GeForce GTX 280 vs Radeon 540
In this comparison between GeForce GTX 280 and Radeon 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 Radeon 540 will be their preference. Study the comparison tables below and make your choice.
GeForce GTX 280
Radeon 540
Main Specs
GeForce GTX 280 | Radeon 540 | |
Power consumption (TDP) | 236 Watt | 50 Watt |
Interface | PCIe 2.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x8 |
Supplementary power connectors | 6-pin & 8-pin | None |
Memory type | GDDR3 | GDDR5 |
Maximum RAM amount | 1 GB | 2 GB |
Display Connectors | 2x DVI, 1x S-Video | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort |
- GeForce GTX 280 has 372% more power consumption, than Radeon 540.
- GeForce GTX 280 is connected by PCIe 2.0 x16, and Radeon 540 uses PCIe 3.0 x8 interface.
- Radeon 540 has 1 GB more memory, than GeForce GTX 280.
- Both cards are used in Desktops.
- GeForce GTX 280 is build with Tesla 2.0 architecture, and Radeon 540 - with GCN 4.0.
- Core clock speed of GeForce GTX 280 is 196 MHz higher, than Radeon 540.
- GeForce GTX 280 is manufactured by 65 nm process technology, and Radeon 540 - by 14 nm process technology.
- Radeon 540 is 135 mm longer, than GeForce GTX 280.
- Memory clock speed of Radeon 540 is 5893 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 280.
Game benchmarks
high / 1080p | 1−2 | 6−7 |
ultra / 1080p | 0−1 | 3−4 |
QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 0−1 |
low / 720p | 12−14 | 14−16 |
medium / 1080p | 3−4 | 7−8 |
The average gaming FPS of Radeon 540 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 50% more, than GeForce GTX 280. | ||
high / 1080p | − | 10−12 |
ultra / 1080p | 4−5 | 9−10 |
QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 0−1 |
low / 720p | 16−18 | 21−24 |
medium / 1080p | 5−6 | 10−12 |
The average gaming FPS of Radeon 540 in Battlefield 5 is 55% more, than GeForce GTX 280. | ||
low / 768p | 45−50 | 45−50 |
high / 1080p | 40−45 | 45−50 |
QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 0−1 |
The average gaming FPS of Radeon 540 in Call of Duty: Warzone is 4% more, than GeForce GTX 280. | ||
low / 768p | 120−130 | 120−130 |
medium / 768p | 90−95 | 100−110 |
ultra / 1080p | 40−45 | 50−55 |
QHD / 1440p | 21−24 | 27−30 |
4K / 2160p | 18−20 | − |
high / 768p | 65−70 | 75−80 |
The average gaming FPS of Radeon 540 in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is 10% more, than GeForce GTX 280. | ||
low / 768p | 85−90 | 55−60 |
ultra / 1080p | 16−18 | 16−18 |
medium / 1080p | 40−45 | 45−50 |
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 280 in Cyberpunk 2077 is 22% more, than Radeon 540. | ||
low / 768p | 75−80 | 75−80 |
medium / 768p | 50−55 | 55−60 |
ultra / 1080p | 24−27 | 30−35 |
The average gaming FPS of Radeon 540 in Dota 2 is 7% more, than GeForce GTX 280. | ||
high / 1080p | 2−3 | 7−8 |
ultra / 1080p | 2−3 | 7−8 |
4K / 2160p | 0−1 | 3−4 |
low / 720p | 10−12 | 16−18 |
medium / 1080p | 3−4 | 8−9 |
The average gaming FPS of Radeon 540 in Far Cry 5 is 150% more, than GeForce GTX 280. | ||
