GeForce GTX 280 vs GeForce GTX 860M

If you are going to buy a new graphics card and are choosing between GeForce GTX 280 and GeForce GTX 860M, there are a couple of things to consider. Cards with more VRAM in general perform better and allow you to play on higher graphics settings. Size also makes a difference. A model with a large heatsink can occupy up to three expansion slots on a motherboard. Be sure you have enough room in your PC case. When comparing GPUs with different architectures, more processing cores and even higher TFLOPS will not always translate to better performance. To help you decide which GPU you need, we have measured frame rates in a number of popular games. For more on how the GeForce GTX 280 stacks up against GeForce GTX 860M, check out specs charts below.

GeForce GTX 280

GeForce GTX 860M Check Price

GeForce GTX 860M is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: GeForce GTX 860M 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 GTX 860M here:

GeForce GTX 860M Laptops

Main Specs

	GeForce GTX 280	GeForce GTX 860M
Power consumption (TDP)	236 Watt	75 Watt
Interface	PCIe 2.0 x16	MXM-B (3.0)
Supplementary power connectors	6-pin & 8-pin	None
Memory type	GDDR3	GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount	1 GB	4 GB
Display Connectors	2x DVI, 1x S-Video	No outputs
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GeForce GTX 280 has 214% more power consumption, than GeForce GTX 860M.
GeForce GTX 280 is connected by PCIe 2.0 x16, and GeForce GTX 860M uses MXM-B (3.0) interface.
GeForce GTX 860M has 3 GB more memory, than GeForce GTX 280.
GeForce GTX 280 is used in Desktops, and GeForce GTX 860M - in Laptops.
GeForce GTX 280 is build with Tesla 2.0 architecture, and GeForce GTX 860M - with Maxwell.
Core clock speed of GeForce GTX 280 is 499 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 860M.
GeForce GTX 280 is manufactured by 65 nm process technology, and GeForce GTX 860M - by 28 nm process technology.

