Radeon HD 8690A vs Radeon R5 330

AMD

Radeon HD 8690A

2013Core: 775 MHzBoost: 825 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon R5 330

2017Core: 730 MHzBoost: 1024 MHz
Similar parts
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Radeon HD 8690A vs Radeon R5 330 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 8690A vs Radeon R5 330 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 8690A vs Radeon R5 330: 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 8690A

2013

Why buy it

  • Measures 1mm instead of 168mm, a 167mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon R5 330 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 2 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.
  • 85.2% HIGHER MSRP
    $150 MSRPvs$81 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 3.4 vs 6.5 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs $81 MSRP).

Radeon R5 330

2017

Why buy it

  • 7.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $69 less on MSRP ($81 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
  • Delivers 88.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 6.5 vs 3.4 G3D/$ ($81 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
  • 300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 512 MB).

Trade-offs

  • 2017 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 16700% longer card at 168mm vs 1mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon R5 330 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 7.7% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1.8% in PassMark G3D (523 vs 514), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon HD 8690A 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 R5 330 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $69 cheaper on MSRP at $81 vs $150, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 88.4% (6.5 vs 3.4), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R5 330 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon HD 8690A has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 8690A vs Radeon R5 330 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

Radeon HD 8690A

The Radeon HD 8690A is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 1 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 775 MHz to 825 MHz. It has 320 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 514 points.

AMD

Radeon R5 330

The Radeon R5 330 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 18 2017. It features the GCN 3.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 730 MHz to 1024 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 523 points.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 8690A scores 514 and the Radeon R5 330 reaches 523 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 8690A is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon R5 330 uses GCN 3.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 320 (Radeon HD 8690A) vs 384 (Radeon R5 330). Raw compute: 0.528 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8690A) vs 0.7864 TFLOPS (Radeon R5 330). Boost clocks: 825 MHz vs 1024 MHz.

FeatureRadeon HD 8690ARadeon R5 330
G3D Mark Score
514
523+2%
Architecture
GCN 1.0
GCN 3.0
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
320
384+20%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.528 TFLOPS
0.7864 TFLOPS+49%
Boost Clock
825 MHz
1024 MHz+24%
ROPs
8
8
TMUs
20
24+20%
L1 Cache
80 KB
96 KB+20%
L2 Cache
128 KB
128 KB
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling
FSR upscaling

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon HD 8690ARadeon R5 330
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 8690A has 512 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon R5 330 carries 2 GB. Radeon R5 330 gives you 300% 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 8690A and 128-bit on the Radeon R5 330.

FeatureRadeon HD 8690ARadeon R5 330
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
2 GB+300%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
L2 Cache
128 KB
128 KB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11_1 (Radeon HD 8690A) vs 12 (FL 11_1) (Radeon R5 330). Maximum simultaneous displays: 0 vs 2.

FeatureRadeon HD 8690ARadeon R5 330
DirectX
11_1
12 (FL 11_1)+9%
Max Displays
0
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Decoder: UVD 3 vs UVD 3.1.

FeatureRadeon HD 8690ARadeon R5 330
Encoder
UVD 3
Decoder
UVD 3
UVD 3.1
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 8690A draws 50W versus the Radeon R5 330's 50W — a 0% difference. The Radeon R5 330 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 8690A) vs 350W (Radeon R5 330). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 1mm vs 168mm, occupying 0 vs 1 slots.

FeatureRadeon HD 8690ARadeon R5 330
TDP
50W
50W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
1mm
168mm
Height
69mm
Slots
0-100%
1
Perf/Watt
10.3
10.5+2%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 8690A came in at $150, while the Radeon R5 330 launched at $81. On MSRP, Radeon R5 330 was 46% cheaper ($69 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 3.4 (Radeon HD 8690A) vs 6.5 (Radeon R5 330) — the Radeon R5 330 offers 91.2% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R5 330 (2017 vs 2013).

FeatureRadeon HD 8690ARadeon R5 330
MSRP
$150
$81-46%
Performance per Dollar
3.4
6.5+91%
Codename
Sun
Weston
Release
March 1 2013
April 18 2017
Ranking
#891
#873

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