Radeon R9 280X vs Radeon HD 7970
These two are practically equal for gaming.
Verdict
- Performance index: practically equal (19 vs 19).
- 1080p high, 23 popular games: about the same on average (est.).
- 1440p high, 23 popular games: about the same on average (est.).
- 4K high, 23 popular games: about the same on average (est.).
- Video memory: both have 3 GB.
- Power (TDP): Radeon R9 280X 250 W, Radeon HD 7970 250 W.
- Age: the Radeon R9 280X is 2 years newer (2013 vs 2011).
FPS figures assume a Ryzen 7 9850X3D, the fastest gaming processor in our catalog, so the graphics card is the limit wherever possible.
Specs
| Spec | Radeon R9 280X | Radeon HD 7970 |
|---|---|---|
| Performance index | 19 | 19 |
| Brand / series | AMD R9 200 | AMD HD 7000 |
| Released | 2013 | 2011 |
| Video memory | 3 GB | 3 GB |
| Memory type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory bus | 384-bit | 384-bit |
| Power (TDP) | 250 W | 250 W |
| Hardware ray tracing | No | No |
| Upscaling | FSR | FSR |
Ray tracing and upscaling support follow the GPU architecture (series), not per-game support.
Estimated FPS in popular games (high preset)
| Game | Radeon R9 280X | Radeon HD 7970 |
|---|---|---|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 120 | 120 |
| Dota 2 | 300 | 300 |
| PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS | 44 | 44 |
| WARDOGS | 17 | 17 |
| Apex Legends™ | 48 | 48 |
| Valheim | 41 | 41 |
| Grand Theft Auto V Legacy | 88 | 88 |
| Aniimo | 23 | 23 |
| HELLDIVERS™ 2 | 27 | 27 |
| Slay the Spire 2 | 114 | 114 |
| Marvel Rivals | 27 | 27 |
| Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege | 27 | 27 |
| Overwatch® | 57 | 57 |
| The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth | 300+ | 300+ |
| War Thunder | 46 | 46 |
| Dead by Daylight | 81 | 81 |
| Geometry Dash | 300 | 300 |
| Limbus Company | 190 | 190 |
| Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced | 26 | 26 |
| Delta Force | 41 | 41 |
| Terraria | 300+ | 300+ |
| Stardew Valley | 300 | 300 |
| Rust | 23 | 23 |
| Game | Radeon R9 280X | Radeon HD 7970 |
|---|---|---|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 84 | 84 |
| Dota 2 | 210 | 210 |
| PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS | 31 | 31 |
| WARDOGS | 12 | 12 |
| Apex Legends™ | 33 | 33 |
| Valheim | 29 | 29 |
| Grand Theft Auto V Legacy | 61 | 61 |
| Aniimo | 16 | 16 |
| HELLDIVERS™ 2 | 19 | 19 |
| Slay the Spire 2 | 80 | 80 |
| Marvel Rivals | 19 | 19 |
| Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege | 19 | 19 |
| Overwatch® | 40 | 40 |
| The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth | 300+ | 300+ |
| War Thunder | 32 | 32 |
| Dead by Daylight | 57 | 57 |
| Geometry Dash | 210 | 210 |
| Limbus Company | 133 | 133 |
| Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced | 18 | 18 |
| Delta Force | 29 | 29 |
| Terraria | 300+ | 300+ |
| Stardew Valley | 210 | 210 |
| Rust | 16 | 16 |
| Game | Radeon R9 280X | Radeon HD 7970 |
|---|---|---|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 50 | 50 |
| Dota 2 | 126 | 126 |
| PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS | 18 | 18 |
| WARDOGS | 7 | 7 |
| Apex Legends™ | 20 | 20 |
| Valheim | 17 | 17 |
| Grand Theft Auto V Legacy | 37 | 37 |
| Aniimo | 10 | 10 |
| HELLDIVERS™ 2 | 11 | 11 |
| Slay the Spire 2 | 48 | 48 |
| Marvel Rivals | 11 | 11 |
| Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege | 11 | 11 |
| Overwatch® | 24 | 24 |
| The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth | 192 | 192 |
| War Thunder | 19 | 19 |
| Dead by Daylight | 34 | 34 |
| Geometry Dash | 126 | 126 |
| Limbus Company | 80 | 80 |
| Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced | 11 | 11 |
| Delta Force | 17 | 17 |
| Terraria | 239 | 239 |
| Stardew Valley | 126 | 126 |
| Rust | 10 | 10 |
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