AMD Radeon R9 M295X vs AMD Radeon RX 590 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark recorded in the database is Geekbench Metal, and the result is decisive. The AMD Radeon RX 590 scores 48,407 points, while the AMD Radeon R9 M295X scores 33,790 points. That translates to a 30.2% advantage for the RX 590 in this specific API test. The delta is substantial enough to represent a clear generational performance gap, not a marginal edge.

Context from the broader database reinforces this gap. The RX 590’s average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 24,744, while the R9 M295X averages 28,580. Despite that higher average, the RX 590 wins the head-to-head where both appear. The R9 M295X’s average is buoyed by its OpenCL score of 22,858 and Vulkan score of 29,091, but those are standalone figures with no direct RX 590 counterpart in the shared test set. The only shared test, Geekbench Metal, favors the RX 590 by a wide margin.

Looking at the nearest rival data, the R9 M295X sits at the 74th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score 0.6% above the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 (28,421) and 0.6% below the AMD Radeon RX 570 (28,766). It is 1% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (28,874) and 1.4% behind the AMD Radeon RX 470 (28,996). These are tight margins, indicating the R9 M295X performs in a dense cluster of mid-range cards from multiple generations.

The RX 590, by contrast, sits at the 70th percentile, with an average score 0.1% below the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile (24,763) and 0.4% above the Intel Arc A350M (24,647). It is 1.2% above the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT (24,442) and 1.9% above the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 (24,277). The RX 590’s rivals are a mix of mobile workstation parts and lower-tier desktop cards, reflecting its position as a solid mainstream desktop GPU.

The R9 M295X’s higher average benchmark score (28,580 versus 24,744) may seem contradictory given the head-to-head loss, but the explanation lies in test coverage. The R9 M295X has three recorded benchmarks, all in Geekbench variants, while the RX 590 has only two, one of which (3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, score 1,081) is a very different workload. The Metal test is the sole apples-to-apples comparison, and there the RX 590 leads by 30.2%.

The Verdict

From the recorded data, the AMD Radeon RX 590 is the stronger choice for any workload that relies on Metal performance. Its 30.2% lead over the R9 M295X in the shared Geekbench Metal test is the single clearest signal in the database. The RX 590 also offers a higher percentile ranking context, though the R9 M295X actually holds a higher percentile overall (74 versus 70) and a higher average score across all benchmarks.

Who should pick the RX 590? Users whose primary concern is contemporary API performance, especially Metal-based applications, will find the RX 590’s 48,407 Metal score compelling. Its 8 GB memory capacity and higher memory bandwidth (256.0 GB/s versus 160.0 GB/s) further support demanding textures and higher resolutions, and its 7.119 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is more than double the R9 M295X’s 2.961 TFLOPS.

Who should pick the R9 M295X? The data shows its average benchmark score (28,580) exceeds the RX 590’s (24,744), and its percentile rank is higher (74 versus 70). For users who rely on OpenCL or Vulkan workloads, the R9 M295X’s recorded scores (22,858 OpenCL, 29,091 Vulkan) are the only such figures in the database for either card. If those specific APIs matter, the R9 M295X has documented results, while the RX 590 has none in this data set.

The RX 590 is also the more efficient design on paper: its TDP is 175 W versus the R9 M295X’s 250 W, despite delivering significantly higher raw throughput. The R9 M295X’s mobile form factor (MXM Module) makes it a niche part for laptops and compact systems, whereas the RX 590 is a dual-slot desktop card with a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface and standard display outputs.

There is no unambiguous overall winner. The RX 590 wins the only direct comparison and offers superior specifications in nearly every compute category. The R9 M295X counters with a better average score, better percentile placement, and documented OpenCL and Vulkan results. The choice depends entirely on which API and form factor the user needs.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the Geekbench Metal benchmark?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 590 wins with a score of 48,407, which is 30.2% higher than the AMD Radeon R9 M295X’s 33,790.

Q: Does the R9 M295X have any benchmark where it beats the RX 590?

A: The database records no shared test where the R9 M295X wins. The only head-to-head benchmark, Geekbench Metal, goes to the RX 590. However, the R9 M295X has a higher average benchmark score overall (28,580 versus 24,744) because its three Geekbench scores are not directly matched by the RX 590’s two tests.

Q: How does the R9 M295X compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The R9 M295X is 0.6% above the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 (28,421), 0.6% below the AMD Radeon RX 570 (28,766), 1% below the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (28,874), and 1.4% below the AMD Radeon RX 470 (28,996). It sits at the 74th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: How does the RX 590 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 590 is 0.1% below the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile (24,763), 0.4% above the Intel Arc A350M (24,647), 1.2% above the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT (24,442), and 1.9% above the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 (24,277). It sits at the 70th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The R9 M295X has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 160.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 590 has 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Which card has a higher FP32 compute throughput?

A: The RX 590 has 7.119 TFLOPS FP32, while the R9 M295X has 2.961 TFLOPS. The RX 590 also has a higher pixel rate (49.44 GPixel/s versus 23.14 GPixel/s) and texture rate (222.5 GTexel/s versus 92.54 GTexel/s).

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every specification category. The R9 M295X uses 4 GB of GDDR5 memory with 160.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the RX 590 uses 8 GB of GDDR5 with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth. Both use a 256-bit memory bus.

Compute resources differ significantly. The R9 M295X has 2,048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The RX 590 has 2,304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The RX 590’s pixel rate is 49.44 GPixel/s versus 23.14 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 222.5 GTexel/s versus 92.54 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput is 7.119 TFLOPS for the RX 590 and 2.961 TFLOPS for the R9 M295X.

Power and form factor differ sharply. The R9 M295X is rated at 250 W TDP and uses an MXM Module slot with MXM-B (3.0) bus interface, with no power connectors and portable-device-dependent display outputs. The RX 590 is rated at 175 W TDP, is a dual-slot card with a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface, uses a single 8-pin power connector, suggests a 450 W PSU, and offers 1x HDMI 2.0b plus 3x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. The RX 590 measures 241 mm (9.5 inches) in length; the R9 M295X has no recorded dimensions.

The RX 590 has a recorded launch MSRP of 279 USD. The R9 M295X has no recorded MSRP.

Architecture Differences

The R9 M295X is built on GCN 3.0 architecture with the Amethyst chip, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. The RX 590 uses GCN 4.0 architecture with the Polaris 30 chip, fabricated on a 12 nm process at GlobalFoundries. The process node difference is significant: 28 nm versus 12 nm.

Transistor counts and die sizes reflect the node change. The R9 M295X packs 5,000 million transistors on a 366 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 13.7 million per mm². The RX 590 packs 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die, yielding 24.6 million per mm². The RX 590 achieves higher transistor density on a smaller die with more total transistors.

Clock behavior differs as well. The R9 M295X has no recorded base or boost clock; its memory clock is 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective). The RX 590 has a base clock of 1469 MHz, a boost clock of 1545 MHz, and a memory clock of 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective).

API support shows minor differences. Both support DirectX 12 (12_0) and OpenGL 4.6. The R9 M295X supports Vulkan 1.2.170, while the RX 590 supports Vulkan 1.3. Neither card has ray tracing cores or tensor cores.

Generational context differs. The R9 M295X belongs to the Gem System (R9 M200) generation, with its predecessor listed as Solar System and successor as Polaris Mobile. The RX 590 belongs to the Polaris (RX 500) generation, with its predecessor as Arctic Islands and successor as Vega. The R9 M295X was released on 2014-11-22, while the RX 590 was released on 2018-11-14. Both are end-of-life products.