Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire vs Radeon RX 5500M

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 M290X Crossfire

2014

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 7.5 vs 0 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 5500M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌135.3% higher power demand at 200W vs 85W.

Radeon RX 5500M

2019

Why buy it

✅32.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅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 85W instead of 200W, a 115W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 7.5 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $800 MSRP).

Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire

2014

Radeon RX 5500M

2019

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 7.5 vs 0 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Why buy it

✅32.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅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 85W instead of 200W, a 115W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 5500M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌135.3% higher power demand at 200W vs 85W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 7.5 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $800 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon RX 5500M better than Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire?

Yes. Radeon RX 5500M is clearly the better overall GPU here. Radeon RX 5500M averages 32.2% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 5,954 vs 6,000 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Radeon RX 5500M is a 2019 card with FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation, while Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire 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 5500M 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 5500M is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Radeon RX 5500M is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $800 MSRP, and you are getting 32.2% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and a lower G3D Mark (5,954 vs 6,000). Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire is 2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM, 6,000 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 M290X Crossfire Benchmark Check

Radeon RX 5500M Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire	Radeon RX 5500M
1080p
low	38 FPS	92 FPS
medium	32 FPS	83 FPS
high	22 FPS	68 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	56 FPS
1440p
low	31 FPS	86 FPS
medium	24 FPS	75 FPS
high	15 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	9 FPS	49 FPS
4K
low	11 FPS	42 FPS
medium	9 FPS	39 FPS
high	6 FPS	27 FPS
ultra	5 FPS	24 FPS

Open Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire Open Radeon RX 5500M

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire	Radeon RX 5500M
1080p
low	103 FPS	128 FPS
medium	74 FPS	96 FPS
high	53 FPS	68 FPS
ultra	35 FPS	45 FPS
1440p
low	56 FPS	84 FPS
medium	34 FPS	58 FPS
high	23 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	17 FPS	32 FPS
4K
low	20 FPS	38 FPS
medium	13 FPS	29 FPS
high	10 FPS	23 FPS
ultra	8 FPS	17 FPS

Open Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire Open Radeon RX 5500M

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire	Radeon RX 5500M
1080p
low	270 FPS	268 FPS
medium	216 FPS	214 FPS
high	180 FPS	179 FPS
ultra	135 FPS	134 FPS
1440p
low	202 FPS	201 FPS
medium	162 FPS	161 FPS
high	135 FPS	134 FPS
ultra	101 FPS	100 FPS
4K
low	135 FPS	134 FPS
medium	108 FPS	107 FPS
high	90 FPS	89 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	64 FPS

Open Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire Open Radeon RX 5500M

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire	Radeon RX 5500M
1080p
low	118 FPS	262 FPS
medium	92 FPS	204 FPS
high	63 FPS	174 FPS
ultra	42 FPS	134 FPS
1440p
low	72 FPS	201 FPS
medium	52 FPS	161 FPS
high	39 FPS	130 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	100 FPS
4K
low	38 FPS	97 FPS
medium	27 FPS	75 FPS
high	20 FPS	66 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	53 FPS

Open Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire Open Radeon RX 5500M

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire and Radeon RX 5500M

Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire

The Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 1 2014. It features the GCN architecture. The core clock ranges from 850 MHz to 900 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,000 points.

Radeon RX 5500M

The Radeon RX 5500M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 7 2019. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1375 MHz to 1645 MHz. It has 1408 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 85W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,954 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire scores 6,000 and the Radeon RX 5500M reaches 5,954 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire is built on GCN while the Radeon RX 5500M uses RDNA 1.0, both on 28 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire) vs 1,408 (Radeon RX 5500M). Boost clocks: 900 MHz vs 1645 MHz.

Feature	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire	Radeon RX 5500M
G3D Mark Score	6,000	5,954
Architecture	GCN	RDNA 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	7 nm
Shading Units	2560+82%	1408
Boost Clock	900 MHz	1645 MHz+83%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 5500M 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 M290X Crossfire lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.

Feature	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire	Radeon RX 5500M
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)

Both cards feature 4 GB of video memory. Memory bandwidth: 307.2 GB/s (Dual) (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire) vs 224 GB/s (Radeon RX 5500M) — a 37.1% advantage for the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire. Bus width: 512-bit (Dual) vs 128-bit.

Feature	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire	Radeon RX 5500M
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	307.2 GB/s (Dual)+37%	224 GB/s
Bus Width	512-bit (Dual)+300%	128-bit

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire) vs 12 (Radeon RX 5500M). Maximum simultaneous displays: 0 vs 3.

Feature	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire	Radeon RX 5500M
DirectX	12	12
Max Displays	0	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 1.0 (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire) vs VCN 2.0 (Radeon RX 5500M). Decoder: UVD 3.1 vs VCN 2.0.

Feature	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire	Radeon RX 5500M
Encoder	VCE 1.0	VCN 2.0
Decoder	UVD 3.1	VCN 2.0
Codecs	—	H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire draws 200W versus the Radeon RX 5500M's 85W — a 80.7% difference. The Radeon RX 5500M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire) vs 350W (Radeon RX 5500M). Power connectors: Mobile vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 1mm vs 0mm, occupying 0 vs 0 slots.