Radeon RX 480 vs Radeon RX590 GME

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 RX 480

2016

Why buy it

✅Draws 150W instead of 175W, a 25W reduction.
✅Measures 240mm instead of 241mm, a 1mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
32.4% HIGHER MSRP
$229 MSRPvs$173 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 37.3 vs 48.3 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $173 MSRP).

Radeon RX590 GME

2018

Why buy it

✅Costs $56 less on MSRP ($173 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
✅Delivers 29.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 48.3 vs 37.3 G3D/$ ($173 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon RX 480: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon RX 480 is already legacy-tier future-proofing.

Trade-offs

❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 8 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.
❌16.7% higher power demand at 175W vs 150W.

Radeon RX 480

2016

Radeon RX590 GME

2018

Why buy it

✅Draws 150W instead of 175W, a 25W reduction.
✅Measures 240mm instead of 241mm, a 1mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Why buy it

✅Costs $56 less on MSRP ($173 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
✅Delivers 29.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 48.3 vs 37.3 G3D/$ ($173 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon RX 480: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon RX 480 is already legacy-tier future-proofing.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
32.4% HIGHER MSRP
$229 MSRPvs$173 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 37.3 vs 48.3 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $173 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 8 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.
❌16.7% higher power demand at 175W vs 150W.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon RX 480 better than Radeon RX590 GME?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 8,546 vs 8,349 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer Radeon RX 480 is the overall package: you are getting FSR upscaling.

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

Radeon RX590 GME is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2018 generation instead of 2016 and a 12nm process instead of 14nm. That makes it the safer long-run choice for modern games.

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

Radeon RX 480 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Radeon RX 480 is about 32.4% more expensive on MSRP at $229 MSRP versus $173 MSRP, and you are getting 2.4% higher G3D Mark. Radeon RX590 GME really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

When does Radeon RX590 GME make more sense than Radeon RX 480?

Yes. Radeon RX590 GME 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 newer architecture, future-proofing, and staying closer to $173 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Radeon RX 480. The trade-off is that Radeon RX 480 currently gives you 2.4% higher G3D Mark. Radeon RX590 GME still holds the G3D-per-dollar lead, so the performance win comes with a real value premium.

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 RX 480 Benchmark Check

Radeon RX590 GME Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX590 GME
1080p
low	134 FPS	139 FPS
medium	113 FPS	124 FPS
high	97 FPS	108 FPS
ultra	58 FPS	93 FPS
1440p
low	114 FPS	122 FPS
medium	96 FPS	100 FPS
high	72 FPS	84 FPS
ultra	42 FPS	76 FPS
4K
low	39 FPS	71 FPS
medium	36 FPS	60 FPS
high	23 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	19 FPS	40 FPS

Open Radeon RX 480 Open Radeon RX590 GME

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX590 GME
1080p
low	156 FPS	209 FPS
medium	135 FPS	179 FPS
high	115 FPS	145 FPS
ultra	89 FPS	115 FPS
1440p
low	91 FPS	143 FPS
medium	71 FPS	118 FPS
high	56 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	79 FPS
4K
low	37 FPS	81 FPS
medium	29 FPS	69 FPS
high	23 FPS	57 FPS
ultra	18 FPS	45 FPS

Open Radeon RX 480 Open Radeon RX590 GME

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX590 GME
1080p
low	385 FPS	376 FPS
medium	308 FPS	301 FPS
high	256 FPS	250 FPS
ultra	192 FPS	188 FPS
1440p
low	288 FPS	282 FPS
medium	231 FPS	225 FPS
high	192 FPS	188 FPS
ultra	144 FPS	141 FPS
4K
low	192 FPS	188 FPS
medium	154 FPS	150 FPS
high	128 FPS	125 FPS
ultra	96 FPS	94 FPS

Open Radeon RX 480 Open Radeon RX590 GME

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX590 GME
1080p
low	290 FPS	376 FPS
medium	252 FPS	301 FPS
high	210 FPS	250 FPS
ultra	166 FPS	188 FPS
1440p
low	213 FPS	282 FPS
medium	190 FPS	225 FPS
high	153 FPS	188 FPS
ultra	118 FPS	141 FPS
4K
low	120 FPS	176 FPS
medium	98 FPS	138 FPS
high	80 FPS	122 FPS
ultra	62 FPS	94 FPS

Open Radeon RX 480 Open Radeon RX590 GME

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon RX 480 and Radeon RX590 GME

Radeon RX 480

The Radeon RX 480 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 29 2016. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1120 MHz to 1266 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,546 points. Launch price was $229.

Radeon RX590 GME

The Radeon RX590 GME is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 15 2018. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1469 MHz to 1545 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 175W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,349 points. Launch price was $279.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon RX 480 scores 8,546 and the Radeon RX590 GME reaches 8,349 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon RX 480 is built on GCN 4.0 while the Radeon RX590 GME uses GCN 4.0, both on 14 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 2,304 (Radeon RX 480) vs 2,304 (Radeon RX590 GME). Raw compute: 5.834 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 480) vs 7.119 TFLOPS (Radeon RX590 GME). Boost clocks: 1266 MHz vs 1545 MHz.

Feature	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX590 GME
G3D Mark Score	8,546+2%	8,349
Architecture	GCN 4.0	GCN 4.0
Process Node	14 nm	12 nm
Shading Units	2304	2304
Compute (TFLOPS)	5.834 TFLOPS	7.119 TFLOPS+22%
Boost Clock	1266 MHz	1545 MHz+22%
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	144	144
L1 Cache	576 KB	576 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX590 GME
Upscaling Tech	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	AMD Anti-Lag	AMD Anti-Lag

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Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 8 GB of video memory. Bus width: 256-bit vs 128-bit.

Feature	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX590 GME
VRAM Capacity	8 GB	8 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Bus Width	256-bit+100%	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB

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Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.0 (Radeon RX 480) vs 12.0 (Radeon RX590 GME). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX590 GME
DirectX	12.0	12.0
Vulkan	1.3	1.3
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

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Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 3.4 (Radeon RX 480) vs VCE 3.4 (Radeon RX590 GME). Decoder: UVD 6.3 vs UVD 6.3. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (Radeon RX 480) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (Radeon RX590 GME).

Feature	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX590 GME
Encoder	VCE 3.4	VCE 3.4
Decoder	UVD 6.3	UVD 6.3
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC

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Power & Dimensions

The Radeon RX 480 draws 150W versus the Radeon RX590 GME's 175W — a 15.4% difference. The Radeon RX 480 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon RX 480) vs 500W (Radeon RX590 GME). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 240mm vs 241mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 80°C.

Feature	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX590 GME
TDP	150W-14%	175W
Recommended PSU	500W	500W
Power Connector	8-pin	8-pin
Length	240mm	241mm
Height	95mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	85°C	80°C-6%
Perf/Watt	57.0+19%	47.7

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Value Analysis

The Radeon RX 480 launched at $229 MSRP, while the Radeon RX590 GME launched at $173. The Radeon RX590 GME costs 24.5% less ($56 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 37.3 (Radeon RX 480) vs 48.3 (Radeon RX590 GME) — the Radeon RX590 GME offers 29.5% better value. The Radeon RX590 GME is the newer GPU (2018 vs 2016).