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 295X2 vs Radeon RX 480 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 295X2 vs Radeon RX 480: 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 295X2

2014

Why buy it

✅4.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌2014 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌
554.6% HIGHER MSRP
$1,499 MSRPvs$229 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.8 vs 37.3 G3D/$ ($1,499 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
❌233.3% higher power demand at 500W vs 150W.
❌27.9% longer card at 307mm vs 240mm.

Radeon RX 480

2016

Why buy it

✅Costs $1,270 less on MSRP ($229 MSRP vs $1,499 MSRP).
✅Delivers 540.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 37.3 vs 5.8 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $1,499 MSRP).
✅Draws 150W instead of 500W, a 350W reduction.
✅Measures 240mm instead of 307mm, a 67mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 295X2 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2016 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon R9 295X2 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 4.7% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.2% in PassMark G3D (8,734 vs 8,546), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon R9 295X2 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 RX 480 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $1,270 cheaper on MSRP at $229 vs $1,499, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 540.5% (37.3 vs 5.8), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon RX 480 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon R9 295X2 has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon R9 295X2 vs Radeon RX 480 Technical Specifications

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

Radeon R9 295X2

The Radeon R9 295X2 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 29 2014. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1018 MHz. It has 2816 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 500W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,734 points. Launch price was $1,499.

Radeon RX 480

The Radeon RX 480 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 29 2016. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1120 MHz to 1266 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,546 points. Launch price was $229.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 295X2 scores 8,734 and the Radeon RX 480 reaches 8,546 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 295X2 is built on GCN 2.0 while the Radeon RX 480 uses GCN 4.0, both on 28 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 2,816 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 2,304 (Radeon RX 480). Raw compute: 5.733 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 5.834 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 480). Boost clocks: 1018 MHz vs 1266 MHz.

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX 480
G3D Mark Score	8,734+2%	8,546
Architecture	GCN 2.0	GCN 4.0
Process Node	28 nm	14 nm
Shading Units	2816 ×2+22%	2304
Compute (TFLOPS)	5.733 TFLOPS ×2	5.834 TFLOPS+2%
Boost Clock	1018 MHz	1266 MHz+24%
ROPs	64 ×2+100%	32
TMUs	176 ×2+22%	144
L1 Cache	704 KB+22%	576 KB
L2 Cache	1 MB	2 MB+100%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX 480
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)

Both cards ship with 8 GB of GDDR5. Memory bandwidth: 320 GB/s x2 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 256 GB/s (Radeon RX 480) — a 1150.8% advantage for the Radeon R9 295X2. Memory bus width is 512-bit x2 on the Radeon R9 295X2 and 256-bit on the Radeon RX 480. L2 Cache: 1 MB (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 2 MB (Radeon RX 480) — the Radeon RX 480 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX 480
VRAM Capacity	8 GB	8 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	320 GB/s x2+25%	256 GB/s
Bus Width	512-bit x2+100%	256-bit
L2 Cache	1 MB	2 MB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.0 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 12.0 (Radeon RX 480). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.3 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX 480
DirectX	12.0	12.0
Vulkan	1.1	1.3+18%
OpenGL	4.3	4.6+7%
Max Displays	6+50%	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs VCE 3.4 (Radeon RX 480). Decoder: UVD 4.2 vs UVD 6.3. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (Radeon RX 480).

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX 480
Encoder	VCE 2.0	VCE 3.4
Decoder	UVD 4.2	UVD 6.3
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 295X2 draws 500W versus the Radeon RX 480's 150W — a 107.7% difference. The Radeon RX 480 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 1000W (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 500W (Radeon RX 480). Power connectors: 2x 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 307mm vs 240mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 65°C vs 85°C.

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX 480
TDP	500W	150W-70%
Recommended PSU	1000W	500W-50%
Power Connector	2x 8-pin	8-pin
Length	307mm	240mm
Height	114mm	95mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	65°C-24%	85°C
Perf/Watt	17.5	57.0+226%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon R9 295X2 came in at $1499, while the Radeon RX 480 launched at $229. On MSRP, Radeon RX 480 was 84.7% cheaper ($1270 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 5.8 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 37.3 (Radeon RX 480) — the Radeon RX 480 offers 543.1% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX 480 (2016 vs 2014).

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX 480
MSRP	$1499	$229-85%
Performance per Dollar	5.8	37.3+543%
Codename	Vesuvius	Ellesmere
Release	April 29 2014	June 29 2016
Ranking	#303	#305

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