Arc A380 vs Radeon R9 280X

CPU

GPU

Arc A380

2022Core: 2000 MHzBoost: 2050 MHz

Popular choices:

•••••••••

Radeon R9 280X

2013Boost: 1000 MHz

Popular choices:

•••••••••

Performance Spectrum - GPU

Arc A380

6 GB 75

6,301

+3.3%

Arc 8-Core iGPU

Arc Graphics 130V

Graphics 4-Core iGPU (Arc)

6,100

0.0%

About G3D Mark

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.

Arc A380

2022

Why buy it

✅Costs $150 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Delivers 107.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 42.3 vs 20.4 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 3 GB).
✅More future proof: Generation 12.7 (2022−2023) on 6nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 75W instead of 200W, a 125W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Radeon R9 280X

2013

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
100.7% HIGHER MSRP
$299 MSRPvs$149 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 20.4 vs 42.3 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).
❌166.7% higher power demand at 200W vs 75W.

Arc A380

2022

Radeon R9 280X

2013

Why buy it

✅Costs $150 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Delivers 107.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 42.3 vs 20.4 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 3 GB).
✅More future proof: Generation 12.7 (2022−2023) on 6nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 75W instead of 200W, a 125W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
100.7% HIGHER MSRP
$299 MSRPvs$149 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 20.4 vs 42.3 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).
❌166.7% higher power demand at 200W vs 75W.

Quick Answers

So, is Arc A380 better than Radeon R9 280X?

Yes. Arc A380 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 6,301 vs 6,100 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Arc A380 is a 2022 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, while Radeon R9 280X is a 2013 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.

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

Arc A380 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2022 generation instead of 2013, more VRAM at 6 GB instead of 3 GB, the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling, and a 6nm process instead of 28nm. 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?

Arc A380 can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $149 MSRP. Arc A380 is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. Arc A380 is about $150 cheaper on MSRP at $149 MSRP versus $299 MSRP, and you are getting 3.3% higher G3D Mark. Moving to $149 MSRP gets you newer hardware, lower power draw (75W vs 200W), and no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

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

Yes. Radeon R9 280X is still a strong gaming card in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. Price is really the swing factor here. If you find it at or below $299 MSRP, it remains a very sensible buy. Arc A380 is still the safer recommendation for most fresh builds because it offers a cleaner overall package with newer hardware and no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

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.

Arc A380 Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 280X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Arc A380	Radeon R9 280X
1080p
low	128 FPS	77 FPS
medium	114 FPS	63 FPS
high	96 FPS	50 FPS
ultra	72 FPS	33 FPS
1440p
low	118 FPS	65 FPS
medium	99 FPS	54 FPS
high	81 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	61 FPS	24 FPS
4K
low	52 FPS	24 FPS
medium	48 FPS	23 FPS
high	35 FPS	14 FPS
ultra	31 FPS	12 FPS

Open Arc A380 Open Radeon R9 280X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Arc A380	Radeon R9 280X
1080p
low	137 FPS	140 FPS
medium	101 FPS	116 FPS
high	72 FPS	95 FPS
ultra	47 FPS	69 FPS
1440p
low	91 FPS	85 FPS
medium	61 FPS	64 FPS
high	45 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	33 FPS	35 FPS
4K
low	41 FPS	35 FPS
medium	30 FPS	26 FPS
high	25 FPS	20 FPS
ultra	18 FPS	15 FPS

Open Arc A380 Open Radeon R9 280X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Arc A380	Radeon R9 280X
1080p
low	284 FPS	274 FPS
medium	227 FPS	220 FPS
high	189 FPS	183 FPS
ultra	142 FPS	137 FPS
1440p
low	213 FPS	206 FPS
medium	170 FPS	165 FPS
high	142 FPS	137 FPS
ultra	106 FPS	103 FPS
4K
low	142 FPS	137 FPS
medium	113 FPS	110 FPS
high	95 FPS	92 FPS
ultra	71 FPS	69 FPS

Open Arc A380 Open Radeon R9 280X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Arc A380	Radeon R9 280X
1080p
low	284 FPS	145 FPS
medium	227 FPS	118 FPS
high	189 FPS	102 FPS
ultra	142 FPS	87 FPS
1440p
low	213 FPS	106 FPS
medium	170 FPS	87 FPS
high	142 FPS	75 FPS
ultra	106 FPS	60 FPS
4K
low	142 FPS	63 FPS
medium	113 FPS	49 FPS
high	95 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	71 FPS	27 FPS

Open Arc A380 Open Radeon R9 280X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Arc A380 and Radeon R9 280X

Arc A380

The Arc A380 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in June 14 2022. It features the Generation 12.7 architecture. The core clock ranges from 2000 MHz to 2050 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 6 nm process technology. It features 8 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,301 points. Launch price was $149.

Radeon R9 280X

The Radeon R9 280X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 8 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,100 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Arc A380 scores 6,301 and the Radeon R9 280X reaches 6,100 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Arc A380 is built on Generation 12.7 while the Radeon R9 280X uses GCN 1.0, both on 6 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,024 (Arc A380) vs 2,048 (Radeon R9 280X). Raw compute: 4.198 TFLOPS (Arc A380) vs 4.096 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 280X). Boost clocks: 2050 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	Arc A380	Radeon R9 280X
G3D Mark Score	6,301+3%	6,100
Architecture	Generation 12.7	GCN 1.0
Process Node	6 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1024	2048+100%
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.198 TFLOPS+2%	4.096 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	2050 MHz+105%	1000 MHz
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	64	128+100%
L2 Cache	4 MB+433%	0.75 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Arc A380	Radeon R9 280X
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	Standard	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The Arc A380 comes with 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 280X has 3 GB. The Arc A380 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 186 GB/s (Arc A380) vs 288 GB/s (Radeon R9 280X) — a 54.8% advantage for the Radeon R9 280X. Bus width: 96-bit vs 384-bit. L2 Cache: 4 MB (Arc A380) vs 0.75 MB (Radeon R9 280X) — the Arc A380 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Arc A380	Radeon R9 280X
VRAM Capacity	6 GB+100%	3 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	186 GB/s	288 GB/s+55%
Bus Width	96-bit	384-bit+300%
L2 Cache	4 MB+433%	0.75 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (Arc A380) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon R9 280X). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.

Feature	Arc A380	Radeon R9 280X
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12 (11_1)
Vulkan	1.3+8%	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4+33%	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: Xe Media Engine (Arc A380) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 280X). Decoder: Xe Media Engine vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (Arc A380) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon R9 280X).

Feature	Arc A380	Radeon R9 280X
Encoder	Xe Media Engine	VCE 2.0
Decoder	Xe Media Engine	UVD 4.2
Codecs	AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Arc A380 draws 75W versus the Radeon R9 280X's 200W — a 90.9% difference. The Arc A380 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (Arc A380) vs 500W (Radeon R9 280X). Power connectors: None vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Typical load temperature: 59 vs 75°C.

Feature	Arc A380	Radeon R9 280X
TDP	75W-63%	200W
Recommended PSU	300W-40%	500W
Power Connector	None	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	190mm	—
Height	114mm	—
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	59-21%	75°C
Perf/Watt	84.0+175%	30.5

💰

Value Analysis

The Arc A380 launched at $149 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 280X launched at $299. The Arc A380 costs 50.2% less ($150 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 42.3 (Arc A380) vs 20.4 (Radeon R9 280X) — the Arc A380 offers 107.4% better value. The Arc A380 is the newer GPU (2022 vs 2013).