AMD Radeon R9 280
vs
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950

AMD Radeon R9 280
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950
R9 280 GTX 950 Difference
AMD Radeon R9 280 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950
Price $ 350.0 $ 89.0 261 (75%)
Year 2014 2015 1 (0%)
Maximum Recorded Temperature 66C 73C 7 (11%)
Max Fan Noise 52.8dB 39.7dB 13.1 (25%)
Recommended Power Supply 550W 440W 110 (20%)
Benchmark CPU Intel Core i7-4770K @ 3.50GHz ($284.99) Intel Core i7-4790K @ 4.00GHz ($306.99)
CPU Impact on FPS +0.0 FPS +0.0 FPS 0 (0%)
CPU Impact on FPS % 0.0% 0.0% 0 (0%)
Benchmark Quality Settings Ultra Quality Settings Ultra Quality Settings
Average 1080p Performance 38.6 FPS 30.0 FPS 8.6 (22%)
Average 1440p Performance 28.3 FPS 21.4 FPS 6.9 (24%)
(Ultrawide) Average 1440p Performance 23.8 FPS 18.5 FPS 5.3 (22%)
Average 4K Performance 16.1 FPS 13.2 FPS 2.9 (18%)
Memory 3 GB 2 GB 1 (33%)
1080p Cost Per Frame $ 7.2 $ 5.3 1.9 (26%)
1440p Cost Per Frame $ 9.9 $ 7.4 2.5 (25%)
(Ultrawide) 1440p Cost Per Frame $ 11.7 $ 8.6 3.1 (26%)
4K Cost Per Frame $ 17.3 $ 12.1 5.2 (30%)
Variant AMD Radeon R9 280 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950
Overall Combination Score 55/100 64/100 9 (16%)
Our Verdict: The R9 280 is faster by 32% for 1440p gaming. The price/performance ratio is much better for GTX 950 .
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AMD Radeon R9 280

The R9 290 might be the extreme flagship of the latest GCN 1.0 set of graphics cards, but their prices keep them out of the reach of most high-end PC gamers. On the other hand, the R9 280 is closer to being reasonably affordable at a price tag of $ 279. The good news is, with the release of the R9 280X, the R9 280 's price is getting more discount.

AMD ’s xx80 cards have always been defined by high-end prices with performance that knocks on the door of extreme graphics cards – especially when overclocked. After taking the time to fully test the GCN 1.0 graphics card inside the R9 280, we can say without a doubt that it continues the trend. Compared to its NVIDIA 's closest rival, GTX 960, the R9 280 was 1.6 % faster.

For 1080p Full HD, we were able to play Valorant at 75 fps to 75 fps and kept frame rates hovering around 75 fps. For 1440p Quad HD, we were able to play Valorant at 62 fps to 62 fps and kept frame rates hovering around 62 fps.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950

The GTX 960 might be the entry-level flagship of the latest Maxwell 2.0 set of graphics cards, but their prices keep them out of the reach of most budget PC gamers. On the other hand, the GTX 950 is closer to being reasonably affordable at a price tag of $ 159. NVIDIA ’s xx50 cards have always been defined by budget prices with performance that knocks on the door of entry-level graphics cards – especially when overclocked. After taking the time to fully test the Maxwell 2.0 graphics card inside the GTX 950, we can say without a doubt that it continues the trend.

The GTX 950 is much more expensive than the GTX 750 as it costs a whopping $ 159. Compare this to the GTX 750, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti, which came originally at a price of $ 119, $ 149. Meanwhile, the AMD closest equivalent card is the RX 460 which costs $ 140. Compared to its AMD 's closest rival, RX 460, the GTX 950 was 7.9 % faster.

For 1080p Full HD, we were able to play Valorant at 61 fps to 61 fps and kept frame rates hovering around 61 fps.

