Radeon R9 280 vs Radeon RX 5500M

When comparing Radeon R9 280 and Radeon RX 5500M, 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 R9 280 and Radeon RX 5500M is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

Radeon RX 5500M is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: Radeon RX 5500M 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 RX 5500M here:

Main Specs

  Radeon R9 280 Radeon RX 5500M
Power consumption (TDP) 200 Watt 85 Watt
Interface PCIe 3.0 x16 PCIe 4.0 x8
Supplementary power connectors 1 x 6-pin + 1 x 8-pin None
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR6
Maximum RAM amount 3 GB 4 GB
Display Connectors 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort No outputs
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  • Radeon R9 280 has 135% more power consumption, than Radeon RX 5500M.
  • Radeon R9 280 is connected by PCIe 3.0 x16, and Radeon RX 5500M uses PCIe 4.0 x8 interface.
  • Radeon RX 5500M has 1 GB more memory, than Radeon R9 280.
  • Radeon R9 280 is used in Desktops, and Radeon RX 5500M - in Laptops.
  • Radeon R9 280 is build with GCN 1.0 architecture, and Radeon RX 5500M - with Navi / RDNA.
  • Radeon R9 280 is manufactured by 28 nm process technology, and Radeon RX 5500M - by 7 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon RX 5500M is 12750 MHz higher, than Radeon R9 280.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 35−40 21−24
ultra / 1080p 21−24 12−14
QHD / 1440p 16−18 7−8
4K / 2160p 10−11 5−6
low / 720p 60−65 40−45
medium / 1080p 40−45 24−27
The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 280 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 68% more, than Radeon RX 5500M.

Full Specs

  Radeon R9 280 Radeon RX 5500M
Architecture GCN 1.0 Navi / RDNA
Code name Tahiti Navi 14 / R19M-E85
Type Desktop Laptop
Release date 4 March 2014 29 September 2019
Pipelines 1792 1408
Core clock speed 1327 MHz
Boost Clock 933 MHz 1645 MHz
Transistor count 4,313 million 6,400 million
Manufacturing process technology 28 nm 7 nm
Texture fill rate 104.5 144.8
Floating-point performance 3,344 gflops
Length 275 mm
Memory bus width 384 Bit 128 Bit
Memory clock speed 1250 MHz 14000 MHz
Memory bandwidth 240 GB/s 224.0 GB/s
Shared memory -
DirectX 12 (12_1)
Shader Model 5.1 6.5
OpenGL 4.6 4.6
OpenCL 1.2 2.0
Vulkan + 1.2.131
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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