GeForce GTS 160M vs Radeon R9 280X

Find out if it is worth upgrading your current GPU setup by comparing GeForce GTS 160M and Radeon R9 280X. Here you can take a closer look at graphics cards specs, such as core clock speed, memory type and size, display connectors, etc. The price, overall benchmark and gaming performances are usually defining factors when it comes to choosing between GeForce GTS 160M and Radeon R9 280X. Make sure that the graphics card has compatible dimensions and will properly fit in your new or current computer case. Also these graphics cards may have different system power recommendations, so take that into consideration and upgrade your PSU if necessary.

GeForce GTS 160M is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: GeForce GTS 160M is only used in laptop graphics. It has lower GPU clock speed compared to the desktop variant, which results in lower power consumption, but also 10-30% lower gaming performance. Check available laptop models with GeForce GTS 160M here:

Main Specs

  GeForce GTS 160M Radeon R9 280X
Power consumption (TDP) 60 Watt 250 Watt
Interface PCIe 2.0 x16 PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 1 x 6-pin + 1 x 8-pin
Memory type GDDR3 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 1 GB 3 GB
Display Connectors No outputs 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort
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  • Radeon R9 280X has 316% more power consumption, than GeForce GTS 160M.
  • GeForce GTS 160M is connected by PCIe 2.0 x16, and Radeon R9 280X uses PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.
  • Radeon R9 280X has 2 GB more memory, than GeForce GTS 160M.
  • GeForce GTS 160M is used in Laptops, and Radeon R9 280X - in Desktops.
  • GeForce GTS 160M is build with G9x architecture, and Radeon R9 280X - with GCN.
  • GeForce GTS 160M is manufactured by 55 nm process technology, and Radeon R9 280X - by 28 nm process technology.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 0−1 35−40
ultra / 1080p 21−24
QHD / 1440p 0−1 16−18
4K / 2160p 10−11
low / 720p 1−2 60−65
medium / 1080p 0−1 40−45
The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 280X in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 6100% more, than GeForce GTS 160M.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTS 160M Radeon R9 280X
Architecture G9x GCN
Code name N10E-GS1 Thaiti XTL
Type Laptop Desktop
Release date 2 March 2009 8 October 2013
Pipelines 64 2048
Core clock speed 1500 MHz
Boost Clock 1000 MHz
Transistor count 505 million 4,313 million
Manufacturing process technology 55 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 19 billion/sec 128.0
Floating-point performance 192 gflops 4,096 gflops
Length 275 mm
Memory bus width 256 Bit 384 Bit
Memory bandwidth 51 GB/s 288 GB/s
Shared memory - -
DirectX 11.1 (10_0)
Shader Model 4.0 5.1
OpenGL 2.1 4.6
OpenCL 1.1 1.2
Vulkan N/A +
CUDA +
Monero / XMR (CryptoNight) 0.5 kh/s
FreeSync +
CUDA cores 64
Bus support PCI-E 2.0 PCIe 3.0
SLI options 2-way
HDMI + +
Maximum VGA resolution 2048x1536
Audio input for HDMI S/PDIF
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 494 Mh/s
Laptop size large
Eyefinity +
HD3D +
TrueAudio +
Design reference
DisplayPort support +
CrossFire +
DDMA audio +
Decred / DCR (Decred) 1.07 Gh/s
Ethereum / ETH (DaggerHashimoto) 14.42 Mh/s
Zcash / ZEC (Equihash) 285 Sol/s
AppAcceleration +
LiquidVR +
TressFX +
UVD +
Gigaflops 288
MXM Type MXM 3.0 Type-B
Power management 8.0
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