Game Performance at selected quality settings

Change Quality Settings
Ultra Quality High Quality Medium Quality Low Quality

1920x1080

AMD Radeon R9 280
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950
Year Game Frames Per Second
2023 Resident Evil 4
27
30.4
21
23.7
2023 A Plague Tale: Requiem
18
20.8
14
16.2
2023 Hogwarts Legacy
16
18.0
12
14.0
2023 The Last of Us Part I
12
13.8
9
10.8
2023 Forspoken
14
16.0
11
12.5
2023 The Callisto Protocol
11
12.5
8
9.7
2023 Dead Space
18
20.8
14
16.2
2023 Baldur's Gate 3
22
24.6
17
19.2
2023 Armored Core VI
22
24.6
17
19.2
2023 Immortals of Aveum
9
11.1
7
8.6
2023 Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart
19
22.1
15
17.2
2023 Remnant II
11
12.5
8
9.7
2023 Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
14
16.6
11
12.9
2023 Atomic Heart
14
16.6
11
12.9
2023 Starfield
7
8.3
5
6.5
2022 Elden Ring
19
22.2
16
17.8
2022 God of War
18
21.1
15
16.9
2022 Overwatch 2
35
39.2
28
31.5
2022 F1 22
22
24.9
17
19.4
2022 Dying Light 2
21
23.5
16
18.3
2022 Total War: Warhammer III
21
23.5
16
18.3
2022 Spider-Man Remastered
34
38.7
27
30.1
2022 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
24
27.7
19
21.5
2021 Forza Horizon 5
19
21.3
15
17.1
2021 Halo Infinite
14
16.3
11
13.1
2021 Battlefield 2042
27
30.0
21
24.1
2021 Hitman 3
28
31.8
22
24.8
2021 Far Cry 6
26
29.6
20
23.0
2021 Guardians of the Galaxy
29
32.4
22
25.2
2020 Watch Dogs: Legion
29
32.6
22
25.4
2020 Assassin's Creed Valhalla
15
17.2
12
13.8
2020 Microsoft Flight Simulator
10
11.2
8
9.0
2020 Valorant
67
75.3
54
60.5
2020 Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
26
29.5
21
23.7
2020 Death Stranding
30
34.1
24
27.4
2020 Marvel's Avengers
19
22.2
16
17.8
2020 Godfall
29
33.2
24
26.7
2020 Cyberpunk 2077
15
17.2
12
13.8
2019 Apex Legends
32
36.0
24
27.0
2019 Anthem
20
23.2
15
17.4
2019 Far Cry New Dawn
30
34.0
22
25.5
2019 Resident Evil 2
41
46.3
33
37.2
2019 Metro Exodus
18
20.6
14
16.6
2019 World War Z
40
45.0
27
30.5
2019 Gears of War 5
27
30.0
21
24.1
2019 F1 2019
33
37.6
27
30.2
2019 GreedFall
30
33.9
24
27.2
2019 Borderlands 3
21
23.8
17
19.1
2019 Call of Duty Modern Warfare
41
45.8
33
36.8
2019 Red Dead Redemption 2
15
17.6
12
14.2
2019 Need For Speed: Heat
24
27.7
20
22.3
2018 Forza Horizon 4
26
29.0
25
28.4
2018 Fallout 76
30
34.0
29
32.4
2018 Hitman 2
24
27.0
22
25.1
2018 Just Cause 4
26
29.8
21
23.9
2018 Monster Hunter: World
28
32.1
23
25.8
2018 Strange Brigade
43
48.3
34
38.8
2017 PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
27
30.0
30
34.0
2017 Fortnite Battle Royale
26
29.4
25
28.4
2017 Need For Speed: Payback
37
41.2
29
33.1
2017 For Honor
49
55.0
39
44.2
2017 Project CARS 2
35
38.9
28
31.3
2017 Forza Motorsport 7
42
47.2
34
37.9
2016 Overwatch
40
45.5
39
44.2
2016 Dishonored 2
25
28.4
20
22.8
2015 Grand Theft Auto V
32
35.6
22
24.9
2015 Rocket League
144
160.3
115
128.8
2015 Need For Speed
39
44.4
32
35.7
2015 Project CARS
38
42.6
30
34.2
2015 Rainbow Six Siege
70
77.9
56
62.6
2013 Crysis 3
33
37.3
35
39.0
2013 Battlefield 4
46
51.5
31
35.1
2012 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
98
109.9
79
88.3
2009 League of Legends
185
206.1
149
165.6

