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    Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 vs Radeon R9 280

    When comparing Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 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 Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 and Radeon R9 280 is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.
    Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 Check Price
    Radeon R9 280 Check Price

    Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 is a Laptop Graphics Card

    Note: Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 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 Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 here:

    Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 Laptops

    Main Specs

      Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 Radeon R9 280
    Power consumption (TDP) 110 Watt 200 Watt
    Interface PCIe 2.0 x16 PCIe 3.0 x16
    Supplementary power connectors 1 x 6-pin + 1 x 8-pin
    Memory type GDDR3 GDDR5
    Maximum RAM amount 512 MB 3 GB
    Display Connectors No outputs 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort
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    • Radeon R9 280 has 81% more power consumption, than Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2.
    • Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 is connected by PCIe 2.0 x16, and Radeon R9 280 uses PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.
    • Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 has 509 GB more memory, than Radeon R9 280.
    • Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 is used in Laptops, and Radeon R9 280 - in Desktops.
    • Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 is build with RV6xx architecture, and Radeon R9 280 - with GCN 1.0.
    • Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 is manufactured by 55 nm process technology, and Radeon R9 280 - by 28 nm process technology.
    • Memory clock speed of Radeon R9 280 is 400 MHz higher, than Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2.

    Game benchmarks

    high / 1080p 6−7 35−40
    ultra / 1080p 4−5 21−24
    QHD / 1440p 0−1 16−18
    4K / 2160p − 10−11
    low / 720p 16−18 60−65
    medium / 1080p 8−9 40−45
    The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 280 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 355% more, than Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2.

    Full Specs

      Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 Radeon R9 280
    Architecture RV6xx GCN 1.0
    Code name M88-XT CF Tahiti
    Type Laptop Desktop
    Release date 1 September 2008 4 March 2014
    Pipelines 640 1792
    Core clock speed 660 MHz
    Boost Clock 933 MHz
    Transistor count 666 million 4,313 million
    Manufacturing process technology 55 nm 28 nm
    Texture fill rate 10.56 104.5
    Floating-point performance 2x 422.4 gflops 3,344 gflops
    Length 275 mm
    Memory bus width 256 Bit 384 Bit
    Memory clock speed 850 MHz 1250 MHz
    Memory bandwidth 54.4 GB/s 240 GB/s
    Shared memory -
    DirectX 10.1 (10_1)
    Shader Model 4.1 5.1
    OpenGL 3.3 4.6
    OpenCL N/A 1.2
    Vulkan N/A +
    FreeSync +
    Bus support PCIe 3.0
    HDMI +
    Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 408 Mh/s
    Laptop size large
    Eyefinity +
    HD3D +
    TrueAudio +
    Design reference
    CrossFire +
    DDMA audio +
    Ethereum / ETH (DaggerHashimoto) 21.5 Mh/s
    LiquidVR +
    TressFX +
    UVD +
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