AMD Radeon R9 280X vs AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT

VS
Performance
Radeon R9 280X
10,79210% of 104,598
Radeon RX 6900 XT448% better
59,11957% of 104,598

The Radeon RX 6900 XT has 448% better performance than the Radeon R9 280X for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

Performance per dollar
Radeon R9 280X
36.0922% of 161.45
Radeon RX 6900 XT64% better
59.1837% of 161.45

The Radeon RX 6900 XT has 64% better value for the money than the Radeon R9 280X for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

Shop Radeon R9 280X
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Summary

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About the AMD Radeon R9 280X GPU

The AMD Radeon R9 280X is an end-of-life desktop graphics card that released in Q4 2013 with a MSRP of $299. It is built on the GCN 1.0 GPU microarchitecture (codename Tahiti) and is manufactured on a 28 nm process.

Memory

The R9 280X has 3 GB of GDDR5 memory, with a 1,500 MHz memory clock and a 384 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 288 Gb/s, which affects how fast it can transfer data to and from memory. GPU memory stores temporary data that helps the GPU with complex math and graphics operations. More memory is generally better, as not having enough can cause performance bottlenecks.

Cores and Clock Speeds

The R9 280X includes 2,048 stream processors (SPs), the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 850 MHz and can dynamically boost its clock speed up to 1,000 MHz. Complementing the processing units are 128 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 32 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing.

Compatibility & Power Consumption

The R9 280X occupies 2 PCIe expansion slots. It supports DVI, HDMI 1.4a, DisplayPort 1.2 display connections. AMD recommends a power supply of at least 600 W to handle the GPU's thermal design power (TDP) of 250 W.

Benchmark Performance & Value

The R9 280X has the 171st best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 10.32% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 10,792 score and $299 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 36.09. This is the 73rd best in value for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

About the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT GPU

The AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT is a desktop graphics card that launched in Q4 2020 with a MSRP of $999. It is built on the RDNA 2.0 GPU microarchitecture (codename Navi 21) and is manufactured on a 7 nm process.

Memory

The RX 6900 XT has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, with a 2,000 MHz memory clock and a 256 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 512 Gb/s, which affects how fast it can transfer data to and from memory. GPU memory stores temporary data that helps the GPU with complex math and graphics operations. More memory is generally better, as not having enough can cause performance bottlenecks.

Cores and Clock Speeds

The RX 6900 XT includes 5,120 stream processors (SPs), the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 1,825 MHz and can dynamically boost its clock speed up to 2,250 MHz. It usually operates at 2,015 MHz during typical gaming workloads. Complementing the processing units are 320 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 128 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing. Additionally, the GPU features 80 ray accelerators dedicated to real-time ray tracing calculations.

Compatibility & Power Consumption

The RX 6900 XT is a large graphics card, occupying 3 PCIe 4.0 x16 expansion slots. It supports HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4a, USB Type-C display connections. With a thermal design power (TDP) of 300 W and a large, 3-slot size, it is recommended to use a power supply of 700 W and a case with sufficient space to accommodate the card. Compare your card's model and your case's dimensions to verify compatibility.

Benchmark Performance & Value

The RX 6900 XT has the 18th best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 56.52% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 59,119 score and $999 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 59.18. This is the 55th best in value for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

General Info

General overview of the GPU, including details like its manufacturer, release date, launch price, and current production status.

InfoRadeon R9 280XRadeon RX 6900 XT
ManufacturerAMDAMD
ArchitectureGCN 1.0RDNA 2.0
Market SegmentDesktopDesktop
Release DateQ4 2013Q4 2020
Launch Price (MSRP)$299$999
Production StatusEnd-of-lifeActive
ShopCheck PriceCheck Price

Gaming Performance

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Select a game to compare FPS metrics

Display FPS for Hitman 3
Hitman 3
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Cyberpunk 2077 (1.0)
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Immortals Fenyx Rising
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Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
Display FPS for Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Display FPS for Watch Dogs: Legion
Watch Dogs: Legion
Display FPS for Mafia: Definitive Edition
Mafia: Definitive Edition

FPS Benchmarks

This table showcases the average frame rate (FPS) achieved both GPUs in at various resolutions. Frame rate is a crucial indicator of how smoothly the GPU can run the game. A higher FPS generally translates to a smoother gameplay experience.

  • Frames Per Second
FPS data for Hitman 3
Hitman 3
Radeon R9 280XRadeon RX 6900 XT
Low - 720p
--
353 FPS
Medium - 1080p
--
283 FPS
High - 1080p
--
280 FPS
Ultra - 1080p
--
273 FPS
QHD - 1440p
--
213 FPS
4K UHD - 2160p
--
128 FPS
FPS Source: Notebookcheck

Compare Frames Per Second (FPS)

The average frame rate (FPS) in can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative performance. Generally, higher FPS results in a smoother gameplay experience.

Choose Baseline GPU:Radeon R9 280X orRadeon RX 6900 XT

Compare Cost Per Frame

The average cost per frame in can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative value. Generally, a lower cost per frame implies better value for your money.

Choose Baseline GPU:Radeon R9 280X orRadeon RX 6900 XT

Benchmark Performance

#
Performance
Radeon R9 280X
10,79210% of 104,598
Radeon RX 6900 XT448% better
59,11957% of 104,598

The Radeon RX 6900 XT has 448% better performance than the Radeon R9 280X for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The Radeon R9 280X is ranked 171st with a score of 10,792, and the Radeon RX 6900 XT is ranked 18th with a score of 59,119.

