PC Part DB: Build Smarter: Compare PC part benchmarks & specsPC PART DB

AMD Radeon R9 280X

AMD
VS
Performance
10,79210% of 104,937

The Radeon R9 280X has 10% of the performance compared to the leader for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090.

Performance per dollar
36.0922% of 161.45

The Radeon R9 280X has 22% of the performance per dollar compared to the leader for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark: AMD Radeon RX 7600.

Specs at a glance
Memory3 GB GDDR5
Slots2 slots
TDP250 W
Release DateQ4 2013
Shop Radeon R9 280X
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Summary

#

About the AMD Radeon R9 280X GPU

The Radeon R9 280X is an end-of-life desktop graphics card by AMD. It launched in Q4 2013 with a suggested retail price of $299. Its Tahiti chip that powers the GPU uses the GCN 1.0 architecture and is fabricated on the 28 nm process.

This GPU is paired with 3 GB of GDDR5 VRAM. Its 1,500 MHz memory clock and 384 bit interface gives it a bandwidth of 288 Gb/s. This impacts how much data it can store, and how fast it transfers the data to and from memory.

The R9 280X is a dual slot graphics card, taking up 2 PCIe slots. It supports DVI, HDMI 1.4a, DisplayPort 1.2 display ports. This desktop card has a TDP of 250 W. AMD recommends using a power supply of at least 600 W with this card. A power supply lower than this might result in system crashes and potentially damage your hardware.

The Radeon R9 280X has the 167th highest 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 540 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 10.28% 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 71st 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.

InfoValue
ManufacturerAMD
ArchitectureGCN 1.0
Market SegmentDesktop
Release DateQ4 2013
Launch Price (MSRP)$299
Production StatusEnd-of-life
ShopCheck Price

Gaming Performance

#

Select a game to compare FPS metrics

Display FPS for Fortnite
Fortnite
Display FPS for Final Fantasy XV Benchmark
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark
Display FPS for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Display FPS for Rise of the Tomb Raider
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Display FPS for Dota 2 - Reborn
Dota 2 - Reborn
Display FPS for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3
Display FPS for Grand Theft Auto V
GTA V
More games to choose from
More Games

FPS Benchmarks

This table showcases the average frame rate (FPS) achieved by the Radeon R9 280X 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.

FPS data for Fortnite
Fortnite
Frames Per SecondHigher is better
Cost Per FrameLower is better
Low - 720p----
Medium - 1080p158 FPS$1.89 CPF
High - 1080p60 FPS$4.98 CPF
Ultra - 1080p48 FPS$6.29 CPF
QHD - 1440p----
4K UHD - 2160p----
FPS Source: Notebookcheck

Compare Frames Per Second (FPS)

Radeon R9 280X's average frame rate (FPS) in can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative performance. Generally, higher FPS results in a smoother gameplay experience.

GPUFrames Per Second
Radeon RX 57072+52%
Radeon RX 48064.5+36%
GeForce GTX 165061+28%
GeForce GTX 97060+26%
Radeon RX 47058.9+24%
Radeon R9 280X47.5
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti44.8-6%
GeForce GTX 105042-12%
Radeon R7 37030.2-36%
GeForce GT 103024.5-48%

Compare Cost Per Frame

Radeon R9 280X's 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.

GPUCost Per Frame
GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)3.29-48%
Radeon RX 4803.55-44%
Radeon R7 3704.93-22%
GeForce GTX 9705.48-13%
GeForce GTX 9806.01-5%
Radeon R9 280X6.29
Radeon R9 FURY7.63+21%

Benchmark Performance

#
Performance
10,79210% of 104,937

The Radeon R9 280X has 10% of the performance compared to the leader for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090.

The Radeon R9 280X is ranked 167th with a score of 10,792.

Performance per dollar
36.0922% of 161.45

The Radeon R9 280X has 22% of the performance per dollar compared to the leader for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark: AMD Radeon RX 7600.

The Radeon R9 280X is ranked 71st with a performance per dollar of 36.09.

Compare Performance

Radeon R9 280X's average score in the benchmark can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative performance. Generally, more powerful GPUs tend to have higher scores.

GPUBenchmark Performance
Radeon R9 290X16,167.5+50%
GeForce GTX 97016,033+49%
GeForce GTX 780 Ti15,619+45%
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%
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti9,453-12%
GeForce GTX 5909,166.5-15%

Compare Value For Money

Radeon R9 280X's average performance per dollar in the benchmark can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative value. A higher score generally implies better value for your money.

GPUPerformance Per Dollar
GeForce GTX 96054.11+50%
GeForce GTX 95052.52+46%
GeForce GTX 97048.73+35%
Radeon R9 390X41.83+16%
GeForce GTX 750 Ti36.09+0%
Radeon R9 280X36.09
GeForce GTX 98032.07-11%
GeForce GTX 76031.98-11%
Radeon R9 FURY31.95-11%
Radeon R9 290X29.45-18%

Benchmark Scores

This table showcases the Radeon R9 280X's average performance scores across industry-standard GPU benchmark tests. These scores provide a valuable insight into overall performance. Powerful GPUs tend to have higher scores.

  • Popular
BenchmarkValue
3DMark Time Spy Graphics
2,210
3DMark Time Spy Score
2,393
3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics
52,117
3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics
8,343
3DMark 11 Performance Score
10,241
PassMark G3D Mark
6,191
PassMark G2D Mark
683
Unigine Heaven 3.0 DirectX 11
95.2
Benchmarks Source: Notebookcheck

Technical Specs

#

Processor Details

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

SpecValue
CodenameTahiti
ArchitectureGCN 1.0
Process Size28 nm
Transistors4,313 million

Board Compatibility

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

SpecValue
Slots2 slots
Bus InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16
Thermal Design Power (TDP)250 W
Suggested PSU600 W
Power Connectors1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
OutputsDVI, HDMI 1.4a, DisplayPort 1.2

Memory Details

Memory specifications like its 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.

SpecValue
Memory Size3 GB
Memory TypeGDDR5
Memory Bandwidth288 Gb/s
Memory Clock1,500 MHz
Memory Interface384 bit
L1 Cache16 KB
L2 Cache768 KB

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.

SpecValue
Stream Processors (SP)2,048
Compute Units (CU)32
Texture Mapping Units (TMU)128
Render Output Units (ROP)32
Core Clock Speed850 MHz
Core Clock Speed (Boost)1,000 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.

SpecValue
Pixel Fill Rate32 GPixel/s
Texture Fill Rate128 GTexel/s
FP32 Performance4.1 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance1,024 GFLOPS

API Support

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

SpecValue
DirectX12 (11_1)
OpenCL2.1 (1.2)
OpenGL4.6
Shader Model6.5 (5.1)

Looking for alternatives? Check out these GPUs similar to the AMD Radeon R9 280X:

Check out these comparisons for similar GPUs:

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