GeForce GTX 280 vs Radeon HD 7970

When comparing GeForce GTX 280 and Radeon HD 7970, we look primarily at benchmarks and game tests. But it is not only about the numbers. Often you can find third-party models with higher clock speeds, better cooling, or a customizable RGB lighting. Not all of them will have all the features you need. Another thing to consider is the port selection. Most graphics cards have at least one DisplayPort and HDMI interface, but some monitors require DVI. Before you buy, check the TDP of the graphics card - this characteristic will help you estimate the consumption of the graphics card. You may even have to upgrade your PSU to meet its requirements. An important factor when choosing between GeForce GTX 280 and Radeon HD 7970 is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

Main Specs

  GeForce GTX 280 Radeon HD 7970
Power consumption (TDP) 236 Watt 300 Watt
Interface PCIe 2.0 x16 PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 6-pin & 8-pin 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
Memory type GDDR3 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 1 GB 3 GB
Display Connectors 2x DVI, 1x S-Video 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort
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  • Radeon HD 7970 has 27% more power consumption, than GeForce GTX 280.
  • GeForce GTX 280 is connected by PCIe 2.0 x16, and Radeon HD 7970 uses PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.
  • Radeon HD 7970 has 2 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 HD 7970 - with GCN.
  • GeForce GTX 280 is manufactured by 65 nm process technology, and Radeon HD 7970 - by 28 nm process technology.
  • Radeon HD 7970 is 264 mm longer, than GeForce GTX 280.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon HD 7970 is 268 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 280.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 1−2 35−40
ultra / 1080p 0−1 21−24
QHD / 1440p 0−1 16−18
4K / 2160p 10−11
low / 720p 12−14 60−65
medium / 1080p 3−4 40−45
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 7970 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 683% more, than GeForce GTX 280.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 280 Radeon HD 7970
Architecture Tesla 2.0 GCN
Code name GT200 Tahiti XT
Type Desktop Desktop
Release date 16 June 2008 22 December 2011
Pipelines 240 2048
Core clock speed 1296 MHz
Boost Clock 925 MHz
Transistor count 1,400 million 4,313 million
Manufacturing process technology 65 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 48.2 billion/sec 118.4
Floating-point performance 622.1 gflops 3,789 gflops
Length 10.5" (267 mm) (26.7 cm) 274 mm
Memory bus width 512 Bit 384 Bit
Memory clock speed 1107 MHz 1375 MHz
Memory bandwidth 141.7 GB/s 264 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 +
FreeSync +
CUDA cores 240
Bus support PCIe 2.1 x16
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) 485 Mh/s
Eyefinity +
Design reference
CrossFire +
Ethereum / ETH (DaggerHashimoto) 20.71 Mh/s
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