Radeon R9 280 vs Radeon HD 7870

The Radeon R9 280 is about 13% faster for gaming.

Verdict

  • Performance index: the Radeon R9 280 is 13% faster (17 vs 15).
  • 1080p high, 23 popular games: Radeon R9 280 +13% on average (est.).
  • 1440p high, 23 popular games: Radeon R9 280 +14% on average (est.).
  • 4K high, 23 popular games: Radeon R9 280 +12% on average (est.).
  • Video memory: Radeon R9 280 has 3 GB vs 2 GB.
  • Power (TDP): Radeon R9 280 250 W, Radeon HD 7870 175 W; the Radeon HD 7870 delivers 26% more performance per watt.
  • Age: the Radeon R9 280 is 2 years newer (2014 vs 2012).

FPS figures assume a Ryzen 7 9850X3D, the fastest gaming processor in our catalog, so the graphics card is the limit wherever possible.

Specs

SpecRadeon R9 280Radeon HD 7870
Performance index1715
Brand / seriesAMD R9 200AMD HD 7000
Released20142012
Video memory3 GB2 GB
Memory typeGDDR5GDDR5
Memory bus384-bit256-bit
Power (TDP)250 W175 W
Hardware ray tracingNoNo
UpscalingFSRFSR

Ray tracing and upscaling support follow the GPU architecture (series), not per-game support.

Estimated FPS in popular games (high preset)

Estimated FPS from our model (v0), based on the game's published requirements and relative GPU/CPU performance. Not measured. Real results vary with drivers, patches, and scenes. Values above 300 fps show as 300+.

Values above 300 fps are shown as 300+. Hover a value for its range. How we estimate FPS

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