Radeon HD 7950 vs Radeon R9 280

Speed and memory

The Radeon HD 7950 and the Radeon R9 280 are within a few percent of each other for gaming in our model, so you will not see a difference in play.

Both cards have 3 GB of video memory, so memory will not separate them.

In our estimates for popular games at 1080p on High, the biggest gap is in Red Dead Redemption 2 (14 against 13 fps), and the smallest is in Fortnite (56 against 55 fps). Games that are light enough to run above 200 fps on both cards show little difference at all.

Power and value

The Radeon HD 7950 is rated at 200 W and the Radeon R9 280 at 250 W. With a mid-range processor that means a power supply of about 550 W for the first and 650 W for the second. The power draw is close enough that cooling and noise will be similar.

At launch the Radeon HD 7950 cost $449 and the Radeon R9 280 $279. Per dollar, the Radeon R9 280 gave more performance (1.6 points per $100 against 1.0). Current prices differ, so run the same sum on what you can actually buy today.

Which one to buy

Choose the Radeon HD 7950 if you want the faster card, and it also has at least as much memory. It makes the most sense at 1440p and above, or on a monitor with a high refresh rate.

Choose the Radeon R9 280 if the price gap matters more than the small speed difference. Whichever you pick, check reviews for the games you play, because two cards with similar scores can differ in individual titles.