Radeon HD 7870 vs R9 280X

VS

Aggregate performance score

We've compared Radeon R9 280X and Radeon HD 7870, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.

R9 280X
2013
3 GB GDDR5, 250 Watt
15.15
+26.3%

R9 280X outperforms HD 7870 by a significant 26% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

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

Place in the ranking352405
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation5.572.99
Power efficiency4.154.70
ArchitectureGCN 1.0 (2011−2020)GCN 1.0 (2011−2020)
GPU code nameTahitiPitcairn
Market segmentDesktopDesktop
Designreferenceno data
Release date8 October 2013 (11 years ago)5 March 2012 (12 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$299 $349

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

R9 280X has 86% better value for money than HD 7870.

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores20481280
Core clock speedno data1000 MHz
Boost clock speed1000 MHzno data
Number of transistors4,313 million2,800 million
Manufacturing process technology28 nm28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)250 Watt175 Watt
Texture fill rate128.080.00
Floating-point processing power4.096 TFLOPS2.56 TFLOPS
ROPs3232
TMUs12880

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).

Bus supportPCIe 3.0no data
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
Length275 mm241 mm
Width2-slot2-slot
Supplementary power connectors1 x 6-pin + 1 x 8-pin2x 6-pin

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 typeGDDR5GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount3 GB2 GB
Memory bus width384 Bit256 Bit
Memory clock speedno data1200 MHz
Memory bandwidth288 GB/s153.6 GB/s
Shared memory--

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 Connectors2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort
Eyefinity++
HDMI++
DisplayPort support+-

Supported technologies

Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.

AppAcceleration+-
CrossFire+-
FreeSync+-
HD3D+-
LiquidVR+-
TressFX+-
TrueAudio+-
UVD+-
DDMA audio+no data

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectXDirectX® 1212 (11_1)
Shader Model5.15.1
OpenGL4.64.6
OpenCL1.21.2
Vulkan+1.2.131

Synthetic benchmark performance

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


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark 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.

R9 280X 15.15
+26.3%
HD 7870 12.00

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. 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.

R9 280X 5837
+26.2%
HD 7870 4625

3DMark 11 Performance GPU

3DMark 11 is an obsolete DirectX 11 benchmark by Futuremark. It used four tests based on two scenes, one being few submarines exploring the submerged wreck of a sunken ship, the other is an abandoned temple deep in the jungle. All the tests are heavy with volumetric lighting and tessellation, and despite being done in 1280x720 resolution, are relatively taxing. Discontinued in January 2020, 3DMark 11 is now superseded by Time Spy.

R9 280X 10792
+74.2%
HD 7870 6194

3DMark Vantage Performance

3DMark Vantage is an outdated DirectX 10 benchmark using 1280x1024 screen resolution. It taxes the graphics card with two scenes, one depicting a girl escaping some militarized base located within a sea cave, the other displaying a space fleet attack on a defenseless planet. It was discontinued in April 2017, and Time Spy benchmark is now recommended to be used instead.

R9 280X 33045
+54.8%
HD 7870 21348

Unigine Heaven 4.0

This is an old DirectX 11 benchmark, a newer version of Unigine 3.0 with relatively small differences. It displays a fantasy medieval town sprawling over several flying islands. The benchmark is still sometimes used, despite its significant age, as it was released back in 2013.

