Radeon R9 280 vs Radeon R9 380X

When comparing Radeon R9 280 and Radeon R9 380X, 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 R9 380X is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

Main Specs

  Radeon R9 280 Radeon R9 380X
Power consumption (TDP) 200 Watt 190 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 3 GB 4 GB
Display Connectors 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort
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  • Radeon R9 280 has 5% more power consumption, than Radeon R9 380X.
  • Both video cards are using PCIe 3.0 x16 interface connection to a motherboard.
  • Radeon R9 380X has 1 GB more memory, than Radeon R9 280.
  • Both cards are used in Desktops.
  • Radeon R9 280 is build with GCN 1.0 architecture, and Radeon R9 380X - with GCN 3.0.
  • Radeon R9 280 and Radeon R9 380X are manufactured by 28 nm process technology.
  • Radeon R9 280 is 54 mm longer, than Radeon R9 380X.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon R9 280 is 280 MHz higher, than Radeon R9 380X.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 35−40 35−40
ultra / 1080p 21−24 21−24
QHD / 1440p 16−18 16−18
4K / 2160p 10−11 10−11
low / 720p 60−65 60−65
medium / 1080p 40−45 40−45
Radeon R9 280 and Radeon R9 380X have the same average FPS in Assassin's Creed Odyssey.

Full Specs

  Radeon R9 280 Radeon R9 380X
Architecture GCN 1.0 GCN 3.0
Code name Tahiti Antigua
Type Desktop Desktop
Release date 4 March 2014 19 November 2015
Pipelines 1792 2048
Boost Clock 933 MHz 970 MHz
Transistor count 4,313 million 5,000 million
Manufacturing process technology 28 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 104.5 124.2
Floating-point performance 3,344 gflops 3,973 gflops
Length 275 mm 221 mm
Memory bus width 384 Bit 256 Bit
Memory clock speed 1250 MHz 970 MHz
Memory bandwidth 240 GB/s 182.4 GB/s
Shader Model 5.1 6.3
OpenGL 4.6 4.5
OpenCL 1.2 2.0
Vulkan + +
Monero / XMR (CryptoNight) 0.58 kh/s
FreeSync + +
Bus support PCIe 3.0 PCIe 3.0
HDMI + +
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 408 Mh/s
Eyefinity + +
HD3D + +
PowerTune +
TrueAudio + +
ZeroCore +
Mantle +
Design reference reference
Bridgeless CrossFire +
Number of Eyefinity displays 6
DisplayPort support +
CrossFire + +
VCE +
DDMA audio + +
Decred / DCR (Decred) 0.89 Gh/s
Ethereum / ETH (DaggerHashimoto) 21.5 Mh/s 20.63 Mh/s
Zcash / ZEC (Equihash) 175 Sol/s
Compute units 32
Form factor full height / full length
High bandwidth memory (HBM) -
LiquidVR + +
TressFX +
UVD +
FRTC +
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