2560x1440

AMD Radeon R9 280
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950
Year Game Frames Per Second
2023 Resident Evil 4
17
22.1
13
17.2
2023 A Plague Tale: Requiem
12
15.2
9
11.8
2023 Hogwarts Legacy
11
13.8
8
10.8
2023 The Last of Us Part I
8
10.5
6
8.2
2023 Forspoken
8
10.5
6
8.2
2023 The Callisto Protocol
7
8.9
5
6.9
2023 Dead Space
11
13.8
8
10.8
2023 Baldur's Gate 3
15
19.9
12
15.5
2023 Armored Core VI
15
19.9
12
15.5
2023 Immortals of Aveum
6
7.7
4
6.0
2023 Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart
12
15.2
9
11.8
2023 Remnant II
6
8.3
5
6.5
2023 Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
10
12.5
7
9.7
2023 Atomic Heart
9
11.9
7
9.3
2023 Starfield
6
7.5
4
5.8
2022 Elden Ring
14
17.5
11
14.1
2022 God of War
14
18.1
11
14.5
2022 Overwatch 2
26
33.7
21
27.0
2022 F1 22
12
15.2
9
11.8
2022 Dying Light 2
12
15.2
9
11.8
2022 Total War: Warhammer III
13
16.6
10
12.9
2022 Spider-Man Remastered
22
27.7
17
21.5
2022 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
14
18.0
11
14.0
2021 Forza Horizon 5
14
18.3
11
14.7
2021 Halo Infinite
11
14.7
9
11.8
2021 Battlefield 2042
15
19.9
12
16.0
2021 Hitman 3
18
22.7
14
17.7
2021 Far Cry 6
17
22.1
13
17.2
2021 Guardians of the Galaxy
18
23.0
14
17.9
2020 Watch Dogs: Legion
17
21.3
13
16.6
2020 Assassin's Creed Valhalla
11
14.9
9
12.0
2020 Microsoft Flight Simulator
7
9.8
6
7.9
2020 Valorant
49
61.6
39
49.5
2020 Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
18
23.1
14
18.6
2020 Death Stranding
21
26.5
17
21.3
2020 Marvel's Avengers
12
15.8
10
12.7
2020 Godfall
17
22.2
14
17.8
2020 Cyberpunk 2077
12
16.0
10
12.9
2019 Apex Legends
21
26.8
16
20.1
2019 Anthem
14
18.4
11
13.8
2019 Far Cry New Dawn
21
26.4
15
19.8
2019 Resident Evil 2
24
31.1
20
25.0
2019 Metro Exodus
12
16.0
10
12.9
2019 World War Z
26
32.9
17
22.3
2019 Gears of War 5
17
21.8
14
17.5
2019 F1 2019
21
26.7
17
21.4
2019 GreedFall
19
24.5
15
19.7
2019 Borderlands 3
13
16.7
10
13.4
2019 Call of Duty Modern Warfare
26
33.0
21
26.5
2019 Red Dead Redemption 2
11
14.4
9
11.6
2019 Need For Speed: Heat
17
21.8
14
17.5
2018 Forza Horizon 4
20
25.0
19
24.3
2018 Hitman 2
13
17.0
12
16.2
2018 Just Cause 4
17
22.0
14
17.7
2018 Monster Hunter: World
17
22.4
14
18.0
2018 Strange Brigade
26
33.7
21
27.0
2017 PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
18
23.0
20
25.9
2017 Fortnite Battle Royale
15
18.9
14
18.7
2017 Need For Speed: Payback
23
29.8
19
23.9
2017 For Honor
25
32.1
20
25.8
2017 Project CARS 2
22
27.5
17
22.1
2017 Forza Motorsport 7
34
42.6
27
34.2
2016 Overwatch
25
31.5
24
30.6
2016 Dishonored 2
19
24.3
15
19.5
2015 Rocket League
54
68.7
44
55.2
2015 Need For Speed
27
34.3
22
27.6
2015 Project CARS
26
32.5
20
26.1
2015 Rainbow Six Siege
40
50.4
32
40.5
2012 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
73
91.6
58
73.6
2009 League of Legends
91
114.5
73
92.0

3440x1440

AMD Radeon R9 280
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950
Year Game Frames Per Second
2019 Apex Legends
17
22.9
13
17.2
2019 Anthem
11
15.2
8
11.4
2019 Far Cry New Dawn
16
21.6
12
16.2
2019 Resident Evil 2
18
24.8
15
20.0
2019 Metro Exodus
10
14.0
8
11.2
2019 World War Z
21
27.7
14
18.8
2019 Gears of War 5
14
19.0
11
15.2
2019 F1 2019
17
23.3
14
18.7
2019 GreedFall
14
18.5
11
14.9
2019 Borderlands 3
10
13.6
8
10.9
2019 Call of Duty Modern Warfare
21
28.2
17
22.6
2019 Red Dead Redemption 2
9
12.6
7
10.2
2019 Need For Speed: Heat
14
19.0
11
15.2
2018 Forza Horizon 4
16
21.9
16
21.7
2018 Hitman 2
10
14.4
10
13.9
2018 Just Cause 4
13
17.9
10
14.4
2018 Monster Hunter: World
13
17.8
10
14.2
2018 Strange Brigade
21
27.8
16
22.3
2017 PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
14
19.3
16
21.7
2017 Fortnite Battle Royale
11
15.7
11
15.5
2017 Need For Speed: Payback
20
27.0
16
21.7
2017 For Honor
19
25.7
15
20.7
2017 Project CARS 2
20
27.0
16
21.7
2017 Forza Motorsport 7
31
41.9
25
33.7
2016 Overwatch
19
25.5
18
24.8
2016 Dishonored 2
17
23.3
14
18.7
2015 Rocket League
40
53.9
32
43.3
2015 Need For Speed
23
30.6
18
24.6
2015 Project CARS
22
29.6
18
23.8
2015 Rainbow Six Siege
30
39.5
24
31.7
2012 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
70
93.1
56
74.8
2009 League of Legends
65
85.8
52
68.9