R9 280X 1017
+34.5%
HD 7870 756

Gaming performance

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

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

900p100−110
+19%
84
−19%
Full HD64
−7.8%
69
+7.8%
4K31
+29.2%
24−27
−29.2%

Cost per frame, $

1080p4.675.06
4K9.6514.54

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 24−27
+26.3%
18−20
−26.3%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 30−35
+21.4%
27−30
−21.4%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 24−27
+31.6%
18−20
−31.6%
Battlefield 5 45−50
+28.9%
35−40
−28.9%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 30−33
+25%
24−27
−25%
Cyberpunk 2077 24−27
+26.3%
18−20
−26.3%
Far Cry 5 35−40
+25%
27−30
−25%
Far Cry New Dawn 40−45
+24.2%
30−35
−24.2%
Forza Horizon 4 95−100
+22.5%
80−85
−22.5%
Hitman 3 27−30
+26.1%
21−24
−26.1%
Horizon Zero Dawn 75−80
+20.3%
60−65
−20.3%
Metro Exodus 50−55
+27.5%
40−45
−27.5%
Red Dead Redemption 2 40−45
+24.2%
30−35
−24.2%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 45−50
+25.6%
35−40
−25.6%
Watch Dogs: Legion 75−80
+13%
65−70
−13%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 30−35
+21.4%
27−30
−21.4%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 24−27
+31.6%
18−20
−31.6%
Battlefield 5 45−50
+28.9%
35−40
−28.9%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 30−33
+25%
24−27
−25%
Cyberpunk 2077 24−27
+26.3%
18−20
−26.3%
Far Cry 5 35−40
+25%
27−30
−25%
Far Cry New Dawn 40−45
+24.2%
30−35
−24.2%
Forza Horizon 4 95−100
+22.5%
80−85
−22.5%
Hitman 3 27−30
+26.1%
21−24
−26.1%
Horizon Zero Dawn 75−80
+20.3%
60−65
−20.3%
Metro Exodus 50−55
+27.5%
40−45
−27.5%
Red Dead Redemption 2 40−45
+24.2%
30−35
−24.2%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 45−50
+25.6%
35−40
−25.6%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 110
+267%
30−33
−267%
Watch Dogs: Legion 75−80
+13%
65−70
−13%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 30−35
+21.4%
27−30
−21.4%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 24−27
+31.6%
18−20
−31.6%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 30−33
+25%
24−27
−25%
Cyberpunk 2077 24−27
+26.3%
18−20
−26.3%
Far Cry 5 35−40
+25%
27−30
−25%
Forza Horizon 4 95−100
+22.5%
80−85
−22.5%
Hitman 3 27−30
+26.1%
21−24
−26.1%
Horizon Zero Dawn 75−80
+20.3%
60−65
−20.3%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 45−50
+25.6%
35−40
−25.6%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 20
+0%
20
+0%
Watch Dogs: Legion 75−80
+13%
65−70
−13%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 40−45
+24.2%
30−35
−24.2%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5 27−30
+26.1%
21−24
−26.1%
Far Cry New Dawn 21−24
+27.8%
18−20
−27.8%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 14−16
+25%
12−14
−25%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 12−14
+50%
8−9
−50%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 16−18
+23.1%
12−14
−23.1%
Cyberpunk 2077 8−9
+33.3%
6−7
−33.3%
Far Cry 5 16−18
+21.4%
14−16
−21.4%
Forza Horizon 4 75−80
+36.2%
55−60
−36.2%
Hitman 3 18−20
+20%
14−16
−20%
Horizon Zero Dawn 30−35
+24%
24−27
−24%
Metro Exodus 27−30
+42.1%
18−20
−42.1%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 27−30
+42.1%
18−20
−42.1%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 16−18
+33.3%
12−14
−33.3%
Watch Dogs: Legion 90−95
+24%
75−80
−24%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 24−27
+25%
20−22
−25%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5 14−16
+36.4%
10−12
−36.4%
Far Cry New Dawn 10−12
+22.2%
9−10
−22.2%
Hitman 3 10−12
+37.5%
8−9
−37.5%
Horizon Zero Dawn 75−80
+35.7%
55−60
−35.7%
Metro Exodus 14−16
+36.4%
10−12
−36.4%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 14−16
+40%
10−11
−40%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 9−10
+28.6%
7−8
−28.6%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 7−8
+40%
5−6
−40%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 8−9
+33.3%
6−7
−33.3%
Cyberpunk 2077 2−3
+0%
2−3
+0%
Far Cry 5 8−9
+33.3%
6−7
−33.3%
Forza Horizon 4 20−22
+25%
16−18
−25%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 14−16
+50%
10−11
−50%
Watch Dogs: Legion 6−7
+20%
5−6
−20%

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 14−16
+27.3%
10−12
−27.3%

This is how R9 280X and HD 7870 compete in popular games:

  • R9 280X is 19% faster in 900p
  • HD 7870 is 8% faster in 1080p
  • R9 280X is 29% faster in 4K

Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:

  • in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, with 1080p resolution and the High Preset, the R9 280X is 267% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

  • R9 280X is ahead in 70 tests (97%)
  • there's a draw in 2 tests (3%)

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 15.15 12.00
Recency 8 October 2013 5 March 2012
Maximum RAM amount 3 GB 2 GB
Power consumption (TDP) 250 Watt 175 Watt

R9 280X has a 26.3% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 1 year, and a 50% higher maximum VRAM amount.

HD 7870, on the other hand, has 42.9% lower power consumption.

The Radeon R9 280X is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon HD 7870 in performance tests.


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

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite graphics card.


AMD Radeon R9 280X
Radeon R9 280X
AMD Radeon HD 7870
Radeon HD 7870

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.


4.1 693 votes

Rate Radeon R9 280X on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
3.7 641 vote

Rate Radeon HD 7870 on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Questions & comments

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