Radeon R9 285 vs Radeon RX 570

AMD

Radeon R9 285

2014Core: 918 MHz
VS
AMD

Radeon RX 570

2017Core: 1168 MHzBoost: 1244 MHz

Radeon R9 285 vs Radeon RX 570 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 R9 285 vs Radeon RX 570 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 R9 285 vs Radeon RX 570: 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 R9 285

2014

Why buy it

  • Measures 221mm instead of 241mm, a 20mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 570 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
  • 2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • 47.3% HIGHER MSRP
    $249 MSRPvs$169 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 26.8 vs 41.2 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $169 MSRP).

Radeon RX 570

2017

Why buy it

  • 9.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $80 less on MSRP ($169 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
  • Delivers 53.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 41.2 vs 26.8 G3D/$ ($169 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
  • Radeon R9 285 is already legacy-tier future-proofing, so Radeon RX 570 is the less risky modern option long term.

Trade-offs

  • 2017 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon RX 570 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 9.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 4.3% in PassMark G3D (6,967 vs 6,680), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon RX 570 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: native frame generation with FSR Frame Generation (2023), while Radeon R9 285 has no comparable frame-generation support, a 14nm process instead of 28nm, and a newer 2017 generation instead of 2014. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon RX 570 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $80 cheaper on MSRP at $169 vs $249, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 53.7% (41.2 vs 26.8), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Radeon R9 285 vs Radeon RX 570 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

Radeon R9 285

The Radeon R9 285 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in September 2 2014. It features the GCN 3.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 918 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 190W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,680 points. Launch price was $249.

AMD

Radeon RX 570

The Radeon RX 570 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 18 2017. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1168 MHz to 1244 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 120W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,967 points. Launch price was $169.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 285 scores 6,680 and the Radeon RX 570 reaches 6,967 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 285 is built on GCN 3.0 while the Radeon RX 570 uses GCN 4.0, both on 28 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 1,792 (Radeon R9 285) vs 2,048 (Radeon RX 570). Raw compute: 3.29 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 285) vs 5.095 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 570).

FeatureRadeon R9 285Radeon RX 570
G3D Mark Score
6,680
6,967+4%
Architecture
GCN 3.0
GCN 4.0
Process Node
28 nm
14 nm
Shading Units
1792
2048+14%
Compute (TFLOPS)
3.29 TFLOPS
5.095 TFLOPS+55%
ROPs
32
32
TMUs
112
128+14%
L1 Cache
448 KB
512 KB+14%
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
2 MB+300%
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling
FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 570 is support for FSR Frame Generation. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The Radeon R9 285 does not have comparable native support in the same tier.

FeatureRadeon R9 285Radeon RX 570
Upscaling Tech
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
FSR Frame Generation
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
AMD Anti-Lag
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 4 GB of GDDR5. Memory bandwidth: 176 GB/s (Radeon R9 285) vs 224 GB/s (Radeon RX 570) — a 27.3% advantage for the Radeon RX 570. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the Radeon R9 285 and 256-bit on the Radeon RX 570. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (Radeon R9 285) vs 2 MB (Radeon RX 570) — the Radeon RX 570 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureRadeon R9 285Radeon RX 570
VRAM Capacity
4 GB
4 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
176 GB/s
224 GB/s+27%
Bus Width
256-bit
256-bit
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
2 MB+300%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.0 (Radeon R9 285) vs 12 (Radeon RX 570). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.4 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 5.

FeatureRadeon R9 285Radeon RX 570
DirectX
12.0
12
Vulkan
1.2
1.3+8%
OpenGL
4.4
4.6+5%
Max Displays
4
5+25%
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 3.0 (Radeon R9 285) vs VCE 3.4 (Radeon RX 570). Decoder: UVD 5.0 vs UVD 6.3. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264 (Radeon R9 285) vs H.265,H.264 (Radeon RX 570).

FeatureRadeon R9 285Radeon RX 570
Encoder
VCE 3.0
VCE 3.4
Decoder
UVD 5.0
UVD 6.3
Codecs
MPEG-2,H.264
H.265,H.264
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 285 draws 190W versus the Radeon RX 570's 120W — a 45.2% difference. The Radeon RX 570 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon R9 285) vs 450W (Radeon RX 570). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 221mm vs 241mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 65°C vs 75.

FeatureRadeon R9 285Radeon RX 570
TDP
190W
120W-37%
Recommended PSU
500W
450W-10%
Power Connector
2x 6-pin
8-pin
Length
221mm
241mm
Height
109mm
120mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
65°C-13%
75
Perf/Watt
35.2
58.1+65%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon R9 285 came in at $249, while the Radeon RX 570 launched at $169. On MSRP, Radeon RX 570 was 32.1% cheaper ($80 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 26.8 (Radeon R9 285) vs 41.2 (Radeon RX 570) — the Radeon RX 570 offers 53.7% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX 570 (2017 vs 2014).

FeatureRadeon R9 285Radeon RX 570
MSRP
$249
$169-32%
Performance per Dollar
26.8
41.2+54%
Codename
Tonga
Polaris 20
Release
September 2 2014
April 18 2017
Ranking
#365
#356

Affiliate Disclosure

ChipVERSUS is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through our links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support our work in providing comprehensive PC building guides and tools.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.