3840x2160

AMD Radeon R9 280
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950
Year Game Frames Per Second
2023 Resident Evil 4
11
16.6
9
12.9
2023 A Plague Tale: Requiem
6
9.7
5
7.5
2023 Hogwarts Legacy
6
9.7
5
7.5
2023 The Last of Us Part I
3
5.5
3
4.3
2023 Forspoken
3
5.0
2
3.9
2023 The Callisto Protocol
3
4.4
2
3.4
2023 Dead Space
3
5.5
3
4.3
2023 Baldur's Gate 3
7
11.1
6
8.6
2023 Armored Core VI
7
11.1
6
8.6
2023 Immortals of Aveum
2
3.6
1
2.8
2023 Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart
5
8.3
4
6.5
2023 Remnant II
2
4.2
2
3.2
2023 Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
4
6.1
3
4.7
2023 Atomic Heart
5
7.5
4
5.8
2023 Starfield
3
5.0
2
3.9
2022 Elden Ring
7
10.0
5
8.0
2022 God of War
9
14.1
7
11.3
2022 Overwatch 2
17
25.4
14
20.4
2022 F1 22
7
11.1
6
8.6
2022 Dying Light 2
7
11.1
6
8.6
2022 Total War: Warhammer III
8
12.5
6
9.7
2022 Spider-Man Remastered
13
19.4
10
15.1
2022 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
7
11.1
6
8.6
2021 Forza Horizon 5
9
14.2
7
11.4
2021 Halo Infinite
7
10.1
5
8.1
2021 Battlefield 2042
8
12.8
7
10.3
2021 Hitman 3
9
13.8
7
10.8
2021 Far Cry 6
8
11.9
6
9.3
2021 Guardians of the Galaxy
8
12.5
6
9.7
2020 Watch Dogs: Legion
9
13.8
7
10.8
2020 Assassin's Creed Valhalla
7
10.1
5
8.1
2020 Microsoft Flight Simulator
5
7.8
4
6.3
2020 Valorant
37
53.6
30
43.1
2020 Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
8
12.4
6
9.9
2020 Death Stranding
11
16.1
9
12.9
2020 Marvel's Avengers
5
8.3
4
6.7
2020 Godfall
7
10.6
5
8.5
2020 Cyberpunk 2077
7
10.5
5
8.5
2019 Apex Legends
11
16.0
8
12.0
2019 Anthem
7
10.0
5
7.5
2019 Far Cry New Dawn
9
14.0
7
10.5
2019 Resident Evil 2
10
15.3
8
12.3
2019 Metro Exodus
7
10.1
5
8.1
2019 World War Z
13
18.9
8
12.8
2019 Gears of War 5
9
13.7
7
11.0
2019 F1 2019
11
16.9
9
13.6
2019 GreedFall
7
10.1
5
8.1
2019 Borderlands 3
6
8.7
4
7.0
2019 Call of Duty Modern Warfare
13
19.7
11
15.8
2019 Red Dead Redemption 2
6
9.2
5
7.4
2019 Need For Speed: Heat
9
13.7
7
11.0
2018 Forza Horizon 4
11
16.0
11
16.2
2018 Hitman 2
7
10.0
6
9.7
2018 Just Cause 4
7
11.4
6
9.2
2018 Monster Hunter: World
7
10.8
6
8.6
2018 Strange Brigade
12
18.3
10
14.7
2017 PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
9
13.0
10
14.6
2017 Fortnite Battle Royale
7
10.5
7
10.2
2017 Need For Speed: Payback
14
20.6
11
16.6
2017 For Honor
11
16.0
9
12.9
2017 Project CARS 2
16
22.9
12
18.4
2017 Forza Motorsport 7
24
35.7
20
28.7
2016 Overwatch
11
16.1
11
15.8
2016 Dishonored 2
13
19.2
10
15.5
2015 Rocket League
22
32.1
18
25.8
2015 Need For Speed
16
22.9
12
18.4
2015 Project CARS
16
22.9
12
18.4
2015 Rainbow Six Siege
16
23.4
13
18.8
2012 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
57
82.4
46
66.2
2009 League of Legends
32
45.8
25
36.8
R9 280 vs GTX 950 with i7-4770K vs i7-4790K at 1080p and ultra vs ultra settings
R9 280 vs GTX 950 with i7-4770K vs i7-4790K at 1440p and ultra vs ultra settings
R9 280 vs GTX 950 with i7-4770K vs i7-4790K at 4K and ultra vs ultra settings

