Radeon HD 5600/5700 vs Radeon R6 M255DX

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 5600/5700 vs Radeon R6 M255DX 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 5600/5700 vs Radeon R6 M255DX: 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 5600/5700

2010

Why buy it

✅2.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 6.2 vs 0 G3D/$ ($99 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌2010 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌733.3% higher power demand at 250W vs 30W.
❌16700% longer card at 168mm vs 1mm.

Radeon R6 M255DX

2014

Why buy it

✅Draws 30W instead of 250W, a 220W reduction.
✅Measures 1mm instead of 168mm, a 167mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.
✅More future proof: GCN (2012−2015) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 5600/5700 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2014 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 6.2 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $99 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 5600/5700 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 2.7% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1.7% in PassMark G3D (615 vs 605), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon HD 5600/5700 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 5600/5700 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup.

Radeon HD 5600/5700 vs Radeon R6 M255DX Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 5600/5700

The Radeon HD 5600/5700 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in December 14 2010. It features the TeraScale 3 architecture. The boost clock speed is 880 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 615 points. Launch price was $369.

Radeon R6 M255DX

The Radeon R6 M255DX is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 4 2014. It features the GCN architecture. It has 896 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 605 points.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 5600/5700 scores 615 and the Radeon R6 M255DX reaches 605 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 5600/5700 is built on TeraScale 3 while the Radeon R6 M255DX uses GCN, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,536 (Radeon HD 5600/5700) vs 896 (Radeon R6 M255DX).

Feature	Radeon HD 5600/5700	Radeon R6 M255DX
G3D Mark Score	615+2%	605
Architecture	TeraScale 3	GCN
Process Node	40 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1536+71%	896
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 5600/5700	Radeon R6 M255DX
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 5600/5700 and 64-bit on the Radeon R6 M255DX.

Feature	Radeon HD 5600/5700	Radeon R6 M255DX
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	0.5 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	128-bit+100%	64-bit

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Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11 (11_0) (Radeon HD 5600/5700) vs 12_0 (Radeon R6 M255DX). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 0.

Feature	Radeon HD 5600/5700	Radeon R6 M255DX
DirectX	11 (11_0)	12_0+9%
Max Displays	2	0

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Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (Radeon HD 5600/5700) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R6 M255DX). Decoder: UVD 2.3 vs UVD 4.2.

Feature	Radeon HD 5600/5700	Radeon R6 M255DX
Encoder	No	VCE 2.0
Decoder	UVD 2.3	UVD 4.2
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,DivX	—

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Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 5600/5700 draws 250W versus the Radeon R6 M255DX's 30W — a 157.1% difference. The Radeon R6 M255DX is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 5600/5700) vs 350W (Radeon R6 M255DX). Power connectors: None vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 168mm vs 1mm, occupying 1 vs 0 slots.

Feature	Radeon HD 5600/5700	Radeon R6 M255DX
TDP	250W	30W-88%
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	None	PCIe-powered
Length	168mm	1mm
Height	111mm	—
Slots	1	0-100%
Temp (Load)	70°C	—
Perf/Watt	2.5	20.2+708%

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Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 5600/5700 came in at $99, while the Radeon R6 M255DX launched at $0. On MSRP, Radeon R6 M255DX was 100+% cheaper ($99 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 6.2 (Radeon HD 5600/5700) vs Infinity (Radeon R6 M255DX) — the Radeon R6 M255DX offers Infinity% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R6 M255DX (2014 vs 2010).

Feature	Radeon HD 5600/5700	Radeon R6 M255DX
MSRP	$99	$0-100%
Performance per Dollar	6.2	Infinity
Codename	Cayman	—
Release	December 14 2010	June 4 2014
Ranking	#596	#800

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