GeForce GTX 280 vs Radeon HD 8730M

When choosing between GeForce GTX 280 and Radeon HD 8730M, 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 HD 8730M.

Radeon HD 8730M is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: Radeon HD 8730M 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 HD 8730M here:

Main Specs

  GeForce GTX 280 Radeon HD 8730M
Power consumption (TDP) 236 Watt
Interface PCIe 2.0 x16 PCIe 3.0 x8
Supplementary power connectors 6-pin & 8-pin
Memory type GDDR3 DDR3
Maximum RAM amount 1 GB 2 GB
Display Connectors 2x DVI, 1x S-Video No outputs
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  • GeForce GTX 280 is connected by PCIe 2.0 x16, and Radeon HD 8730M uses PCIe 3.0 x8 interface.
  • Radeon HD 8730M has 1 GB more memory, than GeForce GTX 280.
  • GeForce GTX 280 is used in Desktops, and Radeon HD 8730M - in Laptops.
  • GeForce GTX 280 is build with Tesla 2.0 architecture, and Radeon HD 8730M - with GCN.
  • Core clock speed of GeForce GTX 280 is 646 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 8730M.
  • GeForce GTX 280 is manufactured by 65 nm process technology, and Radeon HD 8730M - by 28 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon HD 8730M is 893 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 280.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 1−2 0−1
ultra / 1080p 0−1
QHD / 1440p 0−1 0−1
low / 720p 12−14 1−2
medium / 1080p 3−4 0−1
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 280 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 1200% more, than Radeon HD 8730M.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 280 Radeon HD 8730M
Architecture Tesla 2.0 GCN
Code name GT200 Mars
Type Desktop Laptop
Release date 16 June 2008 16 November 2012
Pipelines 240 384
Core clock speed 1296 MHz 650 MHz
Boost Clock 700 MHz
Transistor count 1,400 million 950 million
Manufacturing process technology 65 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 48.2 billion/sec 16.80
Floating-point performance 622.1 gflops 537.6 gflops
Length 10.5" (267 mm) (26.7 cm)
Memory bus width 512 Bit 128 Bit
Memory clock speed 1107 MHz 2000 MHz
Memory bandwidth 141.7 GB/s 32 GB/s
Shared memory -
DirectX 11.1 (10_0) 12 (11_1)
Shader Model 4.0 5.1
OpenGL 2.1 4.6
OpenCL 1.1 1.2
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
Laptop size medium sized
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