GeForce GTX 280M SLI vs ATI Radeon HD 4870
Aggregate performance score
We've compared Radeon HD 4870 with GeForce GTX 280M SLI, including specs and performance data.
ATI HD 4870 outperforms GTX 280M SLI by a minimal 4% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.
| Place in the ranking | 720 | 729 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 0.31 | no data |
| Power efficiency | 1.64 | 1.57 |
| Architecture | TeraScale (2005−2013) | G9x (2007−2010) |
| GPU code name | RV770 | N10E-GTX |
| Market segment | Desktop | Laptop |
| Release date | 25 June 2008 (16 years ago) | 2 March 2009 (15 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $299 | no data |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.
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 cores | 800 | 256 |
| Core clock speed | 750 MHz | 585 MHz |
| Number of transistors | 956 million | 1508 Million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 55 nm | 55 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 150 Watt | 150 Watt |
| Texture fill rate | 30.00 | no data |
| Floating-point processing power | 1.2 TFLOPS | no data |
| ROPs | 16 | no data |
| TMUs | 40 | no data |
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 size | no data | large |
| Interface | PCIe 2.0 x16 | no data |
| Length | 250 mm | no data |
| Width | 2-slot | no data |
| Supplementary power connectors | 2x 6-pin | 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 type | GDDR5 | GDDR3 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 1 GB | 2 GB |
| Memory bus width | 256 Bit | 256 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 900 MHz | 950 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 115.2 GB/s | no data |
| 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 Connectors | 2x DVI, 1x S-Video | no data |
API compatibility
List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | 10.1 (10_1) | 10 |
| Shader Model | 4.1 | no data |
| OpenGL | 3.3 | no data |
| OpenCL | 1.1 | no data |
| Vulkan | N/A | - |
| CUDA | - | + |
Gaming performance
Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.
FPS performance in popular games
Full HD
Low Preset
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 6−7
+0%
|
6−7
+0%
|
Full HD
Medium Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 10−11
+0%
|
10−11
+0%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 2−3
+0%
|
2−3
+0%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 6−7
+0%
|
6−7
+0%
|
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 8−9
+0%
|
8−9
+0%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 6−7
+0%
|
6−7
+0%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 7−8
+0%
|
7−8
+0%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 9−10
+0%
|
9−10
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 18−20
+0%
|
18−20
+0%
|
| Hitman 3 | 8−9
+0%
|
8−9
+0%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 24−27
+0%
|
24−27
+0%
|
| Metro Exodus | 5−6
+0%
|
5−6
+0%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 8−9
+0%
|
8−9
+0%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 12−14
+0%
|
12−14
+0%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 40−45
+0%
|
40−45
+0%
|
Full HD
High Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 10−11
+0%
|
10−11
+0%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 2−3
+0%
|
2−3
+0%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 6−7
+0%
|
6−7
+0%
|
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 8−9
+0%
|
8−9
+0%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 6−7
+0%
|
6−7
+0%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 7−8
+0%
|
7−8
+0%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 9−10
+0%
|
9−10
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 18−20
+0%
|
18−20
+0%
|
| Hitman 3 | 8−9
+0%
|
8−9
+0%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 24−27
+0%
|
24−27
+0%
|
| Metro Exodus | 5−6
+0%
|
5−6
+0%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 8−9
+0%
|
8−9
+0%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 12−14
+0%
|
12−14
+0%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 14−16
+0%
|
14−16
+0%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 40−45
+0%
|
40−45
+0%
|
Full HD
Ultra Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 10−11
+0%
|
10−11
+0%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 2−3
+0%
|
2−3
+0%
|
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 8−9
+0%
|
8−9
+0%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 6−7
+0%
|
6−7
+0%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 7−8
+0%
|
7−8
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 18−20
+0%
|
18−20
+0%
|
| Hitman 3 | 8−9
+0%
|
8−9
+0%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 24−27
+0%
|
24−27
+0%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 12−14
+0%
|
12−14
+0%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 14−16
+0%
|
14−16
+0%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 40−45
+0%
|
40−45
+0%
|
Full HD
Epic Preset
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 8−9
+0%
|
8−9
+0%
|
1440p
High Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 6−7
+0%
|
6−7
+0%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 5−6
+0%
|
5−6
+0%
|
1440p
Ultra Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 3−4
+0%
|
3−4
+0%
|
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 2−3
+0%
|
2−3
+0%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 2−3
+0%
|
2−3
+0%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 4−5
+0%
|
4−5
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 0−1 | 0−1 |
| Hitman 3 | 8−9
+0%
|
8−9
+0%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 8−9
+0%
|
8−9
+0%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 2−3
+0%
|
2−3
+0%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 20−22
+0%
|
20−22
+0%
|
1440p
Epic Preset
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 7−8
+0%
|
7−8
+0%
|
4K
High Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 2−3
+0%
|
2−3
+0%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 2−3
+0%
|
2−3
+0%
|
4K
Ultra Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 2−3
+0%
|
2−3
+0%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 1−2
+0%
|
1−2
+0%
|
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 1−2
+0%
|
1−2
+0%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 0−1 | 0−1 |
| Far Cry 5 | 1−2
+0%
|
1−2
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 1−2
+0%
|
1−2
+0%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 1−2
+0%
|
1−2
+0%
|
4K
Epic Preset
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 4−5
+0%
|
4−5
+0%
|
All in all, in popular games:
- there's a draw in 62 tests (100%)
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 3.58 | 3.44 |
| Recency | 25 June 2008 | 2 March 2009 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 1 GB | 2 GB |
ATI HD 4870 has a 4.1% higher aggregate performance score.
GTX 280M SLI, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 8 months, and a 100% higher maximum VRAM amount.
Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between Radeon HD 4870 and GeForce GTX 280M SLI.
Be aware that Radeon HD 4870 is a desktop card while GeForce GTX 280M SLI is a notebook one.
Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Comparisons with similar GPUs
We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.
