Radeon HD 6480G vs Radeon HD 8490

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 6480G 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 6480G 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 6480G

2010

Why buy it

✅17.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $49 less on MSRP ($50 MSRP vs $99 MSRP).
✅Delivers 93.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.1 vs 2.7 G3D/$ ($50 MSRP vs $99 MSRP).
✅Draws 151W instead of 190W, a 39W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2010 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon HD 8490

2009

Why buy it

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 512 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 6480G 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.
❌
98% HIGHER MSRP
$99 MSRPvs$50 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.7 vs 5.1 G3D/$ ($99 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).
❌25.8% higher power demand at 190W vs 151W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 6480G is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 17.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon HD 8490 instead at 263 vs 257, 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 HD 6480G is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 40nm process instead of 55nm and a newer 2010 generation instead of 2009. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 6480G makes the most sense to buy today. It is $49 cheaper on MSRP at $50 vs $99, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 93.5% (5.1 vs 2.7), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Radeon HD 6480G vs Radeon HD 8490 Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 6480G

The Radeon HD 6480G is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 21 2010. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The boost clock speed is 900 MHz. It has 1120 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 151W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 257 points. Launch price was $239.

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.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 6480G scores 257 and the Radeon HD 8490 reaches 263 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 6480G is built on TeraScale 2 while the Radeon HD 8490 uses TeraScale, both on 40 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 1,120 (Radeon HD 6480G) vs 800 (Radeon HD 8490). Raw compute: 2.016 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6480G) vs 1.36 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8490).

Feature	Radeon HD 6480G	Radeon HD 8490
G3D Mark Score	257	263+2%
Architecture	TeraScale 2	TeraScale
Process Node	40 nm	55 nm
Shading Units	1120+40%	800
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.016 TFLOPS+48%	1.36 TFLOPS
ROPs	32+100%	16
TMUs	56+40%	40
L1 Cache	224 KB+40%	160 KB
L2 Cache	512 KB+100%	256 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 6480G	Radeon 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

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The Radeon HD 6480G 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 6480G and 64-bit on the Radeon HD 8490. L2 Cache: 512 KB (Radeon HD 6480G) vs 256 KB (Radeon HD 8490) — the Radeon HD 6480G has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 6480G	Radeon 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

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Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 6480G draws 151W versus the Radeon HD 8490's 190W — a 22.9% difference. The Radeon HD 6480G is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 6480G) vs 350W (Radeon HD 8490). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin.

Feature	Radeon HD 6480G	Radeon HD 8490
TDP	151W-21%	190W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	—	168mm
Slots	—	1
Perf/Watt	1.7+21%	1.4

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 6480G came in at $50, while the Radeon HD 8490 launched at $99. On MSRP, Radeon HD 6480G was 49.5% cheaper ($49 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 5.1 (Radeon HD 6480G) vs 2.7 (Radeon HD 8490) — the Radeon HD 6480G offers 88.9% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 6480G (2010 vs 2009).

Feature	Radeon HD 6480G	Radeon HD 8490
MSRP	$50-49%	$99
Performance per Dollar	5.1+89%	2.7
Codename	Barts	RV790
Release	October 21 2010	April 2 2009
Ranking	#661	#762

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