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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

Radeon RX 480

2016

Why buy it

✅Costs $40 less on MSRP ($229 MSRP vs $269 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (8,546 vs 16,581).
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 37.3 vs 61.6 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $269 MSRP).

Radeon RX 7600

2023

Why buy it

✅+94% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 65.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 61.6 vs 37.3 G3D/$ ($269 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
✅More future proof: RDNA 3.0 (2022−2026) on 6nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Radeon RX 480

2016

Radeon RX 7600

2023

Why buy it

✅Costs $40 less on MSRP ($229 MSRP vs $269 MSRP).

Why buy it

✅+94% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 65.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 61.6 vs 37.3 G3D/$ ($269 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
✅More future proof: RDNA 3.0 (2022−2026) on 6nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (8,546 vs 16,581).
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 37.3 vs 61.6 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $269 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon RX 7600 better than Radeon RX 480?

Yes. Radeon RX 7600 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 16,581 vs 8,546 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Radeon RX 7600 is a 2023 card with FSR 3 + AFMF, while Radeon RX 480 is a 2016 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Radeon RX 7600 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2023 generation instead of 2016, 94.0% more raw performance headroom, better frame-generation support with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023) instead of FSR upscaling, and a 6nm process instead of 14nm. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

Radeon RX 7600 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Radeon RX 7600 is about 17.5% more expensive on MSRP at $269 MSRP versus $229 MSRP, and you are getting 94.0% higher G3D Mark. Radeon RX 480 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is Radeon RX 480 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon RX 480 is 2016 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM, 8,546 in G3D Mark, and FSR upscaling. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

Radeon RX 480 Benchmark Check

Radeon RX 7600 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX 7600
1080p
low	134 FPS	168 FPS
medium	113 FPS	149 FPS
high	97 FPS	131 FPS
ultra	58 FPS	111 FPS
1440p
low	114 FPS	140 FPS
medium	96 FPS	114 FPS
high	72 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	42 FPS	91 FPS
4K
low	39 FPS	85 FPS
medium	36 FPS	72 FPS
high	23 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	19 FPS	52 FPS

Open Radeon RX 480 Open Radeon RX 7600

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX 7600
1080p
low	156 FPS	414 FPS
medium	135 FPS	349 FPS
high	115 FPS	267 FPS
ultra	89 FPS	206 FPS
1440p
low	91 FPS	241 FPS
medium	71 FPS	205 FPS
high	56 FPS	163 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	130 FPS
4K
low	37 FPS	109 FPS
medium	29 FPS	91 FPS
high	23 FPS	75 FPS
ultra	18 FPS	57 FPS

Open Radeon RX 480 Open Radeon RX 7600

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX 7600
1080p
low	385 FPS	746 FPS
medium	308 FPS	597 FPS
high	256 FPS	497 FPS
ultra	192 FPS	373 FPS
1440p
low	288 FPS	560 FPS
medium	231 FPS	448 FPS
high	192 FPS	373 FPS
ultra	144 FPS	280 FPS
4K
low	192 FPS	373 FPS
medium	154 FPS	298 FPS
high	128 FPS	249 FPS
ultra	96 FPS	187 FPS

Open Radeon RX 480 Open Radeon RX 7600

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX 7600
1080p
low	290 FPS	604 FPS
medium	252 FPS	517 FPS
high	210 FPS	443 FPS
ultra	166 FPS	352 FPS
1440p
low	213 FPS	468 FPS
medium	190 FPS	397 FPS
high	153 FPS	322 FPS
ultra	118 FPS	259 FPS
4K
low	120 FPS	293 FPS
medium	98 FPS	271 FPS
high	80 FPS	235 FPS
ultra	62 FPS	187 FPS

Open Radeon RX 480 Open Radeon RX 7600

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon RX 480 and Radeon RX 7600

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.

Radeon RX 7600

The Radeon RX 7600 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 24 2023. It features the RDNA 3.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1720 MHz to 2655 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 165W. Manufactured using 6 nm process technology. It features 32 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 16,581 points. Launch price was $269.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the Radeon RX 480 scores 8,546 versus the Radeon RX 7600's 16,581 — the Radeon RX 7600 leads by 94%. The Radeon RX 480 is built on GCN 4.0 while the Radeon RX 7600 uses RDNA 3.0, both on 14 nm vs 6 nm. Shader units: 2,304 (Radeon RX 480) vs 2,048 (Radeon RX 7600). Raw compute: 5.834 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 480) vs 21.75 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 7600). Boost clocks: 1266 MHz vs 2655 MHz.

Feature	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX 7600
G3D Mark Score	8,546	16,581+94%
Architecture	GCN 4.0	RDNA 3.0
Process Node	14 nm	6 nm
Shading Units	2304+13%	2048
Compute (TFLOPS)	5.834 TFLOPS	21.75 TFLOPS+273%
Boost Clock	1266 MHz	2655 MHz+110%
ROPs	32	64+100%
TMUs	144+13%	128
L1 Cache	576 KB+13%	512 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR 3 + AFMF

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 7600 is support for FSR Frame Generation + AFMF. This allows it to generate entire frames using AI/Algorithms, essentially doubling the frame rate in CPU-bound scenarios or heavy ray-tracing titles. The Radeon RX 480 lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.

Feature	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX 7600
Upscaling Tech	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4	FSR 3
Frame Generation	Not Supported	FSR Frame Generation + AFMF
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	AMD Anti-Lag	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 8 GB of video memory. Memory bandwidth: 256 GB/s (Radeon RX 480) vs 288 GB/s (Radeon RX 7600) — a 12.5% advantage for the Radeon RX 7600. Bus width: 256-bit vs 128-bit.

Feature	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX 7600
VRAM Capacity	8 GB	8 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	256 GB/s	288 GB/s+13%
Bus Width	256-bit+100%	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.0 (Radeon RX 480) vs 12.2 (Radeon RX 7600). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX 7600
DirectX	12.0	12.2+2%
Vulkan	1.3	1.3
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 3.4 (Radeon RX 480) vs VCN 4.0 (Radeon RX 7600). Decoder: UVD 6.3 vs VCN 4.0. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (Radeon RX 480) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Radeon RX 7600).

Feature	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX 7600
Encoder	VCE 3.4	VCN 4.0
Decoder	UVD 6.3	VCN 4.0
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon RX 480 draws 150W versus the Radeon RX 7600's 165W — a 9.5% difference. The Radeon RX 480 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon RX 480) vs 550W (Radeon RX 7600). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 240mm vs 240mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 75°C.

Feature	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX 7600
TDP	150W-9%	165W
Recommended PSU	500W-9%	550W
Power Connector	8-pin	8-pin
Length	240mm	240mm
Height	95mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	85°C	75°C-12%
Perf/Watt	57.0	100.5+76%

💰

Value Analysis

The Radeon RX 480 launched at $229 MSRP, while the Radeon RX 7600 launched at $269. The Radeon RX 480 costs 14.9% less ($40 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 37.3 (Radeon RX 480) vs 61.6 (Radeon RX 7600) — the Radeon RX 7600 offers 65.1% better value. The Radeon RX 7600 is the newer GPU (2023 vs 2016).