Radeon R6 Kaveri vs Radeon R9 280

When comparing Radeon R6 Kaveri 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 Radeon R6 Kaveri and Radeon R9 280 is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

Radeon R6 Kaveri is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: Radeon R6 Kaveri 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 Radeon R6 Kaveri here:

Main Specs

  Radeon R6 Kaveri Radeon R9 280
Power consumption (TDP) 200 Watt
Interface PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 1 x 6-pin + 1 x 8-pin
Memory type GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 3 GB
Display Connectors 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort
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  • Radeon R6 Kaveri is used in Laptops, and Radeon R9 280 - in Desktops.
  • Radeon R6 Kaveri is build with GCN 1.1 architecture, and Radeon R9 280 - with GCN 1.0.
  • Radeon R6 Kaveri and Radeon R9 280 are manufactured by 28 nm process technology.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 0−1 35−40
ultra / 1080p 21−24
QHD / 1440p 0−1 16−18
4K / 2160p 10−11
low / 720p 1−2 60−65
medium / 1080p 0−1 40−45
The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 280 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 6100% more, than Radeon R6 Kaveri.

Full Specs

  Radeon R6 Kaveri Radeon R9 280
Architecture GCN 1.1 GCN 1.0
Code name Kaveri Tahiti
Type Laptop Desktop
Release date 4 June 2014 4 March 2014
Pipelines 384 1792
Core clock speed 533 MHz
Boost Clock 654 MHz 933 MHz
Transistor count 2410 Million 4,313 million
Manufacturing process technology 28 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 104.5
Floating-point performance 3,344 gflops
Length 275 mm
Memory bus width 64/128 Bit 384 Bit
Memory clock speed 1250 MHz
Memory bandwidth 240 GB/s
Shared memory +
DirectX DirectX 12 (FL 12_0), Shader 5.0
Shader Model 5.1
OpenGL 4.6
OpenCL 1.2
Vulkan +
FreeSync +
Bus support PCIe 3.0
HDMI +
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 408 Mh/s
Laptop size medium sized
Eyefinity +
HD3D +
TrueAudio +
Design reference
CrossFire +
DDMA audio +
Ethereum / ETH (DaggerHashimoto) 21.5 Mh/s
LiquidVR +
TressFX +
UVD +
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