Radeon HD 7870M vs Radeon R9 280X

Find out if it is worth upgrading your current GPU setup by comparing Radeon HD 7870M and Radeon R9 280X. Here you can take a closer look at graphics cards specs, such as core clock speed, memory type and size, display connectors, etc. The price, overall benchmark and gaming performances are usually defining factors when it comes to choosing between Radeon HD 7870M and Radeon R9 280X. Make sure that the graphics card has compatible dimensions and will properly fit in your new or current computer case. Also these graphics cards may have different system power recommendations, so take that into consideration and upgrade your PSU if necessary.

Radeon HD 7870M is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: Radeon HD 7870M 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 HD 7870M here:

Main Specs

  Radeon HD 7870M Radeon R9 280X
Power consumption (TDP) 45 Watt 250 Watt
Interface PCIe 3.0 x16 PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 1 x 6-pin + 1 x 8-pin
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 2 GB 3 GB
Display Connectors No outputs 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort
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  • Radeon R9 280X has 455% more power consumption, than Radeon HD 7870M.
  • Both video cards are using PCIe 3.0 x16 interface connection to a motherboard.
  • Radeon R9 280X has 1 GB more memory, than Radeon HD 7870M.
  • Radeon HD 7870M is used in Laptops, and Radeon R9 280X - in Desktops.
  • Radeon HD 7870M and Radeon R9 280X are build with GCN architecture.
  • Radeon HD 7870M and Radeon R9 280X are manufactured by 28 nm process technology.

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 280X in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 355% more, than Radeon HD 7870M.

Full Specs

  Radeon HD 7870M Radeon R9 280X
Architecture GCN GCN
Code name Heathrow XT Thaiti XTL
Type Laptop Desktop
Release date 24 April 2012 8 October 2013
Pipelines 640 2048
Core clock speed 800 MHz
Boost Clock 1000 MHz
Transistor count 1,500 million 4,313 million
Manufacturing process technology 28 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 32.00 128.0
Floating-point performance 1,024 gflops 4,096 gflops
Length 275 mm
Memory bus width 128 Bit 384 Bit
Memory clock speed 4000 MHz
Memory bandwidth 64 GB/s 288 GB/s
Shared memory - -
DirectX 12 (11_1)
Shader Model 5.1 5.1
OpenGL 4.6 4.6
OpenCL 1.2 1.2
Vulkan 1.2.131 +
Monero / XMR (CryptoNight) 0.5 kh/s
FreeSync +
Bus support PCIe 3.0
HDMI +
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 494 Mh/s
Laptop size large
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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