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 1060 (Mobile)

2023

Why buy it

✅40.1% more average FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 115W instead of 275W, a 160W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 20.5 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

Radeon R9 290

2013

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 20.5 vs 0 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌139.1% higher power demand at 275W vs 115W.

GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)

2023

Radeon R9 290

2013

Why buy it

✅40.1% more average FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 115W instead of 275W, a 160W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 20.5 vs 0 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 20.5 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌139.1% higher power demand at 275W vs 115W.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) better than Radeon R9 290?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) averages 40.1% more FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 8,160 vs 8,184 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) is a 2023 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, while Radeon R9 290 is a 2013 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?

GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2023 generation instead of 2013, more VRAM at 6 GB instead of 4 GB, the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling, and a 5nm process instead of 28nm. That extra memory headroom makes it the safer pick for newer games, heavier textures, and higher settings over time.

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

GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $399 MSRP, and you are getting 40.1% more estimated average FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data and a lower G3D Mark (8,160 vs 8,184). Radeon R9 290 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is Radeon R9 290 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon R9 290 is 2013 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM, 8,184 in G3D Mark, and FSR upscaling. 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 1060 (Mobile) Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 290 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)	Radeon R9 290
1080p
low	106 FPS	83 FPS
medium	95 FPS	71 FPS
high	83 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	39 FPS
1440p
low	95 FPS	72 FPS
medium	83 FPS	64 FPS
high	71 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	59 FPS	30 FPS
4K
low	50 FPS	26 FPS
medium	47 FPS	25 FPS
high	35 FPS	17 FPS
ultra	31 FPS	14 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)Open Radeon R9 290

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)	Radeon R9 290
1080p
low	216 FPS	185 FPS
medium	182 FPS	156 FPS
high	153 FPS	129 FPS
ultra	114 FPS	100 FPS
1440p
low	135 FPS	132 FPS
medium	109 FPS	103 FPS
high	90 FPS	83 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	64 FPS
4K
low	64 FPS	60 FPS
medium	53 FPS	49 FPS
high	51 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	36 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)Open Radeon R9 290

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)	Radeon R9 290
1080p
low	367 FPS	368 FPS
medium	294 FPS	295 FPS
high	245 FPS	246 FPS
ultra	184 FPS	184 FPS
1440p
low	275 FPS	276 FPS
medium	220 FPS	221 FPS
high	184 FPS	184 FPS
ultra	138 FPS	138 FPS
4K
low	184 FPS	184 FPS
medium	147 FPS	147 FPS
high	122 FPS	123 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	92 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)Open Radeon R9 290

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)	Radeon R9 290
1080p
low	367 FPS	152 FPS
medium	294 FPS	123 FPS
high	245 FPS	105 FPS
ultra	184 FPS	87 FPS
1440p
low	275 FPS	110 FPS
medium	220 FPS	90 FPS
high	184 FPS	78 FPS
ultra	138 FPS	62 FPS
4K
low	184 FPS	64 FPS
medium	147 FPS	49 FPS
high	122 FPS	39 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	28 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)Open Radeon R9 290

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) and Radeon R9 290

GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)

The GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 3 2023. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 1545 MHz to 1890 MHz. It has 3072 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 115W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 24 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,160 points.

Radeon R9 290

The Radeon R9 290 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 5 2013. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 947 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 275W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,184 points. Launch price was $399.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) scores 8,160 and the Radeon R9 290 reaches 8,184 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) is built on Ada Lovelace while the Radeon R9 290 uses GCN 2.0, both on 5 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 3,072 (GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 290). Raw compute: 11.61 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)) vs 4.849 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)	Radeon R9 290
G3D Mark Score	8,160	8,184
Architecture	Ada Lovelace	GCN 2.0
Process Node	5 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	3072+20%	2560
Compute (TFLOPS)	11.61 TFLOPS+139%	4.849 TFLOPS
ROPs	48	64+33%
TMUs	96	160+67%
L1 Cache	3 MB+376%	0.63 MB
L2 Cache	32 MB+3100%	1 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon R9 290 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)	Radeon R9 290
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) comes with 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 290 has 4 GB. The GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) offers 50% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 192 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)) vs 320 GB/s (Radeon R9 290) — a 66.7% advantage for the Radeon R9 290. Bus width: 192-bit vs 512-bit. L2 Cache: 32 MB (GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 290) — the GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)	Radeon R9 290
VRAM Capacity	6 GB+50%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	192 GB/s	320 GB/s+67%
Bus Width	192-bit	512-bit+167%
L2 Cache	32 MB+3100%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)) vs 12.0 (Radeon R9 290). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)	Radeon R9 290
DirectX	12	12.0
Vulkan	1.3+8%	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	6+50%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 6th Gen (GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290). Decoder: NVDEC 3rd Gen vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265 (GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)	Radeon R9 290
Encoder	NVENC 6th Gen	VCE 2.0
Decoder	NVDEC 3rd Gen	UVD 4.2
Codecs	H.264,H.265	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) draws 115W versus the Radeon R9 290's 275W — a 82.1% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)) vs 750W (Radeon R9 290). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 275mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 70 vs 95°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)	Radeon R9 290
TDP	115W-58%	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)	70-26%	95°C
Perf/Watt	71.0+138%	29.8