high / 1080p | 10−11 | 14−16 |
ultra / 1080p | 5−6 | 10−11 |
QHD / 1440p | 2−3 | − |
low / 720p | 50−55 | 55−60 |
medium / 1080p | 10−12 | 20−22 |
The average gaming FPS of Radeon 540 in Fortnite is 36% more, than GeForce GTX 280. | ||
high / 1080p | 4−5 | 10−12 |
ultra / 1080p | − | 10−11 |
QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 0−1 |
low / 720p | 16−18 | 24−27 |
medium / 1080p | 7−8 | 12−14 |
The average gaming FPS of Radeon 540 in Forza Horizon 4 is 77% more, than GeForce GTX 280. | ||
low / 768p | 40−45 | 50−55 |
medium / 768p | − | 40−45 |
high / 1080p | 5−6 | 10−12 |
ultra / 1080p | 2−3 | 6−7 |
QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 0−1 |
medium / 720p | 35−40 | − |
The average gaming FPS of Radeon 540 in Grand Theft Auto V is 43% more, than GeForce GTX 280. | ||
high / 1080p | 1−2 | 4−5 |
ultra / 1080p | 0−1 | 3−4 |
4K / 2160p | 0−1 | 0−1 |
low / 720p | 5−6 | 10−12 |
medium / 1080p | 3−4 | 6−7 |
The average gaming FPS of Radeon 540 in Metro Exodus is 133% more, than GeForce GTX 280. | ||
low / 768p | 90−95 | 90−95 |
high / 1080p | 85−90 | 85−90 |
ultra / 1080p | 70−75 | 75−80 |
medium / 1080p | 90−95 | 90−95 |
The average gaming FPS of Radeon 540 in Minecraft is 1% more, than GeForce GTX 280. | ||
high / 1080p | − | 16−18 |
ultra / 1080p | 12−14 | 14−16 |
low / 720p | 27−30 | 30−33 |
medium / 1080p | 14−16 | 16−18 |
The average gaming FPS of Radeon 540 in PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS is 16% more, than GeForce GTX 280. | ||
ultra / 1080p | 4−5 | 7−8 |
QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 0−1 |
low / 720p | 6−7 | 10−12 |
medium / 1080p | − | 10−11 |
The average gaming FPS of Radeon 540 in Red Dead Redemption 2 is 80% more, than GeForce GTX 280. | ||
low / 768p | 12−14 | 21−24 |
medium / 768p | 8−9 | 14−16 |
high / 1080p | 4−5 | 8−9 |
ultra / 1080p | 3−4 | 6−7 |
4K / 2160p | 0−1 | − |
The average gaming FPS of Radeon 540 in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is 85% more, than GeForce GTX 280. | ||
low / 768p | 75−80 | 85−90 |
medium / 768p | 35−40 | 40−45 |
ultra / 1080p | 16−18 | 18−20 |
high / 768p | 30−35 | 35−40 |
The average gaming FPS of Radeon 540 in World of Tanks is 12% more, than GeForce GTX 280. |
Full Specs
GeForce GTX 280 | Radeon 540 | |
Architecture | Tesla 2.0 | GCN 4.0 |
Code name | GT200 | Lexa |
Type | Desktop | Desktop |
Release date | 16 June 2008 | 26 March 2019 |
Pipelines | 240 | 512 |
Core clock speed | 1296 MHz | 1100 MHz |
Boost Clock | 1124 MHz | |
Transistor count | 1,400 million | 2,200 million |
Manufacturing process technology | 65 nm | 14 nm |
Texture fill rate | 48.2 billion/sec | 35.97 |
Floating-point performance | 622.1 gflops | |
Length | 10.5" (267 mm) (26.7 cm) | 145 mm |
Memory bus width | 512 Bit | 64 Bit |
Memory clock speed | 1107 MHz | 7000 MHz |
Memory bandwidth | 141.7 GB/s | 56 GB/s |
DirectX | 11.1 (10_0) | 12 (12_0) |
Shader Model | 4.0 | 6.4 |
OpenGL | 2.1 | 4.6 |
OpenCL | 1.1 | 2.0 |
Vulkan | N/A | 1.2.131 |
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 | |