Radeon HD 6990 vs Radeon Steam Deck 8CU

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 6990 vs Radeon Steam Deck 8CU 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 6990 vs Radeon Steam Deck 8CU: 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 6990

2011

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 4.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($699 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon Steam Deck 8CU across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2011 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌1150% higher power demand at 375W vs 30W.
❌30900% longer card at 310mm vs 1mm.

Radeon Steam Deck 8CU

2023

Why buy it

✅11.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Better long-term bet: RDNA 2 (2022−2023) on 6nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
✅Draws 30W instead of 375W, a 345W reduction.
✅Measures 1mm instead of 310mm, a 309mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 4.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $699 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon Steam Deck 8CU is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 11.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon HD 6990 instead at 3,014 vs 3,000, 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 Steam Deck 8CU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 6nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2023 generation instead of 2011. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 6990 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 6990 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon Steam Deck 8CU has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 6990 vs Radeon Steam Deck 8CU Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 6990

The Radeon HD 6990 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 8 2011. It features the TeraScale 3 architecture. The core clock speed is 830 MHz. It has 1536 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 375W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,014 points. Launch price was $699.

Radeon Steam Deck 8CU

The Radeon Steam Deck 8CU is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 9 2023. It features the RDNA 2 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1900 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 6 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,000 points.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 6990 scores 3,014 and the Radeon Steam Deck 8CU reaches 3,000 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 6990 is built on TeraScale 3 while the Radeon Steam Deck 8CU uses RDNA 2, both on 40 nm vs 6 nm. Shader units: 1,536 (Radeon HD 6990) vs 512 (Radeon Steam Deck 8CU).

Feature	Radeon HD 6990	Radeon Steam Deck 8CU
G3D Mark Score	3,014	3,000
Architecture	TeraScale 3	RDNA 2
Process Node	40 nm	6 nm
Shading Units	1536 ×2+200%	512
L1 Cache	384 KB	512 KB+33%
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	1 MB+100%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling + RSR

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 6990	Radeon Steam Deck 8CU
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 2 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the Radeon HD 6990 and 64-bit on the Radeon Steam Deck 8CU. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 6990) vs 1 MB (Radeon Steam Deck 8CU) — the Radeon Steam Deck 8CU has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 6990	Radeon Steam Deck 8CU
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	128-bit+100%	64-bit
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	1 MB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.2 (Radeon HD 6990) vs 12_0 (Radeon Steam Deck 8CU). Maximum simultaneous displays: 5 vs 0.

Feature	Radeon HD 6990	Radeon Steam Deck 8CU
DirectX	11.2	12_0+7%
Max Displays	5	0

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (Radeon HD 6990) vs VCN 3.0 (Radeon Steam Deck 8CU). Decoder: UVD 3.0 vs VCN 3.0.

Feature	Radeon HD 6990	Radeon Steam Deck 8CU
Encoder	None	VCN 3.0
Decoder	UVD 3.0	VCN 3.0
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4	—

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Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 6990 draws 375W versus the Radeon Steam Deck 8CU's 30W — a 170.4% difference. The Radeon Steam Deck 8CU is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (Radeon HD 6990) vs 350W (Radeon Steam Deck 8CU). Power connectors: 2x 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 310mm vs 1mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.

Feature	Radeon HD 6990	Radeon Steam Deck 8CU
TDP	375W	30W-92%
Recommended PSU	750W	350W-53%
Power Connector	2x 8-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	310mm	1mm
Height	115mm	—
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	85	—
Perf/Watt	8.0	100.0+1150%

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Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 6990 came in at $699, while the Radeon Steam Deck 8CU launched at $0. On MSRP, Radeon Steam Deck 8CU was 100+% cheaper ($699 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 4.3 (Radeon HD 6990) vs Infinity (Radeon Steam Deck 8CU) — the Radeon Steam Deck 8CU offers Infinity% better value. The newer card here is Radeon Steam Deck 8CU (2023 vs 2011).

Feature	Radeon HD 6990	Radeon Steam Deck 8CU
MSRP	$699	$0-100%
Performance per Dollar	4.3	Infinity
Codename	Antilles	RDNA 2 Sephiroth
Release	March 8 2011	November 9 2023
Ranking	#583	#480

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