G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2

2010

Why buy it

✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 3 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2010-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
25.1% HIGHER MSRP
$349 MSRPvs$279 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 15.8 vs 19.8 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs $279 MSRP).

Radeon R9 280

2014

Why buy it

✅Costs $70 less on MSRP ($279 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
✅Delivers 25.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 19.8 vs 15.8 G3D/$ ($279 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
✅More future proof: GCN 1.0 (2012−2020) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2

2010

Radeon R9 280

2014

Why buy it

✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 3 GB).

Why buy it

✅Costs $70 less on MSRP ($279 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
✅Delivers 25.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 19.8 vs 15.8 G3D/$ ($279 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
✅More future proof: GCN 1.0 (2012−2020) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2010-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
25.1% HIGHER MSRP
$349 MSRPvs$279 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 15.8 vs 19.8 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs $279 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon R9 280 better than GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 5,500 vs 5,532 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer Radeon R9 280 is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, FSR upscaling.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting more VRAM at 4 GB instead of 3 GB and the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling. That extra memory headroom makes it the safer pick for newer games, heavier textures, and higher settings over time.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

Radeon R9 280 can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $279 MSRP. Radeon R9 280 is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. Radeon R9 280 is about $70 cheaper on MSRP at $279 MSRP versus $349 MSRP, and you are getting 0.6% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2 is the more forward-looking alternative, so it still has a real case if you care more about future-proofing than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

When does GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2 make more sense than Radeon R9 280?

Yes. GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2 is still an excellent gaming GPU in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It makes more sense if your priority is future-proofing and staying closer to $349 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Radeon R9 280. The trade-off is that Radeon R9 280 currently gives you 0.6% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 25.8%.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2 Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 280 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2	Radeon R9 280
1080p
low	103 FPS	77 FPS
medium	87 FPS	63 FPS
high	70 FPS	50 FPS
ultra	42 FPS	33 FPS
1440p
low	90 FPS	65 FPS
medium	77 FPS	54 FPS
high	55 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	24 FPS
4K
low	27 FPS	24 FPS
medium	26 FPS	23 FPS
high	17 FPS	14 FPS
ultra	15 FPS	12 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2 Open Radeon R9 280

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2	Radeon R9 280
1080p
low	88 FPS	129 FPS
medium	66 FPS	100 FPS
high	54 FPS	79 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	53 FPS
1440p
low	53 FPS	73 FPS
medium	38 FPS	53 FPS
high	26 FPS	39 FPS
ultra	20 FPS	28 FPS
4K
low	24 FPS	28 FPS
medium	17 FPS	20 FPS
high	12 FPS	16 FPS
ultra	9 FPS	11 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2 Open Radeon R9 280

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2	Radeon R9 280
1080p
low	248 FPS	249 FPS
medium	198 FPS	199 FPS
high	165 FPS	166 FPS
ultra	124 FPS	124 FPS
1440p
low	186 FPS	187 FPS
medium	148 FPS	149 FPS
high	124 FPS	124 FPS
ultra	93 FPS	93 FPS
4K
low	124 FPS	124 FPS
medium	99 FPS	100 FPS
high	82 FPS	83 FPS
ultra	62 FPS	62 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2 Open Radeon R9 280

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2	Radeon R9 280
1080p
low	164 FPS	140 FPS
medium	134 FPS	116 FPS
high	120 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	85 FPS
1440p
low	113 FPS	103 FPS
medium	94 FPS	85 FPS
high	84 FPS	74 FPS
ultra	63 FPS	59 FPS
4K
low	67 FPS	62 FPS
medium	52 FPS	48 FPS
high	42 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	29 FPS	27 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2 Open Radeon R9 280

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2 and Radeon R9 280

GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2

The GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in December 7 2010. It features the Fermi 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 732 MHz. It has 480 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 219W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,500 points. Launch price was $349.

Radeon R9 280

The Radeon R9 280 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 4 2014. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 933 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,532 points. Launch price was $279.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2 scores 5,500 and the Radeon R9 280 reaches 5,532 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2 is built on Fermi 2.0 while the Radeon R9 280 uses GCN 1.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 480 (GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2) vs 1,792 (Radeon R9 280). Raw compute: 1.405 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2) vs 3.344 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 280).

Feature	GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2	Radeon R9 280
G3D Mark Score	5,500	5,532
Architecture	Fermi 2.0	GCN 1.0
Process Node	40 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	480	1792+273%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.405 TFLOPS	3.344 TFLOPS+138%
ROPs	40+25%	32
TMUs	60	112+87%
L1 Cache	960 KB+114%	448 KB
L2 Cache	640 KB	768 KB+20%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon R9 280 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2	Radeon R9 280
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2 comes with 4 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 280 has 3 GB. The GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2 offers 33.3% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 156 GB/s (GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2) vs 240 GB/s (Radeon R9 280) — a 53.8% advantage for the Radeon R9 280. Bus width: 320-bit vs 384-bit. L2 Cache: 640 KB (GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2) vs 768 KB (Radeon R9 280) — the Radeon R9 280 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2	Radeon R9 280
VRAM Capacity	4 GB+33%	3 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	156 GB/s	240 GB/s+54%
Bus Width	320-bit	384-bit+20%
L2 Cache	640 KB	768 KB+20%

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2 draws 219W versus the Radeon R9 280's 200W — a 9.1% difference. The Radeon R9 280 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2) vs 500W (Radeon R9 280). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin.

Feature	GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2	Radeon R9 280
TDP	219W	200W-9%
Recommended PSU	550W	500W-9%
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	267mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	—
Temp (Load)	85°C	—
Perf/Watt	25.1	27.7+10%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2 launched at $349 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 280 launched at $279. The Radeon R9 280 costs 20.1% less ($70 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 15.8 (GeForce GTX 570 Rev. 2) vs 19.8 (Radeon R9 280) — the Radeon R9 280 offers 25.3% better value. The Radeon R9 280 is the newer GPU (2014 vs 2010).