Radeon RX 590 vs R5 M230

Aggregate performance score

We've compared Radeon R5 M230 with Radeon RX 590, including specs and performance data.

R5 M230
2014
4 GB DDR3
1.07

RX 590 outperforms R5 M230 by a whopping 2175% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.

Place in the ranking1087228
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluationno data25.25
Power efficiencyno data9.69
ArchitectureGCN 1.0 (2011−2020)GCN 4.0 (2016−2020)
GPU code nameJetPolaris 30
Market segmentLaptopDesktop
Release date7 January 2014 (10 years ago)15 November 2018 (6 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)no data$279

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

no data

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores3202304
Compute units5no data
Core clock speed825 MHz1469 MHz
Boost clock speed855 MHz1545 MHz
Number of transistors690 million5,700 million
Manufacturing process technology28 nm12 nm
Power consumption (TDP)unknown175 Watt
Texture fill rate17.10222.5
Floating-point processing power0.5472 TFLOPS7.119 TFLOPS
ROPs832
TMUs20144

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

Bus supportPCIe 3.0 x8no data
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x8PCIe 3.0 x16
Lengthno data241 mm
Widthno data2-slot
Supplementary power connectorsno data1x 8-pin

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory typeDDR3GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount4 GB8 GB
Memory bus width64 Bit256 Bit
Memory clock speed1000 MHz2000 MHz
Memory bandwidth16 GB/s256.0 GB/s
Shared memory--

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display ConnectorsNo outputs1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort
Eyefinity+-
HDMI-+

Supported technologies

Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.

AppAcceleration+-
FreeSync-+
HD3D+-
PowerTune+-
DualGraphics+-
ZeroCore+-
Switchable graphics+-

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectXDirectX® 1112 (12_0)
Shader Model5.16.4
OpenGL4.44.6
OpenCLNot Listed2.0
Vulkan-1.2.131
Mantle+-

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

R5 M230 1.07
RX 590 24.34
+2175%

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

R5 M230 414
RX 590 9390
+2168%

3DMark 11 Performance GPU

3DMark 11 is an obsolete DirectX 11 benchmark by Futuremark. It used four tests based on two scenes, one being few submarines exploring the submerged wreck of a sunken ship, the other is an abandoned temple deep in the jungle. All the tests are heavy with volumetric lighting and tessellation, and despite being done in 1280x720 resolution, are relatively taxing. Discontinued in January 2020, 3DMark 11 is now superseded by Time Spy.

R5 M230 1175
RX 590 23363
+1888%

3DMark Fire Strike Graphics

Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.

R5 M230 771
RX 590 16814
+2081%

3DMark Cloud Gate GPU

Cloud Gate is an outdated DirectX 11 feature level 10 benchmark that was used for home PCs and basic notebooks. It displays a few scenes of some weird space teleportation device launching spaceships into unknown, using fixed resolution of 1280x720. Just like Ice Storm benchmark, it has been discontinued in January 2020 and replaced by 3DMark Night Raid.

