GeForce GTX 280 vs Radeon R9 M390X
If you are going to buy a new graphics card and are choosing between GeForce GTX 280 and Radeon R9 M390X, there are a couple of things to consider. Cards with more VRAM in general perform better and allow you to play on higher graphics settings. Size also makes a difference. A model with a large heatsink can occupy up to three expansion slots on a motherboard. Be sure you have enough room in your PC case. When comparing GPUs with different architectures, more processing cores and even higher TFLOPS will not always translate to better performance. To help you decide which GPU you need, we have measured frame rates in a number of popular games. For more on how the GeForce GTX 280 stacks up against Radeon R9 M390X, check out specs charts below.
GeForce GTX 280
Radeon R9 M390X is a Laptop Graphics Card
Note: Radeon R9 M390X 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 M390X here:
Main Specs
| GeForce GTX 280 | Radeon R9 M390X | |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 236 Watt | 100 Watt |
| Interface | PCIe 2.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| Supplementary power connectors | 6-pin & 8-pin | None |
| Memory type | GDDR3 | GDDR5 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 1 GB | 4 GB |
| Display Connectors | 2x DVI, 1x S-Video | No outputs |
| Check Price |
- GeForce GTX 280 has 136% more power consumption, than Radeon R9 M390X.
- GeForce GTX 280 is connected by PCIe 2.0 x16, and Radeon R9 M390X uses PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.
- Radeon R9 M390X has 3 GB more memory, than GeForce GTX 280.
- GeForce GTX 280 is used in Desktops, and Radeon R9 M390X - in Laptops.
- GeForce GTX 280 is build with Tesla 2.0 architecture, and Radeon R9 M390X - with GCN 3.
- Core clock speed of GeForce GTX 280 is 573 MHz higher, than Radeon R9 M390X.
- GeForce GTX 280 is manufactured by 65 nm process technology, and Radeon R9 M390X - by 28 nm process technology.
Game benchmarks
| high / 1080p | 1−2 | 21−24 |
| ultra / 1080p | 0−1 | 12−14 |
| QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 8−9 |
| 4K / 2160p | − | 5−6 |
| low / 720p | 12−14 | 40−45 |
| medium / 1080p | 3−4 | 27−30 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M390X in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 416% more, than GeForce GTX 280. | ||
| high / 1080p | − | 35−40 |
| ultra / 1080p | 4−5 | 30−35 |
| QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 14−16 |
| 4K / 2160p | − | 9−10 |
| low / 720p | 16−18 | 70−75 |
| medium / 1080p | 5−6 | 40−45 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M390X in Battlefield 5 is 444% more, than GeForce GTX 280. | ||
| low / 768p | 45−50 | 50−55 |
| high / 1080p | 40−45 | − |
| QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 0−1 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M390X in Call of Duty: Warzone is 10% more, than GeForce GTX 280. | ||
| low / 768p | 120−130 | 230−240 |
| medium / 768p | 90−95 | 210−220 |
| ultra / 1080p | 40−45 | 120−130 |
| QHD / 1440p | 21−24 | 100−110 |
| 4K / 2160p | 18−20 | 55−60 |
| high / 768p | 65−70 | 170−180 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M390X in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is 149% more, than GeForce GTX 280. | ||
| low / 768p | 85−90 | 60−65 |
| ultra / 1080p | 16−18 | 55−60 |
| medium / 1080p | 40−45 | 55−60 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M390X in Cyberpunk 2077 is 20% more, than GeForce GTX 280. | ||
| low / 768p | 75−80 | 120−130 |
| medium / 768p | 50−55 | 110−120 |
| ultra / 1080p | 24−27 | 85−90 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M390X in Dota 2 is 113% more, than GeForce GTX 280. | ||
