GeForce GTX 970M vs Radeon R9 280

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 970M

2014

Why buy it

✅Draws 81W instead of 200W, a 119W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 19.8 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $279 MSRP).

Radeon R9 280

2014

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 19.8 vs 0 G3D/$ ($279 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌146.9% higher power demand at 200W vs 81W.

GeForce GTX 970M

2014

Radeon R9 280

2014

Why buy it

✅Draws 81W instead of 200W, a 119W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 19.8 vs 0 G3D/$ ($279 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 19.8 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $279 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌146.9% higher power demand at 200W vs 81W.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 970M better than Radeon R9 280?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 5,705 vs 5,532 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer GeForce GTX 970M is the overall package: you are getting no meaningful modern upscaling stack, plus much lower power draw (81W vs 200W).

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

GeForce GTX 970M is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.

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

GeForce GTX 970M is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce GTX 970M is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $279 MSRP, and you are getting 3.1% higher G3D Mark. Radeon R9 280 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is Radeon R9 280 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon R9 280 is 2014 hardware with 3 GB of VRAM, 5,532 in G3D Mark, and FSR upscaling. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

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 970M Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 280 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon R9 280
1080p
low	77 FPS	77 FPS
medium	63 FPS	63 FPS
high	49 FPS	50 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	33 FPS
1440p
low	65 FPS	65 FPS
medium	53 FPS	54 FPS
high	37 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	24 FPS	24 FPS
4K
low	24 FPS	24 FPS
medium	23 FPS	23 FPS
high	14 FPS	14 FPS
ultra	12 FPS	12 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 970M Open Radeon R9 280

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon R9 280
1080p
low	166 FPS	129 FPS
medium	135 FPS	100 FPS
high	108 FPS	79 FPS
ultra	74 FPS	53 FPS
1440p
low	113 FPS	73 FPS
medium	86 FPS	53 FPS
high	68 FPS	39 FPS
ultra	46 FPS	28 FPS
4K
low	48 FPS	28 FPS
medium	39 FPS	20 FPS
high	35 FPS	16 FPS
ultra	26 FPS	11 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 970M Open Radeon R9 280

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon R9 280
1080p
low	257 FPS	249 FPS
medium	205 FPS	199 FPS
high	171 FPS	166 FPS
ultra	128 FPS	124 FPS
1440p
low	193 FPS	187 FPS
medium	154 FPS	149 FPS
high	128 FPS	124 FPS
ultra	96 FPS	93 FPS
4K
low	128 FPS	124 FPS
medium	103 FPS	100 FPS
high	86 FPS	83 FPS
ultra	58 FPS	62 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 970M Open Radeon R9 280

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon R9 280
1080p
low	134 FPS	140 FPS
medium	109 FPS	116 FPS
high	94 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	78 FPS	85 FPS
1440p
low	98 FPS	103 FPS
medium	81 FPS	85 FPS
high	70 FPS	74 FPS
ultra	56 FPS	59 FPS
4K
low	58 FPS	62 FPS
medium	45 FPS	48 FPS
high	35 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	26 FPS	27 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 970M Open Radeon R9 280

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 970M and Radeon R9 280

GeForce GTX 970M

The GeForce GTX 970M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in October 7 2014. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 924 MHz to 1038 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 81W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,705 points. Launch price was $2,560.89.

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 970M scores 5,705 and the Radeon R9 280 reaches 5,532 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 970M is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Radeon R9 280 uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,280 (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 1,792 (Radeon R9 280). Raw compute: 2.657 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 3.344 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 280). Boost clocks: 1038 MHz vs 933 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon R9 280
G3D Mark Score	5,705+3%	5,532
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1280	1792+40%
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.657 TFLOPS	3.344 TFLOPS+26%
Boost Clock	1038 MHz+11%	933 MHz
ROPs	48+50%	32
TMUs	80	112+40%
L1 Cache	480 KB+7%	448 KB
L2 Cache	1.5 MB+100%	0.75 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 970M 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 970M	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)

Both cards feature 3 GB of GDDR5. Memory bandwidth: 120 GB/s (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 240 GB/s (Radeon R9 280) — a 100% advantage for the Radeon R9 280. Bus width: 192-bit vs 384-bit. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 0.75 MB (Radeon R9 280) — the GeForce GTX 970M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 970M	Radeon R9 280
VRAM Capacity	3 GB	3 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	120 GB/s	240 GB/s+100%
Bus Width	192-bit	384-bit+100%
L2 Cache	1.5 MB+100%	0.75 MB

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 970M draws 81W versus the Radeon R9 280's 200W — a 84.7% difference. The GeForce GTX 970M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 970M) vs 500W (Radeon R9 280). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin.