Radeon HD 2900 GT vs Radeon R3

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 HD 2900 GT vs Radeon R3 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 HD 2900 GT vs Radeon R3: 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 HD 2900 GT

2013

Why buy it

✅Draws 25W instead of 50W, a 25W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R3 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2013 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
240% HIGHER MSRP
$170 MSRPvs$50 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.7 vs 6.3 G3D/$ ($170 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).

Radeon R3

2019

Why buy it

✅25.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $120 less on MSRP ($50 MSRP vs $170 MSRP).
✅Delivers 265.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 6.3 vs 1.7 G3D/$ ($50 MSRP vs $170 MSRP).
✅Radeon HD 2900 GT is already obsolete for modern gaming, so Radeon R3 is the less risky modern option long term.

Trade-offs

❌2019 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌100% higher power demand at 50W vs 25W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon R3 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 25.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 7.5% in PassMark G3D (314 vs 292), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon R3 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 14nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2019 generation instead of 2013. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon R3 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $120 cheaper on MSRP at $50 vs $170, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 265.6% (6.3 vs 1.7), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Radeon HD 2900 GT vs Radeon R3 Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 2900 GT

The Radeon HD 2900 GT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 7 2013. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 725 MHz. It has 480 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 25W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 292 points.

Radeon R3

The Radeon R3 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 13 2019. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1082 MHz to 1218 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 314 points.

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Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the Radeon HD 2900 GT scores 292 versus the Radeon R3's 314 — the Radeon R3 leads by 7.5%. The Radeon HD 2900 GT is built on TeraScale 2 while the Radeon R3 uses GCN 4.0, both on 40 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 480 (Radeon HD 2900 GT) vs 512 (Radeon R3). Raw compute: 0.696 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 2900 GT) vs 1.247 TFLOPS (Radeon R3).

Feature	Radeon HD 2900 GT	Radeon R3
G3D Mark Score	292	314+8%
Architecture	TeraScale 2	GCN 4.0
Process Node	40 nm	14 nm
Shading Units	480	512+7%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.696 TFLOPS	1.247 TFLOPS+79%
ROPs	8	16+100%
TMUs	24	32+33%
L1 Cache	48 KB	128 KB+167%
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 2900 GT	Radeon R3
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

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Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 512 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the Radeon HD 2900 GT and 64-bit on the Radeon R3. L2 Cache: 256 KB (Radeon HD 2900 GT) vs 512 KB (Radeon R3) — the Radeon R3 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 2900 GT	Radeon R3
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	0.5 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	128-bit+100%	64-bit
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10 (Radeon HD 2900 GT) vs 12 (12_0) (Radeon R3). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	Radeon HD 2900 GT	Radeon R3
DirectX	10	12 (12_0)+20%
Max Displays	2	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: UVD (Radeon HD 2900 GT) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R3). Decoder: UVD vs UVD 4.2.

Feature	Radeon HD 2900 GT	Radeon R3
Encoder	UVD	VCE 2.0
Decoder	UVD	UVD 4.2
Codecs	—	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4

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Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 2900 GT draws 25W versus the Radeon R3's 50W — a 66.7% difference. The Radeon HD 2900 GT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 2900 GT) vs 350W (Radeon R3). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered.

Feature	Radeon HD 2900 GT	Radeon R3
TDP	25W-50%	50W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	241mm	—
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	—	70°C
Perf/Watt	11.7+86%	6.3

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 2900 GT came in at $170, while the Radeon R3 launched at $50. On MSRP, Radeon R3 was 70.6% cheaper ($120 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.7 (Radeon HD 2900 GT) vs 6.3 (Radeon R3) — the Radeon R3 offers 270.6% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R3 (2019 vs 2013).

Feature	Radeon HD 2900 GT	Radeon R3
MSRP	$170	$50-71%
Performance per Dollar	1.7	6.3+271%
Codename	Thames	Polaris 23
Release	January 7 2013	May 13 2019
Ranking	#883	#757

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