AMD Radeon R9 280 / i7-4770K

It is worth noting that the R9 280 is a very power hungry card and requires a decent power supply unit. This combination between R9 280 and Intel Core i7-4770K @ 3.50GHz has less than 8% bottleneck in many games and is perfect match to avoid FPS loss. This combination between R9 280 and Intel Core i7-4770K @ 3.50GHz is a perfect match to avoid FPS loss. With current 3072 MB RAM, the R9 280 can have very few memory-related bottlenecks in more modern games.
View Current Price List

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 / i7-4790K

With current 2048 MB RAM, the GTX 950 can have serious memory-related bottlenecks in more modern games. The GTX 950 's power requirements are reasonable and it is very efficient compared to the competition. With current 2048 MB RAM, the GTX 950 can have very few memory-related bottlenecks in more modern games.
View Current Price List

R9 280 vs GTX 950 Specifications Comparison

Board Design

R9 280 GTX 950
Length10.83 inches 275 mm7.94 inches 202 mm
Outputs2x DVI1x HDMI2x mini-DisplayPort1x DVI1x HDMI3x DisplayPort
Power Connectors1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin1x 6-pin
Slot WidthDual-slotDual-slot
TDP200 W90 W

Clock Speeds

R9 280 GTX 950
Boost Clock933 MHz1188 MHz
GPU Clock827 MHz1024 MHz
Memory Clock1250 MHz 5000 MHz effective1653 MHz 6612 MHz effective

Graphics Card

R9 280 GTX 950
Bus InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
GenerationVolcanic Islands (R9 200)GeForce 900
Launch Price279 USD159 USD
ProductionEnd-of-lifeActive
Release DateMar 4th, 2014Aug 20th, 2015

Graphics Features

R9 280 GTX 950
DirectX12.0 (11_1)12.0 (12_1)
OpenCL1.21.2
OpenGL4.54.6
Shader Model5.16.1
Vulkan1.1.771.1.82

Graphics Processor

R9 280 GTX 950
ArchitectureGCN 1.0Maxwell 2.0
Die Size352 mm²228 mm²
GPU NameTahitiGM206
GPU VariantTahiti PRO3 (215-0821330)GM206-250-A1
Process Size28 nm28 nm
Transistors4,313 million2,940 million

Memory

R9 280 GTX 950
Bandwidth240.0 GB/s105.8 GB/s
Memory Bus384 bit128 bit
Memory Size3072 MB2048 MB
Memory TypeGDDR5GDDR5

Render Config

R9 280 GTX 950
ROPs3232
Shading Units1792768
TMUs11248

Theoretical Performance

R9 280 GTX 950
FP32 (float) performance3,344 GFLOPS1,825 GFLOPS
FP64 (double) performance836.0 GFLOPS (1:4)57.02 GFLOPS (1:32)
Pixel Rate29.86 GPixel/s38.02 GPixel/s
Texture Rate104.5 GTexel/s57.02 GTexel/s
What to Consider Before Buying a Graphics Card

What to Consider Before Buying a Graphics Card

If you have been planning to upgrade your system by purchasing a new graphics card. Then there are some important factors to consider.
Resolution VS Quality: Impact on Game Performance

Resolution VS Quality: Impact on Game Performance

What affects game performance? Clarity or Details?

Ultra VS High Quality Settings in PC Games

Ultra VS High Quality Settings in PC Games

Every player has a different notion about the ideal setting for PC games. But in most cases, opting for a High quality graphics configuration is the way to go.

What are CPU or GPU Bottlenecks?

What are CPU or GPU Bottlenecks?

Are you getting sudden frame drops? you might have a bottleneck.
What is the acceptable FPS speed for me?

What is the acceptable FPS speed for me?

For some games, you can still enjoy great garphics at lower frame rates.
GPU Hierarchy
GPU Hierarchy
GPU Compare
GPU Compare
CPU Hierarchy
CPU Compare
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Monitor Hierarchy
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Gaming Headsets

Discussion and Comments

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