Radeon RX 480 vs Radeon RX590 GME

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 RX 480 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 RX 480 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 RX 480

2016

Why buy it

✅Draws 150W instead of 175W, a 25W reduction.
✅Measures 240mm instead of 241mm, a 1mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon RX590 GME across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2016 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌
32.4% HIGHER MSRP
$229 MSRPvs$173 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 37.3 vs 48.3 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $173 MSRP).

Radeon RX590 GME

2018

Why buy it

✅8.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $56 less on MSRP ($173 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
✅Delivers 29.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 48.3 vs 37.3 G3D/$ ($173 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
✅Radeon RX 480 is already legacy-tier future-proofing, so Radeon RX590 GME is the less risky modern option long term.

Trade-offs

❌Older hardware, 8 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.
❌16.7% higher power demand at 175W vs 150W.

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 8.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon RX 480 instead at 8,546 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 14nm and a newer 2018 generation instead of 2016. 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 $56 cheaper on MSRP at $173 vs $229, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 29.3% (48.3 vs 37.3), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Radeon RX 480 vs Radeon RX590 GME Technical Specifications

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

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 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.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon RX 480 scores 8,546 and the Radeon RX590 GME reaches 8,349 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon RX 480 is built on GCN 4.0 while the Radeon RX590 GME uses GCN 4.0, both on 14 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 2,304 (Radeon RX 480) vs 2,304 (Radeon RX590 GME). Raw compute: 5.834 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 480) vs 7.119 TFLOPS (Radeon RX590 GME). Boost clocks: 1266 MHz vs 1545 MHz.

Feature	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX590 GME
G3D Mark Score	8,546+2%	8,349
Architecture	GCN 4.0	GCN 4.0
Process Node	14 nm	12 nm
Shading Units	2304	2304
Compute (TFLOPS)	5.834 TFLOPS	7.119 TFLOPS+22%
Boost Clock	1266 MHz	1545 MHz+22%
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	144	144
L1 Cache	576 KB	576 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon RX 480	Radeon 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

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Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 8 GB of video memory. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the Radeon RX 480 and 128-bit on the Radeon RX590 GME.

Feature	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX590 GME
VRAM Capacity	8 GB	8 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Bus Width	256-bit+100%	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.0 (Radeon RX 480) vs 12.0 (Radeon RX590 GME). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX590 GME
DirectX	12.0	12.0
Vulkan	1.3	1.3
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

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Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 3.4 (Radeon RX 480) vs VCE 3.4 (Radeon RX590 GME). Decoder: UVD 6.3 vs UVD 6.3. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (Radeon RX 480) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (Radeon RX590 GME).

Feature	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX590 GME
Encoder	VCE 3.4	VCE 3.4
Decoder	UVD 6.3	UVD 6.3
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC

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Power & Dimensions

The Radeon RX 480 draws 150W versus the Radeon RX590 GME's 175W — a 15.4% difference. The Radeon RX 480 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon RX 480) vs 500W (Radeon RX590 GME). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 240mm vs 241mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 80°C.

Feature	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX590 GME
TDP	150W-14%	175W
Recommended PSU	500W	500W
Power Connector	8-pin	8-pin
Length	240mm	241mm
Height	95mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	85°C	80°C-6%
Perf/Watt	57.0+19%	47.7

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Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon RX 480 came in at $229, while the Radeon RX590 GME launched at $173. On MSRP, Radeon RX590 GME was 24.5% cheaper ($56 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 37.3 (Radeon RX 480) vs 48.3 (Radeon RX590 GME) — the Radeon RX590 GME offers 29.5% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX590 GME (2018 vs 2016).

Feature	Radeon RX 480	Radeon RX590 GME
MSRP	$229	$173-24%
Performance per Dollar	37.3	48.3+29%
Codename	Ellesmere	Polaris 30
Release	June 29 2016	November 15 2018
Ranking	#305	#285

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