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 590 vs Radeon RX 5500 XT 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 590 vs Radeon RX 5500 XT: 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 590

2018

Why buy it

✅25.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌Older hardware, 8 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.
❌
40.2% HIGHER MSRP
$279 MSRPvs$199 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 33.4 vs 45.6 G3D/$ ($279 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌34.6% higher power demand at 175W vs 130W.
❌33.9% longer card at 241mm vs 180mm.

Radeon RX 5500 XT

2019

Why buy it

✅Costs $80 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $279 MSRP).
✅Delivers 36.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 45.6 vs 33.4 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $279 MSRP).
✅Better long-term bet: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
✅Draws 130W instead of 175W, a 45W reduction.
✅Measures 180mm instead of 241mm, a 61mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 590 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon RX 590 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 25.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.6% in PassMark G3D (9,315 vs 9,080), so the answer here is pretty clean.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

Radeon RX 5500 XT is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 7nm process instead of 12nm and a newer 2019 generation instead of 2018. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon RX 5500 XT makes the most sense to buy today. It is $80 cheaper on MSRP at $199 vs $279, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 36.7% (45.6 vs 33.4), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon RX 590 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

Radeon RX 590 vs Radeon RX 5500 XT Technical Specifications

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

Radeon RX 590

The Radeon RX 590 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: 9,315 points. Launch price was $279.

Radeon RX 5500 XT

The Radeon RX 5500 XT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in December 12 2019. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1607 MHz to 1845 MHz. It has 1408 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 130W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,080 points. Launch price was $169.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon RX 590 scores 9,315 and the Radeon RX 5500 XT reaches 9,080 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon RX 590 is built on GCN 4.0 while the Radeon RX 5500 XT uses RDNA 1.0, both on 12 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 2,304 (Radeon RX 590) vs 1,408 (Radeon RX 5500 XT). Raw compute: 7.119 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 590) vs 5.196 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 5500 XT). Boost clocks: 1545 MHz vs 1845 MHz.

Feature	Radeon RX 590	Radeon RX 5500 XT
G3D Mark Score	9,315+3%	9,080
Architecture	GCN 4.0	RDNA 1.0
Process Node	12 nm	7 nm
Shading Units	2304+64%	1408
Compute (TFLOPS)	7.119 TFLOPS+37%	5.196 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1545 MHz	1845 MHz+19%
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	144+64%	88
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation	FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Both cards support Frame Generation in supported games, so this part of the feature set is broadly comparable.

Feature	Radeon RX 590	Radeon RX 5500 XT
Upscaling Tech	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	FSR Frame Generation	FSR Frame Generation
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	AMD Anti-Lag	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 8 GB of video memory. Memory bandwidth: 256 GB/s (Radeon RX 590) vs 224 GB/s (Radeon RX 5500 XT) — a 14.3% advantage for the Radeon RX 590. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the Radeon RX 590 and 128-bit on the Radeon RX 5500 XT.

Feature	Radeon RX 590	Radeon RX 5500 XT
VRAM Capacity	8 GB	8 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	256 GB/s+14%	224 GB/s
Bus Width	256-bit+100%	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB	2 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.0 (Radeon RX 590) vs 12.1 (Radeon RX 5500 XT). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	Radeon RX 590	Radeon RX 5500 XT
DirectX	12.0	12.1
Vulkan	1.2	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 3.4 (Radeon RX 590) vs VCN 2.0 (Radeon RX 5500 XT). Decoder: UVD 6.3 vs VCN 2.0. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (Radeon RX 590) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Radeon RX 5500 XT).

Feature	Radeon RX 590	Radeon RX 5500 XT
Encoder	VCE 3.4	VCN 2.0
Decoder	UVD 6.3	VCN 2.0
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon RX 590 draws 175W versus the Radeon RX 5500 XT's 130W — a 29.5% difference. The Radeon RX 5500 XT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon RX 590) vs 450W (Radeon RX 5500 XT). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 241mm vs 180mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 75°C.

Feature	Radeon RX 590	Radeon RX 5500 XT
TDP	175W	130W-26%
Recommended PSU	500W	450W-10%
Power Connector	8-pin	8-pin
Length	241mm	180mm
Height	111mm	110mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	80°C	75°C-6%
Perf/Watt	53.2	69.8+31%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon RX 590 came in at $279, while the Radeon RX 5500 XT launched at $199. On MSRP, Radeon RX 5500 XT was 28.7% cheaper ($80 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 33.4 (Radeon RX 590) vs 45.6 (Radeon RX 5500 XT) — the Radeon RX 5500 XT offers 36.5% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX 5500 XT (2019 vs 2018).

Feature	Radeon RX 590	Radeon RX 5500 XT
MSRP	$279	$199-29%
Performance per Dollar	33.4	45.6+37%
Codename	Polaris 30	Navi 14
Release	November 15 2018	December 12 2019
Ranking	#285	#291

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