Radeon HD 4890 vs Radeon 540X

Radeon HD 4890

2009Core: 850 MHz

Radeon 540X

2018Core: 980 MHzBoost: 1046 MHz

Performance Spectrum - GPU

Radeon HD 4890

190

1,546

0.0%

Radeon R5 M435

Radeon HD 8570D + HD 8570 Dual

1,588

+2.7%

Radeon R5 430

Radeon R7 M465

Radeon HD 8670D + HD 6670 Dual

Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB

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.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (G3D Mark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.•
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar

Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

Performance Per Dollar Radeon 540X

#61

GeForce RTX 2070 (móvel)

MSRP: $800|Avg: $350

96%

#278

Radeon RX 550X (móvel)

MSRP: $35|Avg: $35

677%

#280

GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $150

614%

#281

GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $100

612%

#285

GeForce GTX 1050 (Mobile)

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $50

556%

#286

Radeon RX 6300

MSRP: $60|Avg: $40

553%

#288

Radeon 540X

MSRP: $99|Avg: $40

100%

#289

GeForce 930MX

MSRP: $80|Avg: $25

100%

#291

GeForce MX250

MSRP: $150|Avg: $150

99%

#292

Radeon 630

MSRP: $100|Avg: $50

98%

#293

GeForce MX330

MSRP: $150|Avg: $100

98%

#297

Radeon RX 780

MSRP: $499|Avg: $721

96%

#300

GeForce 940MX

MSRP: $100|Avg: $50

94%

#301

GeForce MX130

MSRP: $120|Avg: $50

94%

#302

Arc Graphics 130V

MSRP: $300|Avg: $250

94%

#303

Radeon R5 430

MSRP: $59|Avg: $50

94%

Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

Performance Comparison

About G3D Mark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

⚠️ Generational Difference

The Radeon 540X is significantly newer (2018 vs 2009). The Radeon 540X likely supports modern features like Ray Tracing, Tensor Cores, and DLSS/FSR upscaling, which act as force multipliers for performance. The Radeon HD 4890 lacks this hardware feature set, limiting its longevity in modern titles despite any raw power similarities.

🚀 Performance Leadership

The Radeon 540X is the superior choice for raw performance. It leads with a 2.7% higher G3D Mark score. However, the Radeon HD 4890 offers more VRAM, which may be beneficial for texture-heavy scenarios at higher resolutions.

Insight	Radeon HD 4890	Radeon 540X
Performance	❌Lower raw frame rates (-2.7%)	✅Leading raw performance (+2.7%)
Longevity	🛑Obsolete Architecture (2009 / TeraScale (2005−2013))	🛑Obsolete Architecture (2018 / GCN 4.0 (2016−2020))
Ecosystem	Supports FSR Upscaling	Supports FSR Upscaling
VRAM	✅ More VRAM (+300%)	❌ Less VRAM capacity
Efficiency	⚡ Higher Power Consumption	💡 Excellent Perf/Watt
Case Fit	—	—

💎 Value Proposition

The Radeon HD 4890 offers a compelling cost-to-performance ratio. Priced at $25 versus $40 for the Radeon 540X, it costs 38% less. While it maintains basic entry-level capabilities, this results in a 55.8% higher cost efficiency score.

Insight	Radeon HD 4890	Radeon 540X
Cost Efficiency	✅Better overall value (+55.8%)	❌Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅More affordable ($25)	⚠️Higher upfront cost ($40)

Performance Check

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 7800X3D 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 HD 4890 Benchmark Check

Radeon 540X Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon HD 4890 and Radeon 540X

Radeon HD 4890

The Radeon HD 4890 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 2 2009. It features the TeraScale architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 190W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,546 points. Launch price was $249.

Radeon 540X

The Radeon 540X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in September 5 2018. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 980 MHz to 1046 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,588 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 4890 scores 1,546 and the Radeon 540X reaches 1,588 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 4890 is built on TeraScale while the Radeon 540X uses GCN 4.0, both on 55 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 800 (Radeon HD 4890) vs 512 (Radeon 540X). Raw compute: 1.36 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 4890) vs 1.071 TFLOPS (Radeon 540X).

Feature	Radeon HD 4890	Radeon 540X
G3D Mark Score	1,546	1,588+3%
Architecture	TeraScale	GCN 4.0
Process Node	55 nm	14 nm
Shading Units	800+56%	512
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.36 TFLOPS+27%	1.071 TFLOPS
ROPs	16	16
TMUs	40+25%	32
L1 Cache	160 KB+25%	128 KB
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 4890	Radeon 540X
Upscaling Tech	FSR 1.0 (Software)	FSR 1.0 (Software)
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	AMD Anti-Lag	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The Radeon HD 4890 comes with 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon 540X has 512 MB. The Radeon HD 4890 offers 300% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 64-bit vs 64-bit. L2 Cache: 256 KB (Radeon HD 4890) vs 512 KB (Radeon 540X) — the Radeon 540X has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 4890	Radeon 540X
VRAM Capacity	2 GB+300%	0.5 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	64-bit	64-bit
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Supported codecs: H.264 (Radeon HD 4890) vs H.264,MPEG-2,MPEG-4,VC-1 (Radeon 540X).

Feature	Radeon HD 4890	Radeon 540X
Encoder	—	UVD
Decoder	—	VCE
Codecs	H.264	H.264,MPEG-2,MPEG-4,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 4890 draws 190W versus the Radeon 540X's 50W — a 116.7% difference. The Radeon 540X is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon HD 4890) vs 350W (Radeon 540X). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered.

Feature	Radeon HD 4890	Radeon 540X
TDP	190W	50W-74%
Recommended PSU	500W	350W-30%
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	—	0mm
Height	—	0mm
Slots	—	0
Temp (Load)	—	75°C
Perf/Watt	8.1	31.8+293%

💰

Value Analysis

The Radeon HD 4890 launched at $249 MSRP and currently averages $25, while the Radeon 540X launched at $99 and now averages $40. The Radeon HD 4890 costs 37.5% less ($15 savings) at current market prices. Performance per dollar (G3D Mark / price): 61.8 (Radeon HD 4890) vs 39.7 (Radeon 540X) — the Radeon HD 4890 offers 55.7% better value. The Radeon 540X is the newer GPU (2018 vs 2009).