Radeon HD 8280E 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 8280E 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 8280E 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 8280E

2013

Why buy it

✅Draws 50W instead of 190W, a 140W reduction.
✅Measures 1mm instead of 168mm, a 167mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.
✅More future proof: GCN 1.0 (2012−2020) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 8490 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2013 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
51.5% HIGHER MSRP
$150 MSRPvs$99 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.7 vs 2.7 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs $99 MSRP).

Radeon HD 8490

2009

Why buy it

✅1.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $51 less on MSRP ($99 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
✅Delivers 55.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 2.7 vs 1.7 G3D/$ ($99 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 512 MB).

Trade-offs

❌2009 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌280% higher power demand at 190W vs 50W.
❌16700% longer card at 168mm vs 1mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 8490 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 1.6% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.7% in PassMark G3D (263 vs 256), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon HD 8280E is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 55nm and a newer 2013 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 8490 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $51 cheaper on MSRP at $99 vs $150, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 55.7% (2.7 vs 1.7), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 8490 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon HD 8280E has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 8280E vs Radeon HD 8490 Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 8280E

The Radeon HD 8280E is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 1 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 725 MHz to 775 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 256 points.

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 8280E scores 256 and the Radeon HD 8490 reaches 263 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 8280E is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon HD 8490 uses TeraScale, both on 28 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 640 (Radeon HD 8280E) vs 800 (Radeon HD 8490). Raw compute: 0.992 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8280E) vs 1.36 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8490).

Feature	Radeon HD 8280E	Radeon HD 8490
G3D Mark Score	256	263+3%
Architecture	GCN 1.0	TeraScale
Process Node	28 nm	55 nm
Shading Units	640	800+25%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.992 TFLOPS	1.36 TFLOPS+37%
ROPs	16	16
TMUs	40	40
L1 Cache	160 KB	160 KB
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 8280E	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

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The Radeon HD 8280E 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 8280E and 64-bit on the Radeon HD 8490.

Feature	Radeon HD 8280E	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	256 KB	256 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11_1 (Radeon HD 8280E) vs 11.2 (Radeon HD 8490). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	Radeon HD 8280E	Radeon HD 8490
DirectX	11_1	11.2+2%
Max Displays	2	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 2.0 (Radeon HD 8280E) vs UVD 3.1 (Radeon HD 8490). Decoder: UVD 4.2 vs UVD 3.1.

Feature	Radeon HD 8280E	Radeon HD 8490
Encoder	VCE 2.0	UVD 3.1
Decoder	UVD 4.2	UVD 3.1
Codecs	—	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 8280E draws 50W versus the Radeon HD 8490's 190W — a 116.7% difference. The Radeon HD 8280E is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 8280E) vs 350W (Radeon HD 8490). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 1mm vs 168mm, occupying 0 vs 1 slots.

Feature	Radeon HD 8280E	Radeon HD 8490
TDP	50W-74%	190W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	1mm	168mm
Slots	0-100%	1
Perf/Watt	5.1+264%	1.4

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 8280E came in at $150, while the Radeon HD 8490 launched at $99. On MSRP, Radeon HD 8490 was 34% cheaper ($51 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.7 (Radeon HD 8280E) vs 2.7 (Radeon HD 8490) — the Radeon HD 8490 offers 58.8% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 8280E (2013 vs 2009).

Feature	Radeon HD 8280E	Radeon HD 8490
MSRP	$150	$99-34%
Performance per Dollar	1.7	2.7+59%
Codename	Venus	RV790
Release	April 1 2013	April 2 2009
Ranking	#745	#762

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