GeForce GTX 280 vs Iris Graphics 540

In this comparison between GeForce GTX 280 and Iris Graphics 540 you will find out which graphics card performs better in today's games. Bear in mind that third-party versions may have more efficient cooling and higher clock speeds. This will increase cards' performance, though not by much. In addition to raw power you should also take into account the dimensions. Thicker models simply will not fit into a small mini-ITX case. The resolution of your monitor also affects the choice, since 4K gameplay requires a more powerful GPU. And don't overspend on the graphics card. Other parts of your build may also need to be upgraded, save some money for the CPU or power supply. For some people GeForce GTX 280 will be the best choice, for others Iris Graphics 540 will be their preference. Study the comparison tables below and make your choice.

Iris Graphics 540 is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: Iris Graphics 540 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 Iris Graphics 540 here:

Main Specs

  GeForce GTX 280 Iris Graphics 540
Power consumption (TDP) 236 Watt 15 Watt
Interface PCIe 2.0 x16 PCIe 3.0 x1
Supplementary power connectors 6-pin & 8-pin
Memory type GDDR3 eDRAM
Maximum RAM amount 1 GB 64 MB
Display Connectors 2x DVI, 1x S-Video No outputs
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  • GeForce GTX 280 has 1473% more power consumption, than Iris Graphics 540.
  • GeForce GTX 280 is connected by PCIe 2.0 x16, and Iris Graphics 540 uses PCIe 3.0 x1 interface.
  • Iris Graphics 540 has 63 GB more memory, than GeForce GTX 280.
  • GeForce GTX 280 is used in Desktops, and Iris Graphics 540 - in Laptops.
  • GeForce GTX 280 is build with Tesla 2.0 architecture, and Iris Graphics 540 - with Gen. 9 Skylake.
  • Core clock speed of GeForce GTX 280 is 996 MHz higher, than Iris Graphics 540.
  • GeForce GTX 280 is manufactured by 65 nm process technology, and Iris Graphics 540 - by 14 nm process technology.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 1−2 8−9
ultra / 1080p 0−1 5−6
QHD / 1440p 0−1 0−1
low / 720p 12−14 20−22
medium / 1080p 3−4 10−12
The average gaming FPS of Iris Graphics 540 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 116% more, than GeForce GTX 280.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 280 Iris Graphics 540
Architecture Tesla 2.0 Gen. 9 Skylake
Code name GT200 Skylake GT3e
Type Desktop Laptop
Release date 16 June 2008 1 September 2015
Pipelines 240 48
Core clock speed 1296 MHz 300 MHz
Boost Clock 1050 MHz
Transistor count 1,400 million 189 million
Manufacturing process technology 65 nm 14 nm
Texture fill rate 48.2 billion/sec 50.40
Floating-point performance 622.1 gflops
Length 10.5" (267 mm) (26.7 cm)
Memory bus width 512 Bit
Memory clock speed 1107 MHz
Memory bandwidth 141.7 GB/s
Shared memory +
DirectX 11.1 (10_0) 12 (12_1)
Shader Model 4.0 6.4
OpenGL 2.1 4.6
OpenCL 1.1 2.1
Vulkan N/A 1.1.97
CUDA +
CUDA cores 240
Height 4.376" (111 mm) (11.1 cm)
SLI options +
Multi monitor support +
Maximum VGA resolution 2048x1536
Audio input for HDMI S/PDIF
Quick Sync +
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