GeForce GTX 280 vs Radeon R9 M385X

When choosing between GeForce GTX 280 and Radeon R9 M385X, it is worth examining the specifications of the models in detail. Do they meet the recommended requirements of modern games and software? Storage capacity, form factor, TDP, available ports, warranty and manufacturer support are all important. For example, the size of a PC case can limit the maximum thickness and length of the card. Often, instead of the factory overclocked card and RGB backlight, it is better to choose a reference model with a more efficient GPU. And make sure that your current power supply unit has the correct connection pins (using adapters is not recommended). This GPUs compare tool is meant to help you to choose the best graphics card for your build. Let's find out the difference between GeForce GTX 280 and Radeon R9 M385X.

Radeon R9 M385X is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: Radeon R9 M385X 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 R9 M385X here:

Main Specs

  GeForce GTX 280 Radeon R9 M385X
Power consumption (TDP) 236 Watt
Interface PCIe 2.0 x16 PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 6-pin & 8-pin
Memory type GDDR3 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 1 GB 4 GB
Display Connectors 2x DVI, 1x S-Video No outputs
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  • GeForce GTX 280 is connected by PCIe 2.0 x16, and Radeon R9 M385X uses PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.
  • Radeon R9 M385X has 3 GB more memory, than GeForce GTX 280.
  • GeForce GTX 280 is used in Desktops, and Radeon R9 M385X - in Laptops.
  • GeForce GTX 280 is build with Tesla 2.0 architecture, and Radeon R9 M385X - with GCN.
  • Core clock speed of GeForce GTX 280 is 196 MHz higher, than Radeon R9 M385X.
  • GeForce GTX 280 is manufactured by 65 nm process technology, and Radeon R9 M385X - by 28 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon R9 M385X is 393 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 280.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 1−2 8−9
ultra / 1080p 0−1 5−6
QHD / 1440p 0−1 0−1
low / 720p 12−14 18−20
medium / 1080p 3−4 10−11
The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M385X in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 100% more, than GeForce GTX 280.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 280 Radeon R9 M385X
Architecture Tesla 2.0 GCN
Code name GT200 Strato-XT-M3
Type Desktop Laptop
Release date 16 June 2008 16 June 2015
Pipelines 240 896
Core clock speed 1296 MHz 1100 MHz
Boost Clock 1100 MHz
Transistor count 1,400 million 2,080 million
Manufacturing process technology 65 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 48.2 billion/sec 61.60
Floating-point performance 622.1 gflops 1,971 gflops
Length 10.5" (267 mm) (26.7 cm)
Memory bus width 512 Bit 128 Bit
Memory clock speed 1107 MHz 1500 MHz
Memory bandwidth 141.7 GB/s 76.8 GB/s
Shared memory -
DirectX 11.1 (10_0)
Shader Model 4.0 6.3
OpenGL 2.1 4.4
OpenCL 1.1 Not Listed
Vulkan N/A
CUDA +
FreeSync +
CUDA cores 240
Bus support PCIe 3.0
Height 4.376" (111 mm) (11.1 cm)
SLI options +
Multi monitor support +
Maximum VGA resolution 2048x1536
Audio input for HDMI S/PDIF
Laptop size large
Eyefinity +
HD3D +
PowerTune +
DualGraphics +
ZeroCore +
Switchable graphics +
Mantle +
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