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.

GeForce GTX 680

2012

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 11.2 vs 0 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 5500M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌129.4% higher power demand at 195W vs 85W.

Radeon RX 5500M

2019

Why buy it

✅10.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
✅More future proof: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 85W instead of 195W, a 110W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 11.2 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 680

2012

Radeon RX 5500M

2019

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 11.2 vs 0 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Why buy it

✅10.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
✅More future proof: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 85W instead of 195W, a 110W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 5500M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌129.4% higher power demand at 195W vs 85W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 11.2 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon RX 5500M better than GeForce GTX 680?

Yes. Radeon RX 5500M is clearly the better overall GPU here. Radeon RX 5500M averages 10.6% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 5,954 vs 5,609 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Radeon RX 5500M is a 2019 card with FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation, while GeForce GTX 680 is a 2012 model from an older generation with no meaningful modern upscaling stack. 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 5500M is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2019 generation instead of 2012, better upscaling support with FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack and better frame-generation support with FSR Frame Generation (2023) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, and a 7nm process instead of 28nm. 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 5500M is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Radeon RX 5500M is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $499 MSRP, and you are getting 10.6% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 6.2% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX 680 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is GeForce GTX 680 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. GeForce GTX 680 is 2012 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM, 5,609 in G3D Mark, and no meaningful modern upscaling stack. 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.

GeForce GTX 680 Benchmark Check

Radeon RX 5500M Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 680	Radeon RX 5500M
1080p
low	78 FPS	92 FPS
medium	66 FPS	83 FPS
high	53 FPS	68 FPS
ultra	35 FPS	56 FPS
1440p
low	68 FPS	86 FPS
medium	60 FPS	75 FPS
high	42 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	49 FPS
4K
low	25 FPS	42 FPS
medium	23 FPS	39 FPS
high	15 FPS	27 FPS
ultra	13 FPS	24 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 680 Open Radeon RX 5500M

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 680	Radeon RX 5500M
1080p
low	116 FPS	128 FPS
medium	86 FPS	96 FPS
high	66 FPS	68 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	45 FPS
1440p
low	64 FPS	84 FPS
medium	44 FPS	58 FPS
high	32 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	23 FPS	32 FPS
4K
low	24 FPS	38 FPS
medium	17 FPS	29 FPS
high	13 FPS	23 FPS
ultra	9 FPS	17 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 680 Open Radeon RX 5500M

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 680	Radeon RX 5500M
1080p
low	252 FPS	268 FPS
medium	202 FPS	214 FPS
high	168 FPS	179 FPS
ultra	126 FPS	134 FPS
1440p
low	189 FPS	201 FPS
medium	151 FPS	161 FPS
high	126 FPS	134 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	100 FPS
4K
low	126 FPS	134 FPS
medium	101 FPS	107 FPS
high	84 FPS	89 FPS
ultra	63 FPS	64 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 680 Open Radeon RX 5500M

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 680	Radeon RX 5500M
1080p
low	126 FPS	262 FPS
medium	101 FPS	204 FPS
high	86 FPS	174 FPS
ultra	73 FPS	134 FPS
1440p
low	97 FPS	201 FPS
medium	78 FPS	161 FPS
high	67 FPS	130 FPS
ultra	52 FPS	100 FPS
4K
low	57 FPS	97 FPS
medium	44 FPS	75 FPS
high	35 FPS	66 FPS
ultra	25 FPS	53 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 680 Open Radeon RX 5500M

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 680 and Radeon RX 5500M

GeForce GTX 680

The GeForce GTX 680 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 22 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 1006 MHz to 1058 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 195W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,609 points. Launch price was $499.

Radeon RX 5500M

The Radeon RX 5500M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 7 2019. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1375 MHz to 1645 MHz. It has 1408 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 85W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,954 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 680 scores 5,609 versus the Radeon RX 5500M's 5,954 — the Radeon RX 5500M leads by 6.2%. The GeForce GTX 680 is built on Kepler while the Radeon RX 5500M uses RDNA 1.0, both on 28 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 1,536 (GeForce GTX 680) vs 1,408 (Radeon RX 5500M). Raw compute: 3.25 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 680) vs 4.632 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 5500M). Boost clocks: 1058 MHz vs 1645 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 680	Radeon RX 5500M
G3D Mark Score	5,609	5,954+6%
Architecture	Kepler	RDNA 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	7 nm
Shading Units	1536+9%	1408
Compute (TFLOPS)	3.25 TFLOPS	4.632 TFLOPS+43%
Boost Clock	1058 MHz	1645 MHz+55%
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	128+45%	88
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	2 MB+300%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 5500M is support for FSR Frame Generation. 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 GeForce GTX 680 lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.The GeForce GTX 680 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon RX 5500M relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 680	Radeon RX 5500M
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	FSR Frame Generation
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 4 GB of video memory. Memory bandwidth: 192.2 GB/s (GeForce GTX 680) vs 224 GB/s (Radeon RX 5500M) — a 16.5% advantage for the Radeon RX 5500M. Bus width: 256-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (GeForce GTX 680) vs 2 MB (Radeon RX 5500M) — the Radeon RX 5500M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 680	Radeon RX 5500M
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	192.2 GB/s	224 GB/s+17%
Bus Width	256-bit+100%	128-bit
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	2 MB+300%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FL 11_0) (GeForce GTX 680) vs 12 (Radeon RX 5500M). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.

Feature	GeForce GTX 680	Radeon RX 5500M
DirectX	12 (FL 11_0)	12
Vulkan	1.1	1.2+9%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4+33%	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st gen (GeForce GTX 680) vs VCN 2.0 (Radeon RX 5500M). Decoder: PureVideo VP5 vs VCN 2.0. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce GTX 680) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP9 (Radeon RX 5500M).

Feature	GeForce GTX 680	Radeon RX 5500M
Encoder	NVENC 1st gen	VCN 2.0
Decoder	PureVideo VP5	VCN 2.0
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2	H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 680 draws 195W versus the Radeon RX 5500M's 85W — a 78.6% difference. The Radeon RX 5500M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce GTX 680) vs 350W (Radeon RX 5500M). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 256mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 98°C vs 75°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 680	Radeon RX 5500M
TDP	195W	85W-56%
Recommended PSU	550W	350W-36%
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	256mm	0mm
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	98°C	75°C-23%
Perf/Watt	28.8	70.0+143%