R5 M230 4814
RX 590 86825
+1704%

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

Full HD10
−890%
99
+890%
1440p2−3
−2700%
56
+2700%
4K1−2
−3500%
36
+3500%

Cost per frame, $

1080pno data2.82
1440pno data4.98
4Kno data7.75

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 3−4
−1233%
40−45
+1233%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 5−6
−1200%
65
+1200%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4−5
−1625%
69
+1625%
Cyberpunk 2077 3−4
−1233%
40−45
+1233%
Far Cry 5 1−2
−8900%
90
+8900%
Far Cry New Dawn 2−3
−4400%
90
+4400%
Forza Horizon 4 0−1 274
Hitman 3 5−6
−880%
45−50
+880%
Horizon Zero Dawn 12−14
−2215%
301
+2215%
Red Dead Redemption 2 1−2
−9000%
91
+9000%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 7−8
−1900%
140
+1900%
Watch Dogs: Legion 30−35
−750%
272
+750%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 5−6
−2160%
113
+2160%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4−5
−1500%
64
+1500%
Cyberpunk 2077 3−4
−1233%
40−45
+1233%
Far Cry 5 1−2
−7300%
74
+7300%
Far Cry New Dawn 2−3
−3450%
71
+3450%
Forza Horizon 4 0−1 259
Hitman 3 5−6
−880%
45−50
+880%
Horizon Zero Dawn 12−14
−2108%
287
+2108%
Red Dead Redemption 2 1−2
−7300%
74
+7300%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 7−8
−1529%
114
+1529%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 10−12
−382%
50−55
+382%
Watch Dogs: Legion 30−35
−716%
261
+716%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 5−6
−680%
39
+680%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4−5
−1050%
46
+1050%
Cyberpunk 2077 3−4
−1233%
40−45
+1233%
Far Cry 5 1−2
−5400%
55
+5400%
Forza Horizon 4 0−1 91
Hitman 3 5−6
−880%
45−50
+880%
Horizon Zero Dawn 12−14
−638%
96
+638%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 7−8
−1329%
100
+1329%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 10−12
−364%
51
+364%
Watch Dogs: Legion 30−35
−9.4%
35
+9.4%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 1−2
−6300%
64
+6300%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5 1−2
−4500%
45−50
+4500%
Far Cry New Dawn 1−2
−3600%
35−40
+3600%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 1−2
−2400%
24−27
+2400%
Cyberpunk 2077 1−2
−1400%
14−16
+1400%
Far Cry 5 1−2
−2700%
27−30
+2700%
Hitman 3 7−8
−314%
27−30
+314%
Horizon Zero Dawn 4−5
−1700%
72
+1700%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 0−1 30−33
Watch Dogs: Legion 4−5
−4975%
203
+4975%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 4−5
−975%
43
+975%

4K
High Preset

Far Cry New Dawn 0−1 26

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 1−2
−1800%
19
+1800%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 0−1 42
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 0−1 20
Far Cry 5 0−1 17

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 2−3
−1400%
30
+1400%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Valhalla 86
+0%
86
+0%
Battlefield 5 136
+0%
136
+0%
Metro Exodus 124
+0%
124
+0%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Valhalla 73
+0%
73
+0%
Battlefield 5 122
+0%
122
+0%
Metro Exodus 97
+0%
97
+0%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Valhalla 62
+0%
62
+0%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Valhalla 55
+0%
55
+0%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 38
+0%
38
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 130−140
+0%
130−140
+0%
Metro Exodus 58
+0%
58
+0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 70
+0%
70
+0%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5 39
+0%
39
+0%
Hitman 3 18−20
+0%
18−20
+0%
Horizon Zero Dawn 57
+0%
57
+0%
Metro Exodus 36
+0%
36
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 32
+0%
32
+0%

4K
Ultra Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 6−7
+0%
6−7
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 46
+0%
46
+0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 40
+0%
40
+0%
Watch Dogs: Legion 13
+0%
13
+0%

This is how R5 M230 and RX 590 compete in popular games:

  • RX 590 is 890% faster in 1080p
  • RX 590 is 2700% faster in 1440p
  • RX 590 is 3500% faster in 4K

Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:

  • in Red Dead Redemption 2, with 1080p resolution and the Medium Preset, the RX 590 is 9000% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

  • RX 590 is ahead in 43 tests (67%)
  • there's a draw in 21 test (33%)

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 1.07 24.34
Recency 7 January 2014 15 November 2018
Maximum RAM amount 4 GB 8 GB
Chip lithography 28 nm 12 nm

RX 590 has a 2174.8% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 4 years, a 100% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 133.3% more advanced lithography process.

The Radeon RX 590 is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon R5 M230 in performance tests.

Be aware that Radeon R5 M230 is a notebook card while Radeon RX 590 is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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AMD Radeon R5 M230
Radeon R5 M230
AMD Radeon RX 590
Radeon RX 590

Comparisons with similar GPUs

We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.

Community ratings

Here you can see the user ratings of the compared graphics cards, as well as rate them yourself.


2.9 172 votes

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4.1 2450 votes

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Questions & comments

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