GeForce GTX 280 vs Radeon 540X

When choosing between GeForce GTX 280 and Radeon 540X, it is worth examining the specifications of the models in detail. Do they meet the recommended requirements of modern games and software? Storage capacity, form factor, TDP, available ports, warranty and manufacturer support are all important. For example, the size of a PC case can limit the maximum thickness and length of the card. Often, instead of the factory overclocked card and RGB backlight, it is better to choose a reference model with a more efficient GPU. And make sure that your current power supply unit has the correct connection pins (using adapters is not recommended). This GPUs compare tool is meant to help you to choose the best graphics card for your build. Let's find out the difference between GeForce GTX 280 and Radeon 540X.

Radeon 540X is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: Radeon 540X 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 Radeon 540X here:

Main Specs

  GeForce GTX 280 Radeon 540X
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
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  • GeForce GTX 280 has 372% more power consumption, than Radeon 540X.
  • GeForce GTX 280 is connected by PCIe 2.0 x16, and Radeon 540X uses PCIe 3.0 x8 interface.
  • Radeon 540X has 1 GB more memory, than GeForce GTX 280.
  • GeForce GTX 280 is used in Desktops, and Radeon 540X - in Laptops.
  • GeForce GTX 280 is build with Tesla 2.0 architecture, and Radeon 540X - with GCN 4.0.
  • GeForce GTX 280 is manufactured by 65 nm process technology, and Radeon 540X - by 14 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon 540X is 4893 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 540X in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 50% more, than GeForce GTX 280.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 280 Radeon 540X
Architecture Tesla 2.0 GCN 4.0
Code name GT200 Lexa
Type Desktop Laptop
Release date 16 June 2008 12 August 2019
Pipelines 240 512
Core clock speed 1296 MHz
Boost Clock 1219 MHz
Transistor count 1,400 million 2,200 million
Manufacturing process technology 65 nm 14 nm
Texture fill rate 48.2 billion/sec 33.47
Floating-point performance 622.1 gflops
Length 10.5" (267 mm) (26.7 cm)
Memory bus width 512 Bit 64 Bit
Memory clock speed 1107 MHz 6000 MHz
Memory bandwidth 141.7 GB/s 112.0 GB/s
Shared memory -
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
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