GeForce GTX 280 vs Radeon RX 540

When choosing between GeForce GTX 280 and Radeon RX 540, 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 RX 540.

Radeon RX 540 is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: Radeon RX 540 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 RX 540 here:

Main Specs

  GeForce GTX 280 Radeon RX 540
Power consumption (TDP) 236 Watt 65 Watt
Interface PCIe 2.0 x16 PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 6-pin & 8-pin 1x 6-pin
Memory type GDDR3 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 1 GB 4 GB
Display Connectors 2x DVI, 1x S-Video
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  • GeForce GTX 280 has 263% more power consumption, than Radeon RX 540.
  • GeForce GTX 280 is connected by PCIe 2.0 x16, and Radeon RX 540 uses PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.
  • Radeon RX 540 has 3 GB more memory, than GeForce GTX 280.
  • GeForce GTX 280 is used in Desktops, and Radeon RX 540 - in Laptops.
  • GeForce GTX 280 is build with Tesla 2.0 architecture, and Radeon RX 540 - with Polaris.
  • GeForce GTX 280 is manufactured by 65 nm process technology, and Radeon RX 540 - by 14 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon RX 540 is 4893 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 280.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 1−2 14−16
ultra / 1080p 0−1 8−9
QHD / 1440p 0−1 3−4
low / 720p 12−14 30−33
medium / 1080p 3−4 18−20
The average gaming FPS of Radeon RX 540 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 250% more, than GeForce GTX 280.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 280 Radeon RX 540
Architecture Tesla 2.0 Polaris
Code name GT200 Polaris 12
Type Desktop Laptop
Release date 16 June 2008 21 March 2017
Pipelines 240 512
Core clock speed 1296 MHz
Boost Clock 1219 MHz
Transistor count 1,400 million 1,500 million
Manufacturing process technology 65 nm 14 nm
Texture fill rate 48.2 billion/sec 39.01
Floating-point performance 622.1 gflops 1,248 gflops
Length 10.5" (267 mm) (26.7 cm)
Memory bus width 512 Bit 128 Bit
Memory clock speed 1107 MHz 6000 MHz
Memory bandwidth 141.7 GB/s 96 GB/s
Shared memory -
DirectX 11.1 (10_0) 12.0
Shader Model 4.0 5.0
OpenGL 2.1 4.6
OpenCL 1.1 1.2
Vulkan N/A
CUDA +
FreeSync +
CUDA cores 240
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
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