Radeon HD 5470 vs Radeon HD 8490

AMD

Radeon HD 5470

2009Core: 725 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 8490

2009Core: 850 MHz
Similar parts
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Radeon HD 5470 vs Radeon HD 8490 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 HD 5470 vs Radeon HD 8490 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 5470 vs Radeon HD 8490: 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 5470

2009

Why buy it

  • 19.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $16 less on MSRP ($83 MSRP vs $99 MSRP).
  • Delivers 21.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 3.2 vs 2.7 G3D/$ ($83 MSRP vs $99 MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2009 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 54.7% higher power demand at 294W vs 190W.

Radeon HD 8490

2009

Why buy it

  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 512 MB).
  • Draws 190W instead of 294W, a 104W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 5470 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2009 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 19.3% HIGHER MSRP
    $99 MSRPvs$83 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.7 vs 3.2 G3D/$ ($99 MSRP vs $83 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD 5470 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 19.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1.9% in PassMark G3D (268 vs 263), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon HD 5470 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 40nm process instead of 55nm. That still leaves it as the safer long-term option on hardware alone.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon HD 5470 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $16 cheaper on MSRP at $83 vs $99, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 21.5% (3.2 vs 2.7), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Radeon HD 5470 vs Radeon HD 8490 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

Radeon HD 5470

The Radeon HD 5470 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 18 2009. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 725 MHz. It has 1600 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 294W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 268 points. Launch price was $699.

AMD

Radeon HD 8490

The Radeon HD 8490 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: 263 points. Launch price was $249.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 5470 scores 268 and the Radeon HD 8490 reaches 263 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 5470 is built on TeraScale 2 while the Radeon HD 8490 uses TeraScale, both on 40 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 1,600 (Radeon HD 5470) vs 800 (Radeon HD 8490). Raw compute: 2.32 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 5470) vs 1.36 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8490).

FeatureRadeon HD 5470Radeon HD 8490
G3D Mark Score
268+2%
263
Architecture
TeraScale 2
TeraScale
Process Node
40 nm
55 nm
Shading Units
1600 ×2+100%
800
Compute (TFLOPS)
2.32 TFLOPS ×2+71%
1.36 TFLOPS
ROPs
32 ×2+100%
16
TMUs
80 ×2+100%
40
L1 Cache
320 KB+100%
160 KB
L2 Cache
512 KB+100%
256 KB
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling
FSR upscaling

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon HD 5470Radeon HD 8490
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)

The Radeon HD 5470 has 512 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 8490 carries 1 GB. Radeon HD 8490 gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the Radeon HD 5470 and 64-bit on the Radeon HD 8490. L2 Cache: 512 KB (Radeon HD 5470) vs 256 KB (Radeon HD 8490) — the Radeon HD 5470 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureRadeon HD 5470Radeon HD 8490
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
1 GB+100%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit+100%
64-bit
L2 Cache
512 KB+100%
256 KB
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 5470 draws 294W versus the Radeon HD 8490's 190W — a 43% difference. The Radeon HD 8490 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 5470) vs 350W (Radeon HD 8490). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin.

FeatureRadeon HD 5470Radeon HD 8490
TDP
294W
190W-35%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
1x 6-pin
Length
168mm
Slots
1
Perf/Watt
0.9
1.4+56%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 5470 came in at $83, while the Radeon HD 8490 launched at $99. On MSRP, Radeon HD 5470 was 16.2% cheaper ($16 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 3.2 (Radeon HD 5470) vs 2.7 (Radeon HD 8490) — the Radeon HD 5470 offers 18.5% better value.

FeatureRadeon HD 5470Radeon HD 8490
MSRP
$83-16%
$99
Performance per Dollar
3.2+19%
2.7
Codename
Hemlock
RV790
Release
November 18 2009
April 2 2009
Ranking
#651
#762

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