Radeon HD 4870 X2 vs GeForce GTX 280

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Aggregate performance score

GTX 280
2008
1 GB GDDR3, 236 Watt
3.36

Radeon HD 4870 X2 outperforms GeForce GTX 280 by a minimal 1% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.

Place in performance ranking699695
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation0.240.20
ArchitectureTesla 2.0 (2007−2013)TeraScale (2005−2013)
GPU code nameGT200R700
Market segmentDesktopDesktop
Release date16 June 2008 (15 years ago)12 August 2008 (15 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$649 $550
Current price$159 (0.2x MSRP)$202 (0.4x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

GTX 280 has 20% better value for money than ATI HD 4870 X2.

Detailed specifications

General performance parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. These parameters indirectly speak of performance, but for precise assessment you have to consider their benchmark and gaming test results. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores240800
CUDA cores240no data
Core clock speed602 MHz700 MHz
Number of transistors1,400 million956 million
Manufacturing process technology65 nm55 nm
Power consumption (TDP)236 Watt286 Watt
Maximum GPU temperature105 °Cno data
Texture fill rate48.2 billion/sec28.00
Floating-point performance622.1 gflops2x 1,120.0 gflops

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

InterfacePCIe 2.0 x16PCIe 2.0 x16
Length10.5" (267 mm) (26.7 cm)267 mm
Height4.376" (111 mm) (11.1 cm)no data
Width2-slot2-slot
Supplementary power connectors6-pin & 8-pin1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
SLI options+no data

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory typeGDDR3GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount1 GB1 GB
Memory bus width512 Bit256 Bit
Memory clock speed1107 MHz3600 MHz
Memory bandwidth141.7 GB/s115.2 GB/s

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display ConnectorsHDTVDual Link DVI2x DVI, 1x S-Video
Multi monitor support+no data
Maximum VGA resolution2048x1536no data
Audio input for HDMIS/PDIFno data

API compatibility

List of supported graphics and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX11.1 (10_0)10.1 (10_1)
Shader Model4.04.1
OpenGL2.13.3
OpenCL1.11.1
VulkanN/AN/A
CUDA+no data

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark performance comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

GTX 280 3.36
ATI HD 4870 X2 3.39
+0.9%

Radeon HD 4870 X2 outperforms GeForce GTX 280 by 1% based on our aggregate benchmark results.


Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark, part of Passmark PerformanceTest suite. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

Benchmark coverage: 25%

GTX 280 1299
ATI HD 4870 X2 1309
+0.8%

Radeon HD 4870 X2 outperforms GeForce GTX 280 by 1% in Passmark.

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 3.36 3.39
Recency 16 June 2008 12 August 2008
Cost $649 $550
Chip lithography 65 nm 55 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 236 Watt 286 Watt

Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between GeForce GTX 280 and Radeon HD 4870 X2.


Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280
GeForce GTX 280
ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2
Radeon HD 4870 X2

Comparisons with similar GPUs

We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.

Community ratings

Here you can see the user ratings of the compared graphics cards, as well as rate them yourself.


3.5 102 votes

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4 44 votes

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Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about this comparison, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.