GRID K520 vs Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire

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.

GRID K520 vs Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

GRID K520 vs Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

GRID K520

2013

Why buy it

✅More future proof: Kepler (2012−2018) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌2013 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
414.9% HIGHER MSRP
$3,599 MSRPvs$699 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.0 vs 5.0 G3D/$ ($3,599 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
❌350% higher power demand at 225W vs 50W.

Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire

2011

Why buy it

✅Costs $2,900 less on MSRP ($699 MSRP vs $3,599 MSRP).
✅Delivers 412.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.0 vs 1.0 G3D/$ ($699 MSRP vs $3,599 MSRP).
✅Draws 50W instead of 225W, a 175W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌2011 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GRID K520 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 0.5% in PassMark G3D (3,516 vs 3,500), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

GRID K520 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2013 generation instead of 2011. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire makes the most sense to buy today. It is $2,900 cheaper on MSRP at $699 vs $3,599, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 412.5% (5.0 vs 1.0), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GRID K520 has the stronger long-term case.

GRID K520 vs Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

GRID K520

The GRID K520 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in July 23 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock speed is 745 MHz. It has 1536 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 225W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,516 points. Launch price was $3,599.

Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire

The Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire is manufactured by AMD. It was released in July 12 2011. It features the Terascale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 715 MHz. It has 2240 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,500 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GRID K520 scores 3,516 and the Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire reaches 3,500 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GRID K520 is built on Kepler while the Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire uses Terascale 2, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 1,536 (GRID K520) vs 2,240 (Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire).

Feature	GRID K520	Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire
G3D Mark Score	3,516	3,500
Architecture	Kepler	Terascale 2
Process Node	28 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	1536 ×2	2240+46%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GRID K520	Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	Standard	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 2 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the GRID K520 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire.

Feature	GRID K520	Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	64-bit	128-bit+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GRID K520) vs 11.0 (Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire). Vulkan: 1.2 vs N/A. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 0 vs 6.

Feature	GRID K520	Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire
DirectX	12 (11_0)+9%	11.0
Vulkan	1.2	N/A
OpenGL	4.6+5%	4.4
Max Displays	0	6

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1 (GRID K520) vs None (Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire). Decoder: NVDEC 1 vs UVD 3.0. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GRID K520) vs MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,MPEG-4,MVC (Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire).

Feature	GRID K520	Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire
Encoder	NVENC 1	None
Decoder	NVDEC 1	UVD 3.0
Codecs	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1	MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264,MPEG-4,MVC

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GRID K520 draws 225W versus the Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire's 50W — a 127.3% difference. The Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GRID K520) vs 350W (Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 90.

Feature	GRID K520	Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire
TDP	225W	50W-78%
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	1x 6-pin
Length	267mm	0mm
Height	111mm	0mm
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	75°C-17%	90
Perf/Watt	15.6	70.0+349%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GRID K520 came in at $3599, while the Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire launched at $699. On MSRP, Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire was 80.6% cheaper ($2900 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.0 (GRID K520) vs 5.0 (Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire) — the Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire offers 400% better value. The newer card here is GRID K520 (2013 vs 2011).

Feature	GRID K520	Radeon HD 6990M Crossfire
MSRP	$3599	$699-81%
Performance per Dollar	1.0	5.0+400%
Codename	GK104	Blackcomb XTX
Release	July 23 2013	July 12 2011
Ranking	#540	#517

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