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.

Radeon R9 280X

2013

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 20.4 vs 0 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 4 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.
❌900% higher power demand at 200W vs 20W.

RTX A500 Embedded GPU

2022

Why buy it

✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 3 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 20W instead of 200W, a 180W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 20.4 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $299 MSRP).

Radeon R9 280X

2013

RTX A500 Embedded GPU

2022

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 20.4 vs 0 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Why buy it

✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 3 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 20W instead of 200W, a 180W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 4 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.
❌900% higher power demand at 200W vs 20W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 20.4 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $299 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is RTX A500 Embedded GPU better than Radeon R9 280X?

Yes. RTX A500 Embedded GPU is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 6,197 vs 6,100 in G3D Mark. On top of that, RTX A500 Embedded GPU 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?

RTX A500 Embedded GPU is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2022 generation instead of 2013, more VRAM at 4 GB instead of 3 GB, the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling, and a 8nm 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?

RTX A500 Embedded GPU is the smarter buy by a wide margin. RTX A500 Embedded GPU is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $299 MSRP, and you are getting 1.6% higher G3D Mark. Radeon R9 280X really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

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

No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon R9 280X is 2013 hardware with 3 GB of VRAM, 6,100 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.

Radeon R9 280X Benchmark Check

RTX A500 Embedded GPU Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Radeon R9 280X	RTX A500 Embedded GPU
1080p
low	100 FPS	81 FPS
medium	82 FPS	70 FPS
high	64 FPS	57 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	37 FPS
1440p
low	83 FPS	71 FPS
medium	70 FPS	62 FPS
high	48 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	28 FPS	28 FPS
4K
low	27 FPS	26 FPS
medium	26 FPS	24 FPS
high	16 FPS	16 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	14 FPS

Open Radeon R9 280X Open RTX A500 Embedded GPU

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Radeon R9 280X	RTX A500 Embedded GPU
1080p
low	151 FPS	115 FPS
medium	125 FPS	90 FPS
high	103 FPS	70 FPS
ultra	76 FPS	53 FPS
1440p
low	91 FPS	86 FPS
medium	67 FPS	64 FPS
high	50 FPS	52 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	40 FPS
4K
low	37 FPS	51 FPS
medium	27 FPS	39 FPS
high	21 FPS	31 FPS
ultra	15 FPS	23 FPS

Open Radeon R9 280X Open RTX A500 Embedded GPU

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Radeon R9 280X	RTX A500 Embedded GPU
1080p
low	274 FPS	279 FPS
medium	220 FPS	223 FPS
high	183 FPS	186 FPS
ultra	137 FPS	139 FPS
1440p
low	206 FPS	209 FPS
medium	165 FPS	167 FPS
high	137 FPS	139 FPS
ultra	103 FPS	105 FPS
4K
low	137 FPS	139 FPS
medium	110 FPS	112 FPS
high	92 FPS	93 FPS
ultra	69 FPS	70 FPS

Open Radeon R9 280X Open RTX A500 Embedded GPU

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Radeon R9 280X	RTX A500 Embedded GPU
1080p
low	179 FPS	156 FPS
medium	148 FPS	127 FPS
high	132 FPS	108 FPS
ultra	106 FPS	89 FPS
1440p
low	126 FPS	112 FPS
medium	105 FPS	93 FPS
high	94 FPS	80 FPS
ultra	70 FPS	66 FPS
4K
low	74 FPS	66 FPS
medium	59 FPS	54 FPS
high	48 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	33 FPS	32 FPS

Open Radeon R9 280X Open RTX A500 Embedded GPU

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon R9 280X and RTX A500 Embedded GPU

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.

RTX A500 Embedded GPU

The RTX A500 Embedded GPU is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 30 2022. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 435 MHz to 1335 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 20W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 16 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,197 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 280X scores 6,100 and the RTX A500 Embedded GPU reaches 6,197 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 280X is built on GCN 1.0 while the RTX A500 Embedded GPU uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 2,048 (Radeon R9 280X) vs 2,048 (RTX A500 Embedded GPU). Raw compute: 4.096 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 280X) vs 5.468 TFLOPS (RTX A500 Embedded GPU). Boost clocks: 1000 MHz vs 1335 MHz.

Feature	Radeon R9 280X	RTX A500 Embedded GPU
G3D Mark Score	6,100	6,197+2%
Architecture	GCN 1.0	Ampere
Process Node	28 nm	8 nm
Shading Units	2048	2048
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.096 TFLOPS	5.468 TFLOPS+33%
Boost Clock	1000 MHz	1335 MHz+34%
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	128+100%	64
L1 Cache	0.5 MB	2 MB+300%
L2 Cache	0.75 MB	2 MB+167%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The RTX A500 Embedded GPU gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon R9 280X relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	Radeon R9 280X	RTX A500 Embedded GPU
Upscaling Tech	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	AMD Anti-Lag	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The Radeon R9 280X comes with 3 GB of VRAM, while the RTX A500 Embedded GPU has 4 GB. The RTX A500 Embedded GPU offers 33.3% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 384-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 0.75 MB (Radeon R9 280X) vs 2 MB (RTX A500 Embedded GPU) — the RTX A500 Embedded GPU has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon R9 280X	RTX A500 Embedded GPU
VRAM Capacity	3 GB	4 GB+33%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Bus Width	384-bit+200%	128-bit
L2 Cache	0.75 MB	2 MB+167%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_1) (Radeon R9 280X) vs 12_2 (RTX A500 Embedded GPU). Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 0.

Feature	Radeon R9 280X	RTX A500 Embedded GPU
DirectX	12 (11_1)	12_2
Max Displays	3	0

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 280X) vs NVENC 7th Gen (RTX A500 Embedded GPU). Decoder: UVD 4.2 vs NVDEC 5th Gen.

Feature	Radeon R9 280X	RTX A500 Embedded GPU
Encoder	VCE 2.0	NVENC 7th Gen
Decoder	UVD 4.2	NVDEC 5th Gen
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4	—

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 280X draws 200W versus the RTX A500 Embedded GPU's 20W — a 163.6% difference. The RTX A500 Embedded GPU is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon R9 280X) vs 350W (RTX A500 Embedded GPU). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs PCIe-powered.