Radeon 680M vs Radeon R9 M485X

AMD

Radeon 680M

2023Core: 2000 MHzBoost: 2200 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon R9 M485X

2016Core: 723 MHz
Similar parts
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Radeon 680M vs Radeon R9 M485X Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

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.

Radeon 680M vs Radeon R9 M485X 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.

Radeon 680M vs Radeon R9 M485X: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

Radeon 680M

2023

Why buy it

  • Better long-term bet: RDNA 2.0 (2020−2025) on 6nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
  • Draws 50W instead of 250W, a 200W reduction.
  • More future proof: RDNA 2.0 (2020−2025) on 6nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 M485X across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 8.4 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $450 MSRP).

Radeon R9 M485X

2016

Why buy it

  • 19.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 8.4 vs 0 G3D/$ ($450 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • 2016 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 400% higher power demand at 250W vs 50W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon R9 M485X is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 19.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon 680M instead at 3,836 vs 3,801, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon 680M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 6nm process instead of 28nm, 12 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2023 generation instead of 2016. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon R9 M485X makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R9 M485X is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon 680M has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon 680M vs Radeon R9 M485X Technical Specifications

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

AMD

Radeon 680M

The Radeon 680M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 3 2023. It features the RDNA 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 2000 MHz to 2200 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 6 nm process technology. It features 12 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,836 points.

AMD

Radeon R9 M485X

The Radeon R9 M485X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 15 2016. It features the GCN 3.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 723 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,801 points.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon 680M scores 3,836 and the Radeon R9 M485X reaches 3,801 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon 680M is built on RDNA 2.0 while the Radeon R9 M485X uses GCN 3.0, both on 6 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 768 (Radeon 680M) vs 2,048 (Radeon R9 M485X). Raw compute: 3.379 TFLOPS (Radeon 680M) vs 2.961 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 M485X).

FeatureRadeon 680MRadeon R9 M485X
G3D Mark Score
3,836
3,801
Architecture
RDNA 2.0
GCN 3.0
Process Node
6 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
768
2048+167%
Compute (TFLOPS)
3.379 TFLOPS+14%
2.961 TFLOPS
ROPs
32
32
TMUs
48
128+167%
L1 Cache
256 KB
512 KB+100%
L2 Cache
2 MB+300%
0.5 MB
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling + RSR
FSR upscaling

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon 680MRadeon R9 M485X
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 ship with 2 GB of video memory. Memory bus width is System on the Radeon 680M and 128-bit on the Radeon R9 M485X. L2 Cache: 2 MB (Radeon 680M) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon R9 M485X) — the Radeon 680M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureRadeon 680MRadeon R9 M485X
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
2 GB
Memory Type
Shared
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
System
Unknown
Bus Width
System
128-bit
L2 Cache
2 MB+300%
0.5 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12_2 (Radeon 680M) vs 12 (Radeon R9 M485X). Maximum simultaneous displays: 0 vs 4.

FeatureRadeon 680MRadeon R9 M485X
DirectX
12_2
12
Max Displays
0
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCN 3.1 (Radeon 680M) vs VCE 3.0 (Radeon R9 M485X). Decoder: VCN 3.1 vs UVD 6.0.

FeatureRadeon 680MRadeon R9 M485X
Encoder
VCN 3.1
VCE 3.0
Decoder
VCN 3.1
UVD 6.0
Codecs
H.264,HEVC,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon 680M draws 50W versus the Radeon R9 M485X's 250W — a 133.3% difference. The Radeon 680M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon 680M) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M485X). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs Mobile.

FeatureRadeon 680MRadeon R9 M485X
TDP
50W-80%
250W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
Mobile
Length
1mm
Slots
0
Temp (Load)
80°C
Perf/Watt
76.7+405%
15.2
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon 680M (2023 vs 2016).

FeatureRadeon 680MRadeon R9 M485X
MSRP
$450
Codename
Rembrandt+
Amethyst
Release
January 3 2023
May 15 2016
Ranking
#512
#519

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