GeForce GTX 680M SLI vs Radeon R9 280X

In this comparison between GeForce GTX 680M SLI and Radeon R9 280X you will find out which graphics card performs better in today's games. Bear in mind that third-party versions may have more efficient cooling and higher clock speeds. This will increase cards' performance, though not by much. In addition to raw power you should also take into account the dimensions. Thicker models simply will not fit into a small mini-ITX case. The resolution of your monitor also affects the choice, since 4K gameplay requires a more powerful GPU. And don't overspend on the graphics card. Other parts of your build may also need to be upgraded, save some money for the CPU or power supply. For some people GeForce GTX 680M SLI will be the best choice, for others Radeon R9 280X will be their preference. Study the comparison tables below and make your choice.

GeForce GTX 680M SLI is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: GeForce GTX 680M 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 680M SLI here:

Main Specs

  GeForce GTX 680M SLI Radeon R9 280X
Power consumption (TDP) 250 Watt
Interface PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 1 x 6-pin + 1 x 8-pin
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 2x 4 GB 3 GB
Display Connectors 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort
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  • Radeon R9 280X has 1 GB more memory, than GeForce GTX 680M SLI.
  • GeForce GTX 680M SLI is used in Laptops, and Radeon R9 280X - in Desktops.
  • GeForce GTX 680M SLI is build with Kepler architecture, and Radeon R9 280X - with GCN.
  • GeForce GTX 680M SLI and Radeon R9 280X are manufactured by 28 nm process technology.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 35−40 35−40
ultra / 1080p 21−24 21−24
QHD / 1440p 16−18 16−18
4K / 2160p 10−11 10−11
low / 720p 60−65 60−65
medium / 1080p 40−45 40−45
GeForce GTX 680M SLI and Radeon R9 280X have the same average FPS in Assassin's Creed Odyssey.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 680M SLI Radeon R9 280X
Architecture Kepler GCN
Code name N13E-GTX Thaiti XTL
Type Laptop Desktop
Release date 4 June 2012 8 October 2013
Pipelines 2688 2048
Core clock speed 720 MHz
Boost Clock 1000 MHz
Transistor count 4,313 million
Manufacturing process technology 28 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 128.0
Floating-point performance 4,096 gflops
Length 275 mm
Memory bus width 2x 256 Bit 384 Bit
Memory clock speed 3600 MHz
Memory bandwidth 288 GB/s
Shared memory - -
DirectX DirectX 11, Shader 5.0
Shader Model 5.1
OpenGL 4.6
OpenCL 1.2
Vulkan +
CUDA +
Monero / XMR (CryptoNight) 0.5 kh/s
FreeSync +
Bus support PCIe 3.0
SLI options +
HDMI +
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 494 Mh/s
Laptop size large
Optimus +
Eyefinity +
HD3D +
TrueAudio +
Design reference
DisplayPort support +
CrossFire +
DDMA audio +
Decred / DCR (Decred) 1.07 Gh/s
Ethereum / ETH (DaggerHashimoto) 14.42 Mh/s
Zcash / ZEC (Equihash) 285 Sol/s
AppAcceleration +
LiquidVR +
TressFX +
UVD +
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