Game benchmarks


high / 1080p	1−2	16−18
ultra / 1080p	0−1	10−11
QHD / 1440p	0−1	5−6
4K / 2160p	−	4−5
low / 720p	12−14	30−35
medium / 1080p	3−4	21−24
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 860M in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 300% more, than GeForce GTX 280.
high / 1080p	−	27−30
ultra / 1080p	4−5	21−24
QHD / 1440p	0−1	10−11
4K / 2160p	−	6−7
low / 720p	16−18	55−60
medium / 1080p	5−6	30−33
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 860M in Battlefield 5 is 311% more, than GeForce GTX 280.
low / 768p	45−50	45−50
high / 1080p	40−45	−
QHD / 1440p	0−1	0−1
GeForce GTX 280 and GeForce GTX 860M have the same average FPS in Call of Duty: Warzone.
low / 768p	120−130	220−230
medium / 768p	90−95	190−200
ultra / 1080p	40−45	100−110
QHD / 1440p	21−24	60−65
4K / 2160p	18−20	30−35
high / 768p	65−70	150−160
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 860M in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is 111% more, than GeForce GTX 280.
low / 768p	85−90	55−60
ultra / 1080p	16−18	40−45
medium / 1080p	40−45	45−50
GeForce GTX 280 and GeForce GTX 860M have the same average FPS in Cyberpunk 2077.
low / 768p	75−80	110−120
medium / 768p	50−55	100−105
ultra / 1080p	24−27	65−70
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 860M in Dota 2 is 86% more, than GeForce GTX 280.
high / 1080p	2−3	20−22
ultra / 1080p	2−3	18−20
QHD / 1440p	−	16−18
4K / 2160p	0−1	6−7
low / 720p	10−12	40−45
medium / 1080p	3−4	21−24
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 860M in Far Cry 5 is 550% more, than GeForce GTX 280.
high / 1080p	10−11	27−30
ultra / 1080p	5−6	21−24
QHD / 1440p	2−3	16−18
low / 720p	50−55	100−110
medium / 1080p	10−12	55−60
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 860M in Fortnite is 187% more, than GeForce GTX 280.
high / 1080p	4−5	27−30
ultra / 1080p	−	21−24
QHD / 1440p	0−1	10−12
4K / 2160p	−	10−11
low / 720p	16−18	55−60
medium / 1080p	7−8	30−35
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 860M in Forza Horizon 4 is 333% more, than GeForce GTX 280.
low / 768p	40−45	90−95
medium / 768p	−	80−85
high / 1080p	5−6	30−35
ultra / 1080p	2−3	14−16
QHD / 1440p	0−1	4−5
medium / 720p	35−40	−
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 860M in Grand Theft Auto V is 187% more, than GeForce GTX 280.
high / 1080p	1−2	10−12
ultra / 1080p	0−1	8−9
4K / 2160p	0−1	3−4
low / 720p	5−6	30−35
medium / 1080p	3−4	14−16
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 860M in Metro Exodus is 533% more, than GeForce GTX 280.
low / 768p	90−95	110−120
high / 1080p	85−90	−
ultra / 1080p	70−75	−
medium / 1080p	90−95	100−110
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 860M in Minecraft is 19% more, than GeForce GTX 280.
high / 1080p	−	24−27
ultra / 1080p	12−14	18−20
low / 720p	27−30	60−65
medium / 1080p	14−16	24−27
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 860M in PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS is 94% more, than GeForce GTX 280.
high / 1080p	−	14−16
ultra / 1080p	4−5	10−11
QHD / 1440p	0−1	0−1
low / 720p	6−7	30−35
medium / 1080p	−	18−20
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 860M in Red Dead Redemption 2 is 320% more, than GeForce GTX 280.
low / 768p	12−14	60−65
medium / 768p	8−9	35−40
high / 1080p	4−5	21−24
ultra / 1080p	3−4	12−14
4K / 2160p	0−1	8−9
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 860M in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is 371% more, than GeForce GTX 280.
low / 768p	75−80	100−110
medium / 768p	35−40	60−65
ultra / 1080p	16−18	35−40
high / 768p	30−35	55−60
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 860M in World of Tanks is 58% more, than GeForce GTX 280.

Full Specs

	GeForce GTX 280	GeForce GTX 860M
Architecture	Tesla 2.0	Maxwell
Code name	GT200	N15P-GX
Type	Desktop	Laptop
Release date	16 June 2008	12 March 2014
Pipelines	240	640
Core clock speed	1296 MHz	797 MHz
Boost Clock		915 MHz
Transistor count	1,400 million	1,870 million
Manufacturing process technology	65 nm	28 nm
Texture fill rate	48.2 billion/sec	43.40
Floating-point performance	622.1 gflops	1,389 gflops
Length	10.5" (267 mm) (26.7 cm)
Memory bus width	512 Bit	128 Bit
Memory clock speed	1107 MHz
Memory bandwidth	141.7 GB/s	80.0 GB/s
Shared memory		-
DirectX	11.1 (10_0)	12 (11_0)
Shader Model	4.0	5.1
OpenGL	2.1	4.5
OpenCL	1.1	1.1
Vulkan	N/A	1.1.126
CUDA	+	+
CUDA cores	240	1152 or 640
Bus support		PCI Express 2.0, PCI Express 3.0
Height	4.376" (111 mm) (11.1 cm)
SLI options	+	+
Multi monitor support	+
HDMI		+
Maximum VGA resolution	2048x1536
Audio input for HDMI	S/PDIF
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256)		163 Mh/s
Laptop size		medium sized
Standard memory configuration		GDDR5
eDP 1.2 signal support		Up to 3840x2160
LVDS signal support		Up to 1920x1200
DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) support		Up to 3840x2160
HDCP content protection		+
7.1 channel HD audio on HDMI		+
TrueHD and DTS-HD audio bitstreaming		+
H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder		+
Optimus		+
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GeForce GTX 280 vs GeForce GTX 860M

GeForce GTX 860M is a Laptop Graphics Card

Main Specs

Game benchmarks

Full Specs

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