Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition vs RTXA5000-8Q

AMD

Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition

2014Core: 850 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
NVIDIA

RTXA5000-8Q

2021Core: 1170 MHzBoost: 1695 MHz
Similar parts
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Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition vs RTXA5000-8Q 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 M295X Mac Edition vs RTXA5000-8Q: 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 M295X Mac Edition

2014

Why buy it

  • Costs $2,050 less on MSRP ($450 MSRP vs $2,500 MSRP).
  • Delivers 465% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 11.1 vs 2.0 G3D/$ ($450 MSRP vs $2,500 MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • 2014 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

RTXA5000-8Q

2021

Why buy it

  • Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
  • More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 455.6% HIGHER MSRP
    $2,500 MSRPvs$450 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.0 vs 11.1 G3D/$ ($2,500 MSRP vs $450 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 1.7% in PassMark G3D (5,000 vs 4,916), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
RTXA5000-8Q is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 8nm process instead of 28nm, 64 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2021 generation instead of 2014. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition makes the most sense to buy today. It is $2,050 cheaper on MSRP at $450 vs $2,500, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 465% (11.1 vs 2.0), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, RTXA5000-8Q has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition vs RTXA5000-8Q Technical Specifications

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

AMD

Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition

The Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 23 2014. It features the GCN 3.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,000 points.

NVIDIA

RTXA5000-8Q

The RTXA5000-8Q is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 12 2021. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1170 MHz to 1695 MHz. It has 8192 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 230W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 64 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,916 points.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition scores 5,000 and the RTXA5000-8Q reaches 4,916 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition is built on GCN 3.0 while the RTXA5000-8Q uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 2,048 (Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition) vs 8,192 (RTXA5000-8Q). Raw compute: 3.482 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition) vs 27.77 TFLOPS (RTXA5000-8Q).

FeatureRadeon R9 M295X Mac EditionRTXA5000-8Q
G3D Mark Score
5,000+2%
4,916
Architecture
GCN 3.0
Ampere
Process Node
28 nm
8 nm
Shading Units
2048
8192+300%
Compute (TFLOPS)
3.482 TFLOPS
27.77 TFLOPS+698%
ROPs
32
96+200%
TMUs
128
256+100%
L1 Cache
0.5 MB
8 MB+1500%
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
6 MB+1100%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The RTXA5000-8Q gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureRadeon R9 M295X Mac EditionRTXA5000-8Q
Upscaling Tech
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
AMD Anti-Lag
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 2 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition and 64-bit on the RTXA5000-8Q. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition) vs 6 MB (RTXA5000-8Q) — the RTXA5000-8Q has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureRadeon R9 M295X Mac EditionRTXA5000-8Q
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
256-bit+300%
64-bit
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
6 MB+1100%
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition draws 250W versus the RTXA5000-8Q's 230W — a 8.3% difference. The RTXA5000-8Q is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition) vs 350W (RTXA5000-8Q). Power connectors: Mobile vs PCIe-powered.

FeatureRadeon R9 M295X Mac EditionRTXA5000-8Q
TDP
250W
230W-8%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
Mobile
PCIe-powered
Perf/Watt
20.0
21.4+7%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition came in at $450, while the RTXA5000-8Q launched at $2500. On MSRP, Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition was 82% cheaper ($2050 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 11.1 (Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition) vs 2.0 (RTXA5000-8Q) — the Radeon R9 M295X Mac Edition offers 455% better value. The newer card here is RTXA5000-8Q (2021 vs 2014).

FeatureRadeon R9 M295X Mac EditionRTXA5000-8Q
MSRP
$450-82%
$2500
Performance per Dollar
11.1+455%
2.0
Codename
Amethyst
GA102
Release
November 23 2014
April 12 2021
Ranking
#436
#53

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