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 295X2

2014

Why buy it

✅68.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
737.4% HIGHER MSRP
$1,499 MSRPvs$179 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.8 vs 49.4 G3D/$ ($1,499 MSRP vs $179 MSRP).
❌354.5% higher power demand at 500W vs 110W.

Radeon RX 5500

2019

Why buy it

✅Costs $1,320 less on MSRP ($179 MSRP vs $1,499 MSRP).
✅Delivers 747.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 49.4 vs 5.8 G3D/$ ($179 MSRP vs $1,499 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
✅More future proof: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 110W instead of 500W, a 390W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 295X2 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.

Radeon R9 295X2

2014

Radeon RX 5500

2019

Why buy it

✅68.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).

Why buy it

✅Costs $1,320 less on MSRP ($179 MSRP vs $1,499 MSRP).
✅Delivers 747.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 49.4 vs 5.8 G3D/$ ($179 MSRP vs $1,499 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
✅More future proof: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 110W instead of 500W, a 390W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
737.4% HIGHER MSRP
$1,499 MSRPvs$179 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.8 vs 49.4 G3D/$ ($1,499 MSRP vs $179 MSRP).
❌354.5% higher power demand at 500W vs 110W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 295X2 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon RX 5500 better than Radeon R9 295X2?

Yes. Radeon RX 5500 is clearly the better overall GPU here. Radeon R9 295X2 averages 68.1% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 8,837 vs 8,734 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Radeon RX 5500 is a 2019 card with FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation, while Radeon R9 295X2 is a 2014 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?

Radeon RX 5500 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2019 generation instead of 2014, better frame-generation support with FSR Frame Generation (2023) instead of FSR upscaling, and a 7nm process instead of 28nm. 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?

Radeon RX 5500 is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. Radeon RX 5500 is about $1,320 cheaper on MSRP at $179 MSRP versus $1,499 MSRP, and you are getting lower estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 1.2% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 747.3%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is Radeon R9 295X2 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon R9 295X2 is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around $1,499 MSRP, even if Radeon RX 5500 is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

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 295X2 Benchmark Check

Radeon RX 5500 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX 5500
1080p
low	105 FPS	84 FPS
medium	89 FPS	72 FPS
high	73 FPS	60 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	39 FPS
1440p
low	89 FPS	74 FPS
medium	75 FPS	64 FPS
high	55 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	31 FPS
4K
low	36 FPS	28 FPS
medium	32 FPS	27 FPS
high	20 FPS	18 FPS
ultra	17 FPS	16 FPS

Open Radeon R9 295X2 Open Radeon RX 5500

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX 5500
1080p
low	193 FPS	106 FPS
medium	169 FPS	74 FPS
high	141 FPS	51 FPS
ultra	110 FPS	34 FPS
1440p
low	137 FPS	73 FPS
medium	111 FPS	45 FPS
high	88 FPS	33 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	24 FPS
4K
low	63 FPS	34 FPS
medium	53 FPS	24 FPS
high	48 FPS	19 FPS
ultra	39 FPS	14 FPS

Open Radeon R9 295X2 Open Radeon RX 5500

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX 5500
1080p
low	393 FPS	349 FPS
medium	314 FPS	304 FPS
high	262 FPS	238 FPS
ultra	197 FPS	198 FPS
1440p
low	295 FPS	285 FPS
medium	236 FPS	239 FPS
high	197 FPS	199 FPS
ultra	147 FPS	149 FPS
4K
low	197 FPS	176 FPS
medium	157 FPS	151 FPS
high	131 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	98 FPS	74 FPS

Open Radeon R9 295X2 Open Radeon RX 5500

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX 5500
1080p
low	240 FPS	140 FPS
medium	207 FPS	113 FPS
high	168 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	143 FPS	81 FPS
1440p
low	179 FPS	103 FPS
medium	155 FPS	85 FPS
high	120 FPS	73 FPS
ultra	98 FPS	59 FPS
4K
low	103 FPS	60 FPS
medium	82 FPS	48 FPS
high	65 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	50 FPS	29 FPS

Open Radeon R9 295X2 Open Radeon RX 5500

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon R9 295X2 and Radeon RX 5500

Radeon R9 295X2

The Radeon R9 295X2 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 29 2014. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1018 MHz. It has 2816 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 500W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,734 points. Launch price was $1,499.

Radeon RX 5500

The Radeon RX 5500 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 7 2019. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1845 MHz. It has 1408 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 110W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,837 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 295X2 scores 8,734 and the Radeon RX 5500 reaches 8,837 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 295X2 is built on GCN 2.0 while the Radeon RX 5500 uses RDNA 1.0, both on 28 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 2,816 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 1,408 (Radeon RX 5500). Raw compute: 5.733 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 5.196 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 5500). Boost clocks: 1018 MHz vs 1845 MHz.

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX 5500
G3D Mark Score	8,734	8,837+1%
Architecture	GCN 2.0	RDNA 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	7 nm
Shading Units	2816 ×2+100%	1408
Compute (TFLOPS)	5.733 TFLOPS ×2+10%	5.196 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1018 MHz	1845 MHz+81%
ROPs	64 ×2+100%	32
TMUs	176 ×2+100%	88
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 5500 is support for FSR Frame Generation. This allows it to generate entire frames using AI/Algorithms, essentially doubling the frame rate in CPU-bound scenarios or heavy ray-tracing titles. The Radeon R9 295X2 lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX 5500
Upscaling Tech	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	FSR Frame Generation
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	AMD Anti-Lag	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The Radeon R9 295X2 comes with 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon RX 5500 has 4 GB. The Radeon R9 295X2 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 320 GB/s x2 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 224 GB/s (Radeon RX 5500) — a 1329.5% advantage for the Radeon R9 295X2. Bus width: 512-bit x2 vs 128-bit.

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX 5500
VRAM Capacity	8 GB+100%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	320 GB/s x2+43%	224 GB/s
Bus Width	512-bit x2+300%	128-bit

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.0 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 12.1 (Radeon RX 5500). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.3 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX 5500
DirectX	12.0	12.1
Vulkan	1.1	1.2+9%
OpenGL	4.3	4.6+7%
Max Displays	6+50%	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs VCN 2.0 (Radeon RX 5500). Decoder: UVD 4.2 vs VCN 2.0. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Radeon RX 5500).

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX 5500
Encoder	VCE 2.0	VCN 2.0
Decoder	UVD 4.2	VCN 2.0
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 295X2 draws 500W versus the Radeon RX 5500's 110W — a 127.9% difference. The Radeon RX 5500 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 1000W (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 450W (Radeon RX 5500). Power connectors: 2x 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 307mm vs 180mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 65°C vs 75°C.

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX 5500
TDP	500W	110W-78%
Recommended PSU	1000W	450W-55%
Power Connector	2x 8-pin	8-pin
Length	307mm	180mm
Height	114mm	110mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	65°C-13%	75°C
Perf/Watt	17.5	80.3+359%

💰

Value Analysis

The Radeon R9 295X2 launched at $1499 MSRP, while the Radeon RX 5500 launched at $179. The Radeon RX 5500 costs 88.1% less ($1320 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 5.8 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 49.4 (Radeon RX 5500) — the Radeon RX 5500 offers 751.7% better value. The Radeon RX 5500 is the newer GPU (2019 vs 2014).