Radeon R9 295X2 vs Radeon RX590 GME

AMD

Radeon R9 295X2

2014Boost: 1018 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon RX590 GME

2018Core: 1469 MHzBoost: 1545 MHz
Similar parts
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Radeon R9 295X2 vs Radeon RX590 GME 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 295X2 vs Radeon RX590 GME 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 RX590 GME: 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

  • Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon RX590 GME across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2014 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • 766.5% HIGHER MSRP
    $1,499 MSRPvs$173 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.8 vs 48.3 G3D/$ ($1,499 MSRP vs $173 MSRP).
  • 185.7% higher power demand at 500W vs 175W.

Radeon RX590 GME

2018

Why buy it

  • 3.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $1,326 less on MSRP ($173 MSRP vs $1,499 MSRP).
  • Delivers 728.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 48.3 vs 5.8 G3D/$ ($173 MSRP vs $1,499 MSRP).
  • Radeon R9 295X2 is already legacy-tier future-proofing, so Radeon RX590 GME is the less risky modern option long term.
  • Draws 175W instead of 500W, a 325W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Older hardware, 8 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon RX590 GME is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 3.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon R9 295X2 instead at 8,734 vs 8,349, 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 RX590 GME is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 12nm process instead of 28nm and a newer 2018 generation instead of 2014. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon RX590 GME makes the most sense to buy today. It is $1,326 cheaper on MSRP at $173 vs $1,499, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 728.3% (48.3 vs 5.8), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Radeon R9 295X2 vs Radeon RX590 GME Technical Specifications

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

AMD

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.

AMD

Radeon RX590 GME

The Radeon RX590 GME is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 15 2018. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1469 MHz to 1545 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 175W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,349 points. Launch price was $279.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 295X2 scores 8,734 and the Radeon RX590 GME reaches 8,349 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 295X2 is built on GCN 2.0 while the Radeon RX590 GME uses GCN 4.0, both on 28 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 2,816 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 2,304 (Radeon RX590 GME). Raw compute: 5.733 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 7.119 TFLOPS (Radeon RX590 GME). Boost clocks: 1018 MHz vs 1545 MHz.

FeatureRadeon R9 295X2Radeon RX590 GME
G3D Mark Score
8,734+5%
8,349
Architecture
GCN 2.0
GCN 4.0
Process Node
28 nm
12 nm
Shading Units
2816 ×2+22%
2304
Compute (TFLOPS)
5.733 TFLOPS ×2
7.119 TFLOPS+24%
Boost Clock
1018 MHz
1545 MHz+52%
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)

FeatureRadeon R9 295X2Radeon RX590 GME
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 video memory. Memory bus width is 512-bit x2 on the Radeon R9 295X2 and 128-bit on the Radeon RX590 GME. L2 Cache: 1 MB (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 2 MB (Radeon RX590 GME) — the Radeon RX590 GME has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureRadeon R9 295X2Radeon RX590 GME
VRAM Capacity
8 GB
8 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Bus Width
512-bit x2+300%
128-bit
L2 Cache
1 MB
2 MB+100%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.0 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 12.0 (Radeon RX590 GME). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.3 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.

FeatureRadeon R9 295X2Radeon RX590 GME
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 RX590 GME). 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 RX590 GME).

FeatureRadeon R9 295X2Radeon RX590 GME
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 RX590 GME's 175W — a 96.3% difference. The Radeon RX590 GME is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 1000W (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 500W (Radeon RX590 GME). Power connectors: 2x 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 307mm vs 241mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 65°C vs 80°C.

FeatureRadeon R9 295X2Radeon RX590 GME
TDP
500W
175W-65%
Recommended PSU
1000W
500W-50%
Power Connector
2x 8-pin
8-pin
Length
307mm
241mm
Height
114mm
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
65°C-19%
80°C
Perf/Watt
17.5
47.7+173%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon R9 295X2 came in at $1499, while the Radeon RX590 GME launched at $173. On MSRP, Radeon RX590 GME was 88.5% cheaper ($1326 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 5.8 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 48.3 (Radeon RX590 GME) — the Radeon RX590 GME offers 732.8% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX590 GME (2018 vs 2014).

FeatureRadeon R9 295X2Radeon RX590 GME
MSRP
$1499
$173-88%
Performance per Dollar
5.8
48.3+733%
Codename
Vesuvius
Polaris 30
Release
April 29 2014
November 15 2018
Ranking
#303
#285

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