GeForce GTX 950 vs Radeon R9 280

When comparing GeForce GTX 950 and Radeon R9 280, 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 950 and Radeon R9 280 is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

Main Specs

  GeForce GTX 950 Radeon R9 280
Power consumption (TDP) 90 Watt 200 Watt
Interface PCIe 3.0 x16 PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 1x 6-pins 1 x 6-pin + 1 x 8-pin
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 2 GB 3 GB
Display Connectors 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort
Recommended system power (PSU) 350 Watt
  Check Price Check Price
  • Radeon R9 280 has 122% more power consumption, than GeForce GTX 950.
  • Both video cards are using PCIe 3.0 x16 interface connection to a motherboard.
  • Radeon R9 280 has 1 GB more memory, than GeForce GTX 950.
  • Both cards are used in Desktops.
  • GeForce GTX 950 is build with Maxwell architecture, and Radeon R9 280 - with GCN 1.0.
  • GeForce GTX 950 and Radeon R9 280 are manufactured by 28 nm process technology.
  • Radeon R9 280 is 268 mm longer, than GeForce GTX 950.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon R9 280 is 1244 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 950.

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 950 and Radeon R9 280 have the same average FPS in Assassin's Creed Odyssey.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 950 Radeon R9 280
Architecture Maxwell GCN 1.0
Code name GM206 Tahiti
Type Desktop Desktop
Release date 20 August 2015 4 March 2014
Pipelines 768 1792
Core clock speed 1024 MHz
Boost Clock 1188 MHz 933 MHz
Transistor count 2,940 million 4,313 million
Manufacturing process technology 28 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 49.2 billion/sec 104.5
Floating-point performance 1,825 gflops 3,344 gflops
Length 7.938" (20.2 cm) 275 mm
Memory bus width 128 Bit 384 Bit
Memory clock speed 6.6 GB/s 1250 MHz
Memory bandwidth 105.6 GB/s 240 GB/s
Shared memory -
G-SYNC support +
DirectX 12 (12_1)
Shader Model 6.4 5.1
OpenGL 4.5 4.6
OpenCL 1.2 1.2
Vulkan 1.1.126 +
CUDA +
FreeSync +
CUDA cores 768
Bus support PCI Express 3.0 PCIe 3.0
Height 4.376" (11.1 cm)
SLI options +
Multi monitor support 4 displays
HDMI +
HDCP +
Maximum VGA resolution 2048x1536
Audio input for HDMI Internal
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 233 Mh/s 408 Mh/s
Eyefinity +
HD3D +
TrueAudio +
Design reference
CrossFire +
DDMA audio +
Ethereum / ETH (DaggerHashimoto) 9.97 Mh/s 21.5 Mh/s
GameStream +
GeForce ShadowPlay +
GPU Boost 2.0
GameWorks +
LiquidVR +
TressFX +
UVD +
  Check Price Check Price