Radeon HD 4870 vs Radeon R9 280X

When comparing Radeon HD 4870 and Radeon R9 280X, 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 HD 4870 and Radeon R9 280X is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

Main Specs

  Radeon HD 4870 Radeon R9 280X
Power consumption (TDP) 150 Watt 250 Watt
Interface PCIe 2.0 x16 PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 2x 6-pin 1 x 6-pin + 1 x 8-pin
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 1 GB 3 GB
Display Connectors 2x DVI, 1x S-Video 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort
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  • Radeon R9 280X has 66% more power consumption, than Radeon HD 4870.
  • Radeon HD 4870 is connected by PCIe 2.0 x16, and Radeon R9 280X uses PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.
  • Radeon R9 280X has 2 GB more memory, than Radeon HD 4870.
  • Both cards are used in Desktops.
  • Radeon HD 4870 is build with TeraScale architecture, and Radeon R9 280X - with GCN.
  • Radeon HD 4870 is manufactured by 55 nm process technology, and Radeon R9 280X - by 28 nm process technology.
  • Radeon R9 280X is 25 mm longer, than Radeon HD 4870.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 3−4 35−40
ultra / 1080p 1−2 21−24
QHD / 1440p 0−1 16−18
4K / 2160p 10−11
low / 720p 14−16 60−65
medium / 1080p 6−7 40−45
The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 280X in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 583% more, than Radeon HD 4870.

Full Specs

  Radeon HD 4870 Radeon R9 280X
Architecture TeraScale GCN
Code name RV770 Thaiti XTL
Type Desktop Desktop
Release date 25 June 2008 8 October 2013
Pipelines 800 2048
Core clock speed 750 MHz
Boost Clock 1000 MHz
Transistor count 956 million 4,313 million
Manufacturing process technology 55 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 30.00 128.0
Floating-point performance 1,200.0 gflops 4,096 gflops
Length 250 mm 275 mm
Memory bus width 256 Bit 384 Bit
Memory clock speed 3600 MHz
Memory bandwidth 115.2 GB/s 288 GB/s
Shared memory -
DirectX 10.1 (10_1)
Shader Model 4.1 5.1
OpenGL 3.3 4.6
OpenCL 1.1 1.2
Vulkan N/A +
Monero / XMR (CryptoNight) 0.5 kh/s
FreeSync +
Bus support PCIe 3.0
HDMI +
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 494 Mh/s
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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