| high / 1080p | 2−3 | 27−30 |
| ultra / 1080p | 2−3 | 24−27 |
| QHD / 1440p | − | 20−22 |
| 4K / 2160p | 0−1 | 9−10 |
| low / 720p | 10−12 | 55−60 |
| medium / 1080p | 3−4 | 30−33 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M390X in Far Cry 5 is 775% more, than GeForce GTX 280. | ||
| high / 1080p | 10−11 | 35−40 |
| ultra / 1080p | 5−6 | 27−30 |
| QHD / 1440p | 2−3 | 16−18 |
| low / 720p | 50−55 | 130−140 |
| medium / 1080p | 10−12 | 75−80 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M390X in Fortnite is 268% more, than GeForce GTX 280. | ||
| high / 1080p | 4−5 | 35−40 |
| ultra / 1080p | − | 27−30 |
| QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 16−18 |
| 4K / 2160p | − | 14−16 |
| low / 720p | 16−18 | 75−80 |
| medium / 1080p | 7−8 | 40−45 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M390X in Forza Horizon 4 is 477% more, than GeForce GTX 280. | ||
| low / 768p | 40−45 | 110−120 |
| medium / 768p | − | 95−100 |
| high / 1080p | 5−6 | 45−50 |
| ultra / 1080p | 2−3 | 18−20 |
| QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 9−10 |
| medium / 720p | 35−40 | − |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M390X in Grand Theft Auto V is 275% more, than GeForce GTX 280. | ||
| high / 1080p | 1−2 | 14−16 |
| ultra / 1080p | 0−1 | 10−12 |
| QHD / 1440p | − | 10−12 |
| 4K / 2160p | 0−1 | 3−4 |
| low / 720p | 5−6 | 40−45 |
| medium / 1080p | 3−4 | 20−22 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M390X in Metro Exodus is 766% more, than GeForce GTX 280. | ||
| low / 768p | 90−95 | 120−130 |
| high / 1080p | 85−90 | − |
| ultra / 1080p | 70−75 | − |
| medium / 1080p | 90−95 | 110−120 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M390X in Minecraft is 30% more, than GeForce GTX 280. | ||
| ultra / 1080p | 12−14 | 14−16 |
| low / 720p | 27−30 | 75−80 |
| medium / 1080p | 14−16 | 18−20 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M390X in PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS is 105% more, than GeForce GTX 280. | ||
| high / 1080p | − | 16−18 |
| ultra / 1080p | 4−5 | 10−12 |
| QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 3−4 |
| 4K / 2160p | − | 2−3 |
| low / 720p | 6−7 | 40−45 |
| medium / 1080p | − | 21−24 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M390X in Red Dead Redemption 2 is 420% more, than GeForce GTX 280. | ||
| low / 768p | 12−14 | 80−85 |
| medium / 768p | 8−9 | 50−55 |
| high / 1080p | 4−5 | 27−30 |
| ultra / 1080p | 3−4 | 16−18 |
| 4K / 2160p | 0−1 | 9−10 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M390X in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is 542% more, than GeForce GTX 280. | ||
| low / 768p | 75−80 | 90−95 |
| medium / 768p | 35−40 | 60−65 |
| ultra / 1080p | 16−18 | 40−45 |
| high / 768p | 30−35 | 55−60 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M390X in World of Tanks is 53% more, than GeForce GTX 280. | ||
Full Specs
| GeForce GTX 280 | Radeon R9 M390X | |
| Architecture | Tesla 2.0 | GCN 3 |
| Code name | GT200 | Amethyst (XT) / Tonga |
| Type | Desktop | Laptop |
| Release date | 16 June 2008 | 9 June 2015 |
| Pipelines | 240 | 2048 |
| Core clock speed | 1296 MHz | 723 MHz |
| Transistor count | 1,400 million | 5,000 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 65 nm | 28 nm |
| Texture fill rate | 48.2 billion/sec | 92.54 |
| Floating-point performance | 622.1 gflops | 2,961 gflops |
| Length | 10.5" (267 mm) (26.7 cm) | |
| Memory bus width | 512 Bit | 256 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 1107 MHz | |
| Memory bandwidth | 141.7 GB/s | 160.0 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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