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 580 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 580: 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

✅0.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
❌2014 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌
554.6% HIGHER MSRP
$1,499 MSRPvs$229 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.8 vs 38.4 G3D/$ ($1,499 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
❌170.3% higher power demand at 500W vs 185W.

Radeon RX 580

2017

Why buy it

✅Costs $1,270 less on MSRP ($229 MSRP vs $1,499 MSRP).
✅Delivers 559.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 38.4 vs 5.8 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $1,499 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
✅Radeon R9 295X2 is already legacy-tier future-proofing, so Radeon RX 580 is the less risky modern option long term.
✅Draws 185W instead of 500W, a 315W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 295X2 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2017 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 0.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon RX 580 instead at 8,799 vs 8,734, 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 RX 580 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 295X2 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 580 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 559.5% (38.4 vs 5.8), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon R9 295X2 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

Radeon R9 295X2 vs Radeon RX 580 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 580

The Radeon RX 580 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 18 2017. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1257 MHz to 1340 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 185W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,799 points. Launch price was $229.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 295X2 scores 8,734 and the Radeon RX 580 reaches 8,799 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 295X2 is built on GCN 2.0 while the Radeon RX 580 uses GCN 4.0, both on 28 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 2,816 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 2,304 (Radeon RX 580). Raw compute: 5.733 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 6.175 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 580). Boost clocks: 1018 MHz vs 1340 MHz.

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX 580
G3D Mark Score	8,734	8,799
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	6.175 TFLOPS+8%
Boost Clock	1018 MHz	1340 MHz+32%
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 + limited Frame Generation

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 580 is support for FSR Frame Generation. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The Radeon R9 295X2 does not have comparable native support in the same tier.

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX 580
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 8 GB of GDDR5. Memory bandwidth: 320 GB/s x2 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 256 GB/s (Radeon RX 580) — 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 580. L2 Cache: 1 MB (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 2 MB (Radeon RX 580) — the Radeon RX 580 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX 580
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 (Radeon RX 580). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.3 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX 580
DirectX	12.0	12
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 3.0 (Radeon RX 580). Decoder: UVD 4.2 vs UVD 6.3. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP9 (Radeon RX 580).

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX 580
Encoder	VCE 2.0	VCE 3.0
Decoder	UVD 4.2	UVD 6.3
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1	H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 295X2 draws 500W versus the Radeon RX 580's 185W — a 92% difference. The Radeon RX 580 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 1000W (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 500W (Radeon RX 580). Power connectors: 2x 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 307mm vs 241mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 65°C vs 75°C.

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX 580
TDP	500W	185W-63%
Recommended PSU	1000W	500W-50%
Power Connector	2x 8-pin	8-pin
Length	307mm	241mm
Height	114mm	—
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	65°C-13%	75°C
Perf/Watt	17.5	47.6+172%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon R9 295X2 came in at $1499, while the Radeon RX 580 launched at $229. On MSRP, Radeon RX 580 was 84.7% cheaper ($1270 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 5.8 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 38.4 (Radeon RX 580) — the Radeon RX 580 offers 562.1% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX 580 (2017 vs 2014).

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon RX 580
MSRP	$1499	$229-85%
Performance per Dollar	5.8	38.4+562%
Codename	Vesuvius	Polaris 20
Release	April 29 2014	April 18 2017
Ranking	#303	#301

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