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

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon RX590 GME across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
766.5% HIGHER MSRP
$1,499 MSRPvs$173 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.8 vs 48.3 G3D/$ ($1,499 MSRP vs $173 MSRP).
❌185.7% higher power demand at 500W vs 175W.

Radeon RX590 GME

2018

Why buy it

✅3.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $1,326 less on MSRP ($173 MSRP vs $1,499 MSRP).
✅Delivers 728.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 48.3 vs 5.8 G3D/$ ($173 MSRP vs $1,499 MSRP).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon R9 295X2: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon R9 295X2 is already legacy-tier future-proofing.
✅Draws 175W instead of 500W, a 325W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 8 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.

Radeon R9 295X2

2014

Radeon RX590 GME

2018

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Why buy it

✅3.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $1,326 less on MSRP ($173 MSRP vs $1,499 MSRP).
✅Delivers 728.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 48.3 vs 5.8 G3D/$ ($173 MSRP vs $1,499 MSRP).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon R9 295X2: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon R9 295X2 is already legacy-tier future-proofing.
✅Draws 175W instead of 500W, a 325W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon RX590 GME across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
766.5% HIGHER MSRP
$1,499 MSRPvs$173 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.8 vs 48.3 G3D/$ ($1,499 MSRP vs $173 MSRP).
❌185.7% higher power demand at 500W vs 175W.

Trade-offs

❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 8 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon RX590 GME better than Radeon R9 295X2?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. Radeon RX590 GME averages 3.4% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 8,734 vs 8,349 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer Radeon RX590 GME is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, FSR upscaling, plus much lower power draw (175W vs 500W).

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 2014 and a 12nm process instead of 28nm. That makes it the safer long-run choice for modern games.

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

Radeon RX590 GME can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $173 MSRP. Radeon RX590 GME is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. Radeon RX590 GME is about $1,326 cheaper on MSRP at $173 MSRP versus $1,499 MSRP, and you are getting 3.4% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and a lower G3D Mark (8,349 vs 8,734). Moving to $173 MSRP gets you newer hardware, lower power draw (175W vs 500W), and FSR upscaling.

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

Yes. Radeon R9 295X2 is still a strong gaming card in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. Price is really the swing factor here. If you find it at or below $1,499 MSRP, it remains a very sensible buy. Radeon RX590 GME is still the safer recommendation for most fresh builds because it offers a cleaner overall package with newer hardware and FSR upscaling.

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 RX590 GME Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX590 GME
1080p
low	105 FPS	139 FPS
medium	89 FPS	124 FPS
high	73 FPS	108 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	93 FPS
1440p
low	89 FPS	122 FPS
medium	75 FPS	100 FPS
high	55 FPS	84 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	76 FPS
4K
low	36 FPS	71 FPS
medium	32 FPS	60 FPS
high	20 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	17 FPS	40 FPS

Open Radeon R9 295X2 Open Radeon RX590 GME

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX590 GME
1080p
low	193 FPS	209 FPS
medium	169 FPS	179 FPS
high	141 FPS	145 FPS
ultra	110 FPS	115 FPS
1440p
low	137 FPS	143 FPS
medium	111 FPS	118 FPS
high	88 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	79 FPS
4K
low	63 FPS	81 FPS
medium	53 FPS	69 FPS
high	48 FPS	57 FPS
ultra	39 FPS	45 FPS

Open Radeon R9 295X2 Open Radeon RX590 GME

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX590 GME
1080p
low	393 FPS	376 FPS
medium	314 FPS	301 FPS
high	262 FPS	250 FPS
ultra	197 FPS	188 FPS
1440p
low	295 FPS	282 FPS
medium	236 FPS	225 FPS
high	197 FPS	188 FPS
ultra	147 FPS	141 FPS
4K
low	197 FPS	188 FPS
medium	157 FPS	150 FPS
high	131 FPS	125 FPS
ultra	98 FPS	94 FPS

Open Radeon R9 295X2 Open Radeon RX590 GME

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX590 GME
1080p
low	240 FPS	376 FPS
medium	207 FPS	301 FPS
high	168 FPS	250 FPS
ultra	143 FPS	188 FPS
1440p
low	179 FPS	282 FPS
medium	155 FPS	225 FPS
high	120 FPS	188 FPS
ultra	98 FPS	141 FPS
4K
low	103 FPS	176 FPS
medium	82 FPS	138 FPS
high	65 FPS	122 FPS
ultra	50 FPS	94 FPS

Open Radeon R9 295X2 Open Radeon RX590 GME

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon R9 295X2 and Radeon RX590 GME

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 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.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 295X2 scores 8,734 and the Radeon RX590 GME reaches 8,349 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 295X2 is built on GCN 2.0 while the Radeon RX590 GME uses GCN 4.0, both on 28 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 2,816 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 2,304 (Radeon RX590 GME). Raw compute: 5.733 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 7.119 TFLOPS (Radeon RX590 GME). Boost clocks: 1018 MHz vs 1545 MHz.

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX590 GME
G3D Mark Score	8,734+5%	8,349
Architecture	GCN 2.0	GCN 4.0
Process Node	28 nm	12 nm
Shading Units	2816 ×2+22%	2304
Compute (TFLOPS)	5.733 TFLOPS ×2	7.119 TFLOPS+24%
Boost Clock	1018 MHz	1545 MHz+52%
ROPs	64 ×2+100%	32
TMUs	176 ×2+22%	144
L1 Cache	704 KB+22%	576 KB
L2 Cache	1 MB	2 MB+100%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	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

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 8 GB of video memory. Bus width: 512-bit x2 vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 1 MB (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 2 MB (Radeon RX590 GME) — the Radeon RX590 GME has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX590 GME
VRAM Capacity	8 GB	8 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Bus Width	512-bit x2+300%	128-bit
L2 Cache	1 MB	2 MB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.0 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 12.0 (Radeon RX590 GME). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.3 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX590 GME
DirectX	12.0	12.0
Vulkan	1.1	1.3+18%
OpenGL	4.3	4.6+7%
Max Displays	6+50%	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs VCE 3.4 (Radeon RX590 GME). Decoder: UVD 4.2 vs UVD 6.3. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (Radeon RX590 GME).

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX590 GME
Encoder	VCE 2.0	VCE 3.4
Decoder	UVD 4.2	UVD 6.3
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 295X2 draws 500W versus the Radeon RX590 GME's 175W — a 96.3% difference. The Radeon RX590 GME is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 1000W (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 500W (Radeon RX590 GME). Power connectors: 2x 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 307mm vs 241mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 65°C vs 80°C.

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX590 GME
TDP	500W	175W-65%
Recommended PSU	1000W	500W-50%
Power Connector	2x 8-pin	8-pin
Length	307mm	241mm
Height	114mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	65°C-19%	80°C
Perf/Watt	17.5	47.7+173%

💰

Value Analysis

The Radeon R9 295X2 launched at $1499 MSRP, while the Radeon RX590 GME launched at $173. The Radeon RX590 GME costs 88.5% less ($1326 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 5.8 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 48.3 (Radeon RX590 GME) — the Radeon RX590 GME offers 732.8% better value. The Radeon RX590 GME is the newer GPU (2018 vs 2014).