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 Titan

2013

Why buy it

✅6.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Kepler (2012−2018) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
150.4% HIGHER MSRP
$999 MSRPvs$399 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 8.2 vs 20.5 G3D/$ ($999 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

Radeon R9 290

2013

Why buy it

✅Costs $600 less on MSRP ($399 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
✅Delivers 150.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 20.5 vs 8.2 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX Titan across 50 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.

GeForce GTX Titan

2013

Radeon R9 290

2013

Why buy it

✅6.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Kepler (2012−2018) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅Costs $600 less on MSRP ($399 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
✅Delivers 150.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 20.5 vs 8.2 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 6 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
150.4% HIGHER MSRP
$999 MSRPvs$399 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 8.2 vs 20.5 G3D/$ ($999 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX Titan across 50 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.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX Titan better than Radeon R9 290?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. GeForce GTX Titan averages 6.3% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 8,181 vs 8,184 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer GeForce GTX Titan is the overall package: you are getting no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce GTX Titan is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting more VRAM at 6 GB instead of 4 GB and the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling. 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 Titan is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce GTX Titan is about 150.4% more expensive on MSRP at $999 MSRP versus $399 MSRP, and you are getting 6.3% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and a lower G3D Mark (8,181 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 Titan Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 290 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX Titan	Radeon R9 290
1080p
low	86 FPS	83 FPS
medium	75 FPS	71 FPS
high	61 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	39 FPS
1440p
low	72 FPS	72 FPS
medium	64 FPS	64 FPS
high	46 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	31 FPS	30 FPS
4K
low	27 FPS	26 FPS
medium	25 FPS	25 FPS
high	17 FPS	17 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	14 FPS

Open GeForce GTX Titan Open Radeon R9 290

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX Titan	Radeon R9 290
1080p
low	172 FPS	185 FPS
medium	150 FPS	156 FPS
high	118 FPS	129 FPS
ultra	86 FPS	100 FPS
1440p
low	115 FPS	132 FPS
medium	89 FPS	103 FPS
high	67 FPS	83 FPS
ultra	47 FPS	64 FPS
4K
low	49 FPS	60 FPS
medium	40 FPS	49 FPS
high	36 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	36 FPS

Open GeForce GTX Titan Open Radeon R9 290

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX Titan	Radeon R9 290
1080p
low	368 FPS	368 FPS
medium	295 FPS	295 FPS
high	245 FPS	246 FPS
ultra	184 FPS	184 FPS
1440p
low	276 FPS	276 FPS
medium	221 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	123 FPS	123 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	92 FPS

Open GeForce GTX Titan Open Radeon R9 290

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX Titan	Radeon R9 290
1080p
low	217 FPS	152 FPS
medium	181 FPS	123 FPS
high	145 FPS	105 FPS
ultra	120 FPS	87 FPS
1440p
low	166 FPS	110 FPS
medium	142 FPS	90 FPS
high	110 FPS	78 FPS
ultra	87 FPS	62 FPS
4K
low	94 FPS	64 FPS
medium	73 FPS	49 FPS
high	58 FPS	39 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	28 FPS

Open GeForce GTX Titan Open Radeon R9 290

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX Titan and Radeon R9 290

GeForce GTX Titan

The GeForce GTX Titan is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in February 19 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 837 MHz to 876 MHz. It has 2688 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,181 points. Launch price was $999.

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 Titan scores 8,181 and the Radeon R9 290 reaches 8,184 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX Titan is built on Kepler while the Radeon R9 290 uses GCN 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,688 (GeForce GTX Titan) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 290). Raw compute: 4.709 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX Titan) vs 4.849 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290).

Feature	GeForce GTX Titan	Radeon R9 290
G3D Mark Score	8,181	8,184
Architecture	Kepler	GCN 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2688+5%	2560
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.709 TFLOPS	4.849 TFLOPS+3%
ROPs	48	64+33%
TMUs	224+40%	160
L1 Cache	224 KB	640 KB+186%
L2 Cache	1.5 MB+50%	1 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX Titan 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 Titan	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 Titan comes with 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 290 has 4 GB. The GeForce GTX Titan offers 50% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 288 GB/s (GeForce GTX Titan) vs 320 GB/s (Radeon R9 290) — a 11.1% advantage for the Radeon R9 290. Bus width: 384-bit vs 512-bit. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX Titan) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 290) — the GeForce GTX Titan has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX Titan	Radeon R9 290
VRAM Capacity	6 GB+50%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	288 GB/s	320 GB/s+11%
Bus Width	384-bit	512-bit+33%
L2 Cache	1.5 MB+50%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX Titan) vs 12.0 (Radeon R9 290). Vulkan: 1.0 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.

Feature	GeForce GTX Titan	Radeon R9 290
DirectX	12	12.0
Vulkan	1.0	1.2+20%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	6+50%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st gen (GeForce GTX Titan) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290). Decoder: NVDEC 1st gen vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce GTX Titan) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290).

Feature	GeForce GTX Titan	Radeon R9 290
Encoder	NVENC 1st gen	VCE 2.0
Decoder	NVDEC 1st gen	UVD 4.2
Codecs	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX Titan draws 250W versus the Radeon R9 290's 275W — a 9.5% difference. The GeForce GTX Titan is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce GTX Titan) vs 750W (Radeon R9 290). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 275mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 95°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX Titan	Radeon R9 290
TDP	250W-9%	275W
Recommended PSU	600W-20%	750W
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	267mm	275mm
Height	111mm	109mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	80°C-16%	95°C
Perf/Watt	32.7+10%	29.8

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX Titan launched at $999 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 290 launched at $399. The Radeon R9 290 costs 60.1% less ($600 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 8.2 (GeForce GTX Titan) vs 20.5 (Radeon R9 290) — the Radeon R9 290 offers 150% better value.