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 950) vs 500W (Radeon R9 280). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin.

Feature	GeForce GTX 950	Radeon R9 280
TDP	90W-55%	200W
Recommended PSU	350W-30%	500W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	202mm	—
Slots	2	—
Perf/Watt	59.5+115%	27.7

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 950 launched at $159 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 280 launched at $279. The GeForce GTX 950 costs 43% less ($120 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 33.7 (GeForce GTX 950) vs 19.8 (Radeon R9 280) — the GeForce GTX 950 offers 70.2% better value. The GeForce GTX 950 is the newer GPU (2015 vs 2014).