GeForce GTX 280M SLI vs Radeon HD 5870

When choosing between GeForce GTX 280M SLI and Radeon HD 5870, 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 280M SLI and Radeon HD 5870.

GeForce GTX 280M SLI is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: GeForce GTX 280M SLI 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 GeForce GTX 280M SLI here:

Main Specs

  GeForce GTX 280M SLI Radeon HD 5870
Power consumption (TDP) 150 Watt 188 Watt
Interface PCIe 2.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 2x 6-pin
Memory type GDDR3 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 2 GB 1 GB
Display Connectors 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort
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  • Radeon HD 5870 has 25% more power consumption, than GeForce GTX 280M SLI.
  • GeForce GTX 280M SLI has 1 GB more memory, than Radeon HD 5870.
  • GeForce GTX 280M SLI is used in Laptops, and Radeon HD 5870 - in Desktops.
  • GeForce GTX 280M SLI is build with G9x architecture, and Radeon HD 5870 - with TeraScale 2.
  • Core clock speed of Radeon HD 5870 is 265 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 280M SLI.
  • GeForce GTX 280M SLI is manufactured by 55 nm process technology, and Radeon HD 5870 - by 40 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon HD 5870 is 3850 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 280M SLI.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 12−14 10−12
ultra / 1080p 7−8 6−7
QHD / 1440p 2−3 1−2
low / 720p 24−27 24−27
medium / 1080p 14−16 14−16
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 280M SLI in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 9% more, than Radeon HD 5870.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 280M SLI Radeon HD 5870
Architecture G9x TeraScale 2
Code name N10E-GTX Cypress
Type Laptop Desktop
Release date 2 March 2009 23 September 2009
Pipelines 256 1600
Core clock speed 585 MHz 850 MHz
Transistor count 1508 Million 2,154 million
Manufacturing process technology 55 nm 40 nm
Texture fill rate 68.00
Floating-point performance 2,720.0 gflops
Length 282 mm
Memory bus width 256 Bit 256 Bit
Memory clock speed 950 MHz 4800 MHz
Memory bandwidth 153.6 GB/s
Shared memory -
DirectX DirectX 10, Shader 4.0 11.2 (11_0)
Shader Model 5.0
OpenGL 4.4
OpenCL 1.2
Vulkan N/A
CUDA +
Laptop size large
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