Quadro P3200 vs Radeon R9 290

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.

Quadro P3200

2018

Why buy it

✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon R9 290: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon R9 290 is already legacy-tier future-proofing.
✅Draws 75W instead of 275W, a 200W reduction.
✅More future proof: Pascal (2016−2021) on 16nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.
❌
25.3% HIGHER MSRP
$500 MSRPvs$399 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 17.2 vs 20.5 G3D/$ ($500 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

Radeon R9 290

2013

Why buy it

✅Costs $101 less on MSRP ($399 MSRP vs $500 MSRP).
✅Delivers 19.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 20.5 vs 17.2 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $500 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌266.7% higher power demand at 275W vs 75W.

Quadro P3200

2018

Radeon R9 290

2013

Why buy it

✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon R9 290: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon R9 290 is already legacy-tier future-proofing.
✅Draws 75W instead of 275W, a 200W reduction.
✅More future proof: Pascal (2016−2021) on 16nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅Costs $101 less on MSRP ($399 MSRP vs $500 MSRP).
✅Delivers 19.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 20.5 vs 17.2 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $500 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.
❌
25.3% HIGHER MSRP
$500 MSRPvs$399 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 17.2 vs 20.5 G3D/$ ($500 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌266.7% higher power demand at 275W vs 75W.

Quick Answers

So, is Quadro P3200 better than Radeon R9 290?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 8,578 vs 8,184 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer Quadro P3200 is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, no meaningful modern upscaling stack, plus much lower power draw (75W vs 275W).

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

Quadro P3200 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2018 generation instead of 2013, the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling, and a 16nm process instead of 28nm. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.

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

Quadro P3200 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Quadro P3200 is about 25.3% more expensive on MSRP at $500 MSRP versus $399 MSRP, and you are getting 4.8% higher G3D Mark. 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.

Quadro P3200 Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 290 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Quadro P3200	Radeon R9 290
1080p
low	93 FPS	83 FPS
medium	84 FPS	71 FPS
high	71 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	58 FPS	39 FPS
1440p
low	87 FPS	72 FPS
medium	76 FPS	64 FPS
high	61 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	50 FPS	30 FPS
4K
low	40 FPS	26 FPS
medium	37 FPS	25 FPS
high	26 FPS	17 FPS
ultra	23 FPS	14 FPS

Open Quadro P3200 Open Radeon R9 290

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Quadro P3200	Radeon R9 290
1080p
low	227 FPS	185 FPS
medium	190 FPS	156 FPS
high	143 FPS	129 FPS
ultra	114 FPS	100 FPS
1440p
low	162 FPS	132 FPS
medium	136 FPS	103 FPS
high	109 FPS	83 FPS
ultra	86 FPS	64 FPS
4K
low	94 FPS	60 FPS
medium	77 FPS	49 FPS
high	64 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	36 FPS

Open Quadro P3200 Open Radeon R9 290

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Quadro P3200	Radeon R9 290
1080p
low	386 FPS	368 FPS
medium	309 FPS	295 FPS
high	257 FPS	246 FPS
ultra	193 FPS	184 FPS
1440p
low	279 FPS	276 FPS
medium	232 FPS	221 FPS
high	193 FPS	184 FPS
ultra	145 FPS	138 FPS
4K
low	182 FPS	184 FPS
medium	154 FPS	147 FPS
high	110 FPS	123 FPS
ultra	75 FPS	92 FPS

Open Quadro P3200 Open Radeon R9 290

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Quadro P3200	Radeon R9 290
1080p
low	287 FPS	152 FPS
medium	221 FPS	123 FPS
high	191 FPS	105 FPS
ultra	162 FPS	87 FPS
1440p
low	222 FPS	110 FPS
medium	171 FPS	90 FPS
high	143 FPS	78 FPS
ultra	117 FPS	62 FPS
4K
low	110 FPS	64 FPS
medium	83 FPS	49 FPS
high	74 FPS	39 FPS
ultra	56 FPS	28 FPS

Open Quadro P3200 Open Radeon R9 290

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Quadro P3200 and Radeon R9 290

Quadro P3200

The Quadro P3200 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in February 21 2018. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1328 MHz to 1543 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,578 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 Quadro P3200 scores 8,578 and the Radeon R9 290 reaches 8,184 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Quadro P3200 is built on Pascal while the Radeon R9 290 uses GCN 2.0, both on 16 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,792 (Quadro P3200) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 290). Raw compute: 5.53 TFLOPS (Quadro P3200) vs 4.849 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290).

Feature	Quadro P3200	Radeon R9 290
G3D Mark Score	8,578+5%	8,184
Architecture	Pascal	GCN 2.0
Process Node	16 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1792	2560+43%
Compute (TFLOPS)	5.53 TFLOPS+14%	4.849 TFLOPS
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	112	160+43%
L1 Cache	672 KB+5%	640 KB
L2 Cache	1.5 MB+50%	1 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Quadro P3200	Radeon R9 290
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	Standard	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 4 GB of video memory. Bus width: 256-bit vs 512-bit. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (Quadro P3200) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 290) — the Quadro P3200 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Quadro P3200	Radeon R9 290
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Bus Width	256-bit	512-bit+100%
L2 Cache	1.5 MB+50%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (Quadro P3200) 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	Quadro P3200	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 (Quadro P3200) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290). Decoder: NVDEC 3rd Gen vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.265,H.264 (Quadro P3200) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290).

Feature	Quadro P3200	Radeon R9 290
Encoder	NVENC 6th Gen	VCE 2.0
Decoder	NVDEC 3rd Gen	UVD 4.2
Codecs	H.265,H.264	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Quadro P3200 draws 75W versus the Radeon R9 290's 275W — a 114.3% difference. The Quadro P3200 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Quadro P3200) 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: 80 vs 95°C.

Feature	Quadro P3200	Radeon R9 290
TDP	75W-73%	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)	80-16%	95°C
Perf/Watt	114.4+284%	29.8

💰

Value Analysis

The Quadro P3200 launched at $500 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 290 launched at $399. The Radeon R9 290 costs 20.2% less ($101 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 17.2 (Quadro P3200) vs 20.5 (Radeon R9 290) — the Radeon R9 290 offers 19.2% better value. The Quadro P3200 is the newer GPU (2018 vs 2013).