Radeon RX 6850M XT vs GeForce GTX 280

#ad 
Buy on Amazon
VS

Aggregate performance score

We've compared GeForce GTX 280 with Radeon RX 6850M XT, including specs and performance data.

GTX 280
2008, $649
1 GB GDDR3, 236 Watt
3.04

6850M XT outperforms GTX 280 by a whopping 1252% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

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

Place in the ranking802103
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation0.11no data
Power efficiency1.0019.30
ArchitectureTesla 2.0 (2007−2013)RDNA 2.0 (2020−2025)
GPU code nameGT200Navi 22
Market segmentDesktopLaptop
Release date16 June 2008 (17 years ago)4 January 2022 (3 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$649 no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

The higher the ratio, the better. We use the manufacturer's recommended prices.

no data

Performance to price scatter graph

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 cores2402560
Core clock speed602 MHz2321 MHz
Boost clock speedno data2581 MHz
Number of transistors1,400 million17,200 million
Manufacturing process technology65 nm7 nm
Power consumption (TDP)236 Watt165 Watt
Maximum GPU temperature105 °Cno data
Texture fill rate48.16413.0
Floating-point processing power0.6221 TFLOPS13.21 TFLOPS
ROPs3264
TMUs80160
Ray Tracing Coresno data40
L0 Cacheno data640 KB
L1 Cacheno data512 KB
L2 Cache256 KB3 MB
L3 Cacheno data96 MB

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).

Laptop sizeno datalarge
InterfacePCIe 2.0 x16PCIe 4.0 x16
Length267 mmno data
Height4.376" (111 mm) (11.1 cm)no data
Width2-slotno data
Supplementary power connectors1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pinNone
SLI options+-

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 typeGDDR3GDDR6
Maximum RAM amount1 GB12 GB
Memory bus width512 Bit192 Bit
Memory clock speed1107 MHz2000 MHz
Memory bandwidth141.7 GB/s384.0 GB/s
Shared memory--
Resizable BAR-+

Connectivity and outputs

This section shows the types and number of video connectors on each GPU. The data applies specifically to desktop reference models (for example, NVIDIA’s Founders Edition). OEM partners often modify both the number and types of ports. On notebook GPUs, video‐output options are determined by the laptop’s design rather than the graphics chip itself.

Display ConnectorsHDTVDual Link DVINo outputs
Multi monitor support+no data
Maximum VGA resolution2048x1536no data
Audio input for HDMIS/PDIFno data

API and SDK support

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

DirectX11.1 (10_0)12 Ultimate (12_2)
Shader Model4.06.5
OpenGL2.14.6
OpenCL1.12.1
VulkanN/A1.3
CUDA+-

Synthetic benchmarks

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.

GTX 280 3.04
RX 6850M XT 41.10
+1252%

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.

GTX 280 1285
Samples: 456
RX 6850M XT 17349
+1250%
Samples: 67

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:

Full HD10−12
−1270%
137
+1270%
1440p6−7
−1317%
85
+1317%
4K4−5
−1325%
57
+1325%

Cost per frame, $

1080p64.90no data
1440p108.17no data
4K162.25no data

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low

Counter-Strike 2 220−230
+0%
220−230
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 160
+0%
160
+0%

Full HD
Medium

Battlefield 5 130−140
+0%
130−140
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 220−230
+0%
220−230
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 136
+0%
136
+0%
Escape from Tarkov 120−130
+0%
120−130
+0%
Far Cry 5 109
+0%
109
+0%
Fortnite 170−180
+0%
170−180
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 160−170
+0%
160−170
+0%
Forza Horizon 5 130−140
+0%
130−140
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 160−170
+0%
160−170
+0%
Valorant 230−240
+0%
230−240
+0%

Full HD
High

Battlefield 5 130−140
+0%
130−140
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 220−230
+0%
220−230
+0%
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 270−280
+0%
270−280
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 106
+0%
106
+0%
Dota 2 113
+0%
113
+0%
Escape from Tarkov 120−130
+0%
120−130
+0%
Far Cry 5 105
+0%
105
+0%
Fortnite 170−180
+0%
170−180
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 160−170
+0%
160−170
+0%
Forza Horizon 5 130−140
+0%
130−140
+0%
Grand Theft Auto V 126
+0%
126
+0%
Metro Exodus 116
+0%
116
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 160−170
+0%
160−170
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 198
+0%
198
+0%
Valorant 230−240
+0%
230−240
+0%

Full HD
Ultra

Battlefield 5 130−140
+0%
130−140
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 87
+0%
87
+0%
Dota 2 95
+0%
95
+0%
Escape from Tarkov 120−130
+0%
120−130
+0%
Far Cry 5 102
+0%
102
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 160−170
+0%
160−170
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 160−170
+0%
160−170
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 122
+0%
122
+0%
Valorant 230−240
+0%
230−240
+0%

Full HD
Epic

Fortnite 170−180
+0%
170−180
+0%

1440p
High

Counter-Strike 2 100−110
+0%
100−110
+0%
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 290−300
+0%
290−300
+0%
Grand Theft Auto V 89
+0%
89
+0%
Metro Exodus 68
+0%
68
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 170−180
+0%
170−180
+0%
Valorant 260−270
+0%
260−270
+0%

1440p
Ultra

Battlefield 5 100−110
+0%
100−110
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 55
+0%
55
+0%
Escape from Tarkov 95−100
+0%
95−100
+0%
Far Cry 5 99
+0%
99
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 120−130
+0%
120−130
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 80−85
+0%
80−85
+0%

1440p
Epic

Fortnite 110−120
+0%
110−120
+0%

4K
High

Counter-Strike 2 45−50
+0%
45−50
+0%
Grand Theft Auto V 99
+0%
99
+0%
Metro Exodus 35−40
+0%
35−40
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 72
+0%
72
+0%
Valorant 250−260
+0%
250−260
+0%

4K
Ultra

Battlefield 5 65−70
+0%
65−70
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 45−50
+0%
45−50
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 26
+0%
26
+0%
Dota 2 78
+0%
78
+0%
Escape from Tarkov 50−55
+0%
50−55
+0%
Far Cry 5 68
+0%
68
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 80−85
+0%
80−85
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 60−65
+0%
60−65
+0%

4K
Epic

Fortnite 55−60
+0%
55−60
+0%

This is how GTX 280 and RX 6850M XT compete in popular games:

  • RX 6850M XT is 1270% faster in 1080p
  • RX 6850M XT is 1317% faster in 1440p
  • RX 6850M XT is 1325% faster in 4K

All in all, in popular games:

  • there's a draw in 64 tests (100%)

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 3.04 41.10
Recency 16 June 2008 4 January 2022
Maximum RAM amount 1 GB 12 GB
Chip lithography 65 nm 7 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 236 Watt 165 Watt

RX 6850M XT has a 1252% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 13 years, a 1100% higher maximum VRAM amount, a 828.6% more advanced lithography process, and 43% lower power consumption.

The Radeon RX 6850M XT is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GTX 280 in performance tests.

Be aware that GeForce GTX 280 is a desktop graphics card while Radeon RX 6850M XT is a notebook one.

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.


NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280
GeForce GTX 280
AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
Radeon RX 6850M XT

Other comparisons

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.


3.5 113 votes

Rate GeForce GTX 280 on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
4.6 251 votes

Rate Radeon RX 6850M XT on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Comments

Here you can give us your opinion about GeForce GTX 280 or Radeon RX 6850M XT, agree or disagree with our ratings, or report errors or inaccuracies on the site.