Radeon HD 8330E vs Radeon HD 8490

AMD

Radeon HD 8330E

2010Core: 800 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 8490

2009Core: 850 MHz
Similar parts
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Radeon HD 8330E 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 8330E 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 8330E 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 8330E

2010

Why buy it

  • 13.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $69 less on MSRP ($30 MSRP vs $99 MSRP).
  • Delivers 228.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 8.7 vs 2.7 G3D/$ ($30 MSRP vs $99 MSRP).

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 8330E 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.
  • 230% HIGHER MSRP
    $99 MSRPvs$30 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.7 vs 8.7 G3D/$ ($99 MSRP vs $30 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD 8330E is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 13.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon HD 8490 instead at 263 vs 262, 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 8330E 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 8330E makes the most sense to buy today. It is $69 cheaper on MSRP at $30 vs $99, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 228.7% (8.7 vs 2.7), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Radeon HD 8330E vs Radeon HD 8490 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

Radeon HD 8330E

The Radeon HD 8330E is manufactured by AMD. It was released in February 25 2010. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 800 MHz. It has 1120 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 175W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 262 points.

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 8330E scores 262 and the Radeon HD 8490 reaches 263 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 8330E 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 8330E) vs 800 (Radeon HD 8490). Raw compute: 1.792 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8330E) vs 1.36 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8490).

FeatureRadeon HD 8330ERadeon HD 8490
G3D Mark Score
262
263
Architecture
TeraScale 2
TeraScale
Process Node
40 nm
55 nm
Shading Units
1120+40%
800
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.792 TFLOPS+32%
1.36 TFLOPS
ROPs
16
16
TMUs
56+40%
40
L1 Cache
112 KB
160 KB+43%
L2 Cache
512 KB+100%
256 KB
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling
FSR upscaling

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon HD 8330ERadeon 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 8330E 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 8330E and 64-bit on the Radeon HD 8490. L2 Cache: 512 KB (Radeon HD 8330E) vs 256 KB (Radeon HD 8490) — the Radeon HD 8330E has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureRadeon HD 8330ERadeon 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
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FL12_0) (Radeon HD 8330E) vs 11.2 (Radeon HD 8490). OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

FeatureRadeon HD 8330ERadeon HD 8490
DirectX
12 (FL12_0)+7%
11.2
OpenGL
4.6+5%
4.4
Max Displays
2
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: UVD 4.2 (Radeon HD 8330E) vs UVD 3.1 (Radeon HD 8490). Decoder: VCE 2.0 vs UVD 3.1. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Radeon HD 8330E) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Radeon HD 8490).

FeatureRadeon HD 8330ERadeon HD 8490
Encoder
UVD 4.2
UVD 3.1
Decoder
VCE 2.0
UVD 3.1
Codecs
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 8330E draws 175W versus the Radeon HD 8490's 190W — a 8.2% difference. The Radeon HD 8330E is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 8330E) vs 350W (Radeon HD 8490). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 168mm, occupying 0 vs 1 slots.

FeatureRadeon HD 8330ERadeon HD 8490
TDP
175W-8%
190W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
1x 6-pin
Length
0mm
168mm
Height
0mm
Slots
0-100%
1
Temp (Load)
75°C
Perf/Watt
1.5+7%
1.4
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 8330E came in at $30, while the Radeon HD 8490 launched at $99. On MSRP, Radeon HD 8330E was 69.7% cheaper ($69 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 8.7 (Radeon HD 8330E) vs 2.7 (Radeon HD 8490) — the Radeon HD 8330E offers 222.2% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 8330E (2010 vs 2009).

FeatureRadeon HD 8330ERadeon HD 8490
MSRP
$30-70%
$99
Performance per Dollar
8.7+222%
2.7
Codename
Cypress
RV790
Release
February 25 2010
April 2 2009
Ranking
#724
#762

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