Performance per dollar
Radeon R9 280X
36.0922% of 161.45
Radeon RX 6900 XT64% better
59.1837% of 161.45

The Radeon RX 6900 XT has 64% better value for the money than the Radeon R9 280X for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The Radeon R9 280X is ranked 73rd with a performance per dollar of 36.09, and the Radeon RX 6900 XT is ranked 55th with a performance per dollar of 59.18.

Relative Performance

The average score in the benchmark test can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative performance. Generally, powerful GPUs tend to have higher scores.

Choose Baseline GPU:Radeon R9 280X or
GPUBenchmark Performance
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti60,980+465%
GeForce RTX 407059,969+456%
Radeon RX 6900 XT59,119+448%
Radeon RX 7700 XT57,340+431%
GeForce RTX 3080 (12 GB)56,634+425%
GeForce GTX 165013,645+26%
Radeon R9 38012,191+13%
Radeon R9 280X10,792
GeForce GTX 96010,767.5-0%
GeForce GTX 68010,216.5-5%

Relative Value For Money

The average performance per dollar in the benchmark test can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative value. A higher score implies a better value for your money.

Choose Baseline GPU:Radeon R9 280X or

Benchmark Scores

This table showcases the average performance scores achieved by both GPUs across industry-standard benchmark tests. These scores provide a valuable insight into overall performance. Powerful GPUs tend to have higher scores.

  • Popular
BenchmarkRadeon R9 280XRadeon RX 6900 XT
3DMark Time Spy Graphics
2,210
18,210
(+723.98%)
3DMark Time Spy Score
2,393
17,549
(+633.35%)
3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics
52,117
--
3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics
8,343
50,587
(+506.34%)
3DMark Night Raid Graphics
--
160,895
3DMark 11 Performance Score
10,241
42,418
(+314.2%)
PassMark G3D Mark
6,178
26,809
(+333.94%)
PassMark G2D Mark
686
1,058
(+54.23%)
Unigine Heaven 3.0 DirectX 11
95.2
--
Benchmarks Source: Notebookcheck

Technical Specs

#

Graphics Processor

General information about the graphics processing unit like their architecture, manufacturing process size, and transistor count. Newer GPU architectures generally bring efficiency improvements and may introduce technologies that enhance graphical capabilities.

SpecRadeon R9 280XRadeon RX 6900 XT
CodenameTahitiNavi 21
ArchitectureGCN 1.0RDNA 2.0
Process Size28 nm7 nm
Transistors4,313 million26,800 million

Memory Details

Memory specifications like their capacity, bandwidth, and clock speeds. GPU memory stores graphics data like frames, textures, and shadows which helps display rendered images. These specs are crucial for graphics-intense applications like gaming and 3D modeling.

SpecRadeon R9 280XRadeon RX 6900 XT
Memory Size3 GB16 GB
Memory TypeGDDR5GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth288 Gb/s512 Gb/s
Memory Clock1,500 MHz2,000 MHz
Memory Interface384 bit256 bit
L1 Cache16 KB128 KB
L2 Cache768 KB4 MB

Board Compatibility

Compatibility information like their slot size, bus interface, power consumption, and display support. These specs are useful for verifying compatibility with your motherboard, power supply, and monitor.

SpecRadeon R9 280XRadeon RX 6900 XT
Slots2 slots3 slots
Bus InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 4.0 x16
Thermal Design Power (TDP)250 W300 W
Suggested PSU600 W700 W
Power Connectors1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin2x 8-pin
OutputsDVI, HDMI 1.4a, DisplayPort 1.2HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4a, USB Type-C

Cores & Clock Speeds

Processing power information like its cores and clock speed. These specs impact how fast they can process graphics. Each type of core or component serves a specific computational purpose.

SpecRadeon R9 280XRadeon RX 6900 XT
Stream Processors (SP)2,0485,120
Compute Units (CU)3280
Texture Mapping Units (TMU)128320
Render Output Units (ROP)32128
Ray Accelerators--80
Core Clock Speed850 MHz1,825 MHz
Core Clock Speed (Boost)1,000 MHz2,250 MHz
Core Clock Speed (Game)--2,015 MHz

Theoretical Performance

Theoretical performance numbers derived from the raw specifications of the different components like core count and clock speeds. While these provide a glimpse into peak processing power, they do not represent real-world performance.

SpecRadeon R9 280XRadeon RX 6900 XT
Pixel Fill Rate32 GPixel/s288 GPixel/s
Texture Fill Rate128 GTexel/s720 GTexel/s
FP32 Performance4.1 TFLOPS23.04 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance1,024 GFLOPS1,440 GFLOPS

API Support

Graphics API versions supported by these graphics cards. APIs evolve over time, introducing new features and functionalities. Older GPUs may not support recent versions.

SpecRadeon R9 280XRadeon RX 6900 XT
DirectX12 (11_1)12 Ultimate (12_2)
OpenCL2.1 (1.2)2.1
OpenGL4.64.6
Shader Model6.5 (5.1)6.8

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* Performance rating, performance per dollar, and rankings are based on the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark and MSRP.