Radeon R9 350 vs Radeon Ryzen 5 5500U

AMD

Radeon R9 350

2015Boost: 1000 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon Ryzen 5 5500U

2019Boost: 1845 MHz
Similar parts
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Radeon R9 350 vs Radeon Ryzen 5 5500U 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 350 vs Radeon Ryzen 5 5500U 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 350 vs Radeon Ryzen 5 5500U: 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 350

2015

Why buy it

  • 10.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $201 less on MSRP ($99 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
  • Delivers 199.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 20.2 vs 6.7 G3D/$ ($99 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • 2015 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 172.7% higher power demand at 300W vs 110W.

Radeon Ryzen 5 5500U

2019

Why buy it

  • Radeon R9 350 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so Radeon Ryzen 5 5500U is the less risky modern option long term.
  • Draws 110W instead of 300W, a 190W reduction.
  • More future proof: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 350 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Older hardware, 2 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.
  • 203% HIGHER MSRP
    $300 MSRPvs$99 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 6.7 vs 20.2 G3D/$ ($300 MSRP vs $99 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon R9 350 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 10.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon Ryzen 5 5500U instead at 2,024 vs 1,998, 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 Ryzen 5 5500U is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 7nm process instead of 28nm and a newer 2019 generation instead of 2015. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon R9 350 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $201 cheaper on MSRP at $99 vs $300, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 199.1% (20.2 vs 6.7), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R9 350 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon Ryzen 5 5500U has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon R9 350 vs Radeon Ryzen 5 5500U Technical Specifications

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

AMD

Radeon R9 350

The Radeon R9 350 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 18 2015. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,998 points. Launch price was $329.

AMD

Radeon Ryzen 5 5500U

The Radeon Ryzen 5 5500U is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 7 2019. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1845 MHz. It has 1408 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 110W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,024 points.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 350 scores 1,998 and the Radeon Ryzen 5 5500U reaches 2,024 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 350 is built on GCN 2.0 while the Radeon Ryzen 5 5500U uses RDNA 1.0, both on 28 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (Radeon R9 350) vs 1,408 (Radeon Ryzen 5 5500U). Raw compute: 5.12 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 350) vs 5.196 TFLOPS (Radeon Ryzen 5 5500U). Boost clocks: 1000 MHz vs 1845 MHz.

FeatureRadeon R9 350Radeon Ryzen 5 5500U
G3D Mark Score
1,998
2,024+1%
Architecture
GCN 2.0
RDNA 1.0
Process Node
28 nm
7 nm
Shading Units
2560+82%
1408
Compute (TFLOPS)
5.12 TFLOPS
5.196 TFLOPS+1%
Boost Clock
1000 MHz
1845 MHz+85%
ROPs
64+100%
32
TMUs
160+82%
88
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling
FSR upscaling + RSR

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon R9 350Radeon Ryzen 5 5500U
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 2 GB of video memory. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the Radeon R9 350 and System on the Radeon Ryzen 5 5500U.

FeatureRadeon R9 350Radeon Ryzen 5 5500U
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
Shared
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
System
Bus Width
128-bit
System
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 350 draws 300W versus the Radeon Ryzen 5 5500U's 110W — a 92.7% difference. The Radeon Ryzen 5 5500U is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (Radeon R9 350) vs 350W (Radeon Ryzen 5 5500U). Power connectors: None vs None.

FeatureRadeon R9 350Radeon Ryzen 5 5500U
TDP
300W
110W-63%
Recommended PSU
300W-14%
350W
Power Connector
None
None
Length
168mm
Slots
1
Perf/Watt
6.7
18.4+175%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon R9 350 came in at $99, while the Radeon Ryzen 5 5500U launched at $300. On MSRP, Radeon R9 350 was 67% cheaper ($201 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 20.2 (Radeon R9 350) vs 6.7 (Radeon Ryzen 5 5500U) — the Radeon R9 350 offers 201.5% better value. The newer card here is Radeon Ryzen 5 5500U (2019 vs 2015).

FeatureRadeon R9 350Radeon Ryzen 5 5500U
MSRP
$99-67%
$300
Performance per Dollar
20.2+201%
6.7
Codename
Grenada
Navi 14
Release
June 18 2015
October 7 2019
Ranking
#296
#297

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