GeForce GTX 280 vs GeForce GTX 560M

If you are going to buy a new graphics card and are choosing between GeForce GTX 280 and GeForce GTX 560M, there are a couple of things to consider. Cards with more VRAM in general perform better and allow you to play on higher graphics settings. Size also makes a difference. A model with a large heatsink can occupy up to three expansion slots on a motherboard. Be sure you have enough room in your PC case. When comparing GPUs with different architectures, more processing cores and even higher TFLOPS will not always translate to better performance. To help you decide which GPU you need, we have measured frame rates in a number of popular games. For more on how the GeForce GTX 280 stacks up against GeForce GTX 560M, check out specs charts below.

GeForce GTX 560M is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: GeForce GTX 560M 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 560M here:

Main Specs

  GeForce GTX 280 GeForce GTX 560M
Power consumption (TDP) 236 Watt 75 Watt
Interface PCIe 2.0 x16 MXM-B (3.0)
Supplementary power connectors 6-pin & 8-pin None
Memory type GDDR3 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 1 GB 1536 MB
Display Connectors 2x DVI, 1x S-Video No outputs
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  • GeForce GTX 280 has 214% more power consumption, than GeForce GTX 560M.
  • GeForce GTX 280 is connected by PCIe 2.0 x16, and GeForce GTX 560M uses MXM-B (3.0) interface.
  • GeForce GTX 560M has 1535 GB more memory, than GeForce GTX 280.
  • GeForce GTX 280 is used in Desktops, and GeForce GTX 560M - in Laptops.
  • GeForce GTX 280 is build with Tesla 2.0 architecture, and GeForce GTX 560M - with Fermi.
  • Core clock speed of GeForce GTX 280 is 521 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 560M.
  • GeForce GTX 280 is manufactured by 65 nm process technology, and GeForce GTX 560M - by 40 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of GeForce GTX 560M is 143 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 280.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 1−2 4−5
ultra / 1080p 0−1 2−3
QHD / 1440p 0−1 1−2
low / 720p 12−14 14−16
medium / 1080p 3−4 7−8
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 560M in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 50% more, than GeForce GTX 280.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 280 GeForce GTX 560M
Architecture Tesla 2.0 Fermi
Code name GT200 N12E-GS
Type Desktop Laptop
Release date 16 June 2008 30 May 2011
Pipelines 240 192
Core clock speed 1296 MHz 775 MHz
Transistor count 1,400 million 1,170 million
Manufacturing process technology 65 nm 40 nm
Texture fill rate 48.2 billion/sec 24.8 billion/sec
Floating-point performance 622.1 gflops 595.2 gflops
Length 10.5" (267 mm) (26.7 cm)
Memory bus width 512 Bit
Memory clock speed 1107 MHz 1250 MHz
Memory bandwidth 141.7 GB/s
Shared memory -
DirectX 11.1 (10_0) 12 API
Shader Model 4.0 5.1
OpenGL 2.1 4.5
OpenCL 1.1 1.1
Vulkan N/A N/A
CUDA + +
CUDA cores 240 192
Bus support PCI-E 2.0
Height 4.376" (111 mm) (11.1 cm)
SLI options + 2-way
Multi monitor support +
Maximum VGA resolution 2048x1536
Audio input for HDMI S/PDIF
3D Blu-Ray +
3D Gaming +
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 44 Mh/s
Laptop size large
Optimus +
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