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.

Radeon 890M

2024

Why buy it

✅More future proof: RDNA 3.5 (2024−2025) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 15W instead of 275W, a 260W reduction.
✅More future proof: RDNA 3.5 (2024−2025) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 290X / 390X across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 15.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $549 MSRP).

Radeon R9 290X / 390X

2015

Why buy it

✅23.2% more average FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 15.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($549 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌1733.3% higher power demand at 275W vs 15W.

Radeon 890M

2024

Radeon R9 290X / 390X

2015

Why buy it

✅More future proof: RDNA 3.5 (2024−2025) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 15W instead of 275W, a 260W reduction.
✅More future proof: RDNA 3.5 (2024−2025) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅23.2% more average FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 15.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($549 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 290X / 390X across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 15.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $549 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌1733.3% higher power demand at 275W vs 15W.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon R9 290X / 390X better than Radeon 890M?

Yes. Radeon R9 290X / 390X is clearly the better overall GPU here. Radeon R9 290X / 390X averages 23.2% more FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 8,380 vs 8,175 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Radeon R9 290X / 390X is a 2015 card with FSR upscaling, while Radeon 890M is a 2024 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling. 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 890M is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2024 generation instead of 2015, 100.0% more ray-tracing hardware, and a 4nm process instead of 28nm. That makes it the safer long-run choice for modern games.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

Radeon R9 290X / 390X is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. Radeon R9 290X / 390X is priced in an unclear MSRP range at $549 MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 23.2% more estimated average FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data and 2.5% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%. Radeon 890M is the newer 2024 card, so it still has a real case if you care more about newer architecture, lower power draw (15W vs 275W), and future-proofing than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

When does Radeon 890M make more sense than Radeon R9 290X / 390X?

Yes. Radeon 890M is still an excellent gaming GPU in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It makes more sense if your priority is newer architecture, lower power draw (15W vs 275W), future-proofing, and staying closer to an unclear MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Radeon R9 290X / 390X. The trade-off is that Radeon R9 290X / 390X currently gives you 2.5% higher G3D Mark and 23.2% more estimated average FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%.

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.

Radeon 890M Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 290X / 390X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Radeon 890M	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
1080p
low	93 FPS	80 FPS
medium	78 FPS	69 FPS
high	65 FPS	56 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	37 FPS
1440p
low	80 FPS	70 FPS
medium	68 FPS	61 FPS
high	51 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	28 FPS
4K
low	30 FPS	25 FPS
medium	28 FPS	24 FPS
high	19 FPS	16 FPS
ultra	17 FPS	14 FPS

Open Radeon 890M Open Radeon R9 290X / 390X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Radeon 890M	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
1080p
low	126 FPS	185 FPS
medium	88 FPS	157 FPS
high	63 FPS	130 FPS
ultra	45 FPS	103 FPS
1440p
low	90 FPS	130 FPS
medium	60 FPS	102 FPS
high	44 FPS	82 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	63 FPS
4K
low	38 FPS	59 FPS
medium	28 FPS	48 FPS
high	22 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	15 FPS	35 FPS

Open Radeon 890M Open Radeon R9 290X / 390X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Radeon 890M	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
1080p
low	314 FPS	377 FPS
medium	276 FPS	302 FPS
high	207 FPS	251 FPS
ultra	170 FPS	189 FPS
1440p
low	237 FPS	283 FPS
medium	214 FPS	226 FPS
high	166 FPS	189 FPS
ultra	132 FPS	141 FPS
4K
low	147 FPS	189 FPS
medium	128 FPS	151 FPS
high	87 FPS	126 FPS
ultra	60 FPS	94 FPS

Open Radeon 890M Open Radeon R9 290X / 390X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Radeon 890M	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
1080p
low	173 FPS	155 FPS
medium	136 FPS	128 FPS
high	112 FPS	110 FPS
ultra	89 FPS	94 FPS
1440p
low	119 FPS	110 FPS
medium	96 FPS	91 FPS
high	81 FPS	79 FPS
ultra	65 FPS	65 FPS
4K
low	71 FPS	66 FPS
medium	57 FPS	52 FPS
high	45 FPS	41 FPS
ultra	33 FPS	31 FPS

Open Radeon 890M Open Radeon R9 290X / 390X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon 890M and Radeon R9 290X / 390X

Radeon 890M

The Radeon 890M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in July 15 2024. It features the RDNA 3.5 architecture. The core clock ranges from 400 MHz to 2900 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 15W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. It features 16 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,175 points.

Radeon R9 290X / 390X

The Radeon R9 290X / 390X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 18 2015. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1050 MHz. It has 2816 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 275W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,380 points. Launch price was $429.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon 890M scores 8,175 and the Radeon R9 290X / 390X reaches 8,380 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon 890M is built on RDNA 3.5 while the Radeon R9 290X / 390X uses GCN 2.0, both on 4 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,024 (Radeon 890M) vs 2,816 (Radeon R9 290X / 390X). Raw compute: 5.939 TFLOPS (Radeon 890M) vs 5.914 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290X / 390X). Boost clocks: 2900 MHz vs 1050 MHz.

Feature	Radeon 890M	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
G3D Mark Score	8,175	8,380+3%
Architecture	RDNA 3.5	GCN 2.0
Process Node	4 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1024	2816+175%
Compute (TFLOPS)	5.939 TFLOPS	5.914 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	2900 MHz+176%	1050 MHz
ROPs	32	64+100%
TMUs	64	176+175%
L1 Cache	256 KB	704 KB+175%
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling + RSR	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon 890M	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
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

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 4 GB of video memory. Bus width: System vs 512-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (Radeon 890M) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 290X / 390X) — the Radeon 890M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon 890M	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	Shared	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	System	320 GB/s
Bus Width	System	512-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.2 (Radeon 890M) vs 12.0 (Radeon R9 290X / 390X). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.

Feature	Radeon 890M	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
DirectX	12.2+2%	12.0
Vulkan	1.3+18%	1.1
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	6+50%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCN 3.0 (Radeon 890M) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290X / 390X). Decoder: VCN 3.0 vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Decode) (Radeon 890M) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290X / 390X).

Feature	Radeon 890M	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
Encoder	VCN 3.0	VCE 2.0
Decoder	VCN 3.0	UVD 4.2
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Decode)	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon 890M draws 15W versus the Radeon R9 290X / 390X's 275W — a 179.3% difference. The Radeon 890M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon 890M) vs 750W (Radeon R9 290X / 390X). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 275mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots.

Feature	Radeon 890M	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
TDP	15W-95%	275W
Recommended PSU	500W-33%	750W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	0mm	275mm
Height	0mm	109mm
Slots	0-100%	2
Temp (Load)	—	95°C
Perf/Watt	545.0+1687%	30.5