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 R9 290

2013

Why buy it

✅Costs $150 less on MSRP ($399 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
✅Delivers 34.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 20.5 vs 15.3 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 290X / 390X across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Radeon R9 290X / 390X

2015

Why buy it

✅0.3% more average FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅More future proof: GCN 2.0 (2013−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
37.6% HIGHER MSRP
$549 MSRPvs$399 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 15.3 vs 20.5 G3D/$ ($549 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

Radeon R9 290

2013

Radeon R9 290X / 390X

2015

Why buy it

✅Costs $150 less on MSRP ($399 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
✅Delivers 34.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 20.5 vs 15.3 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).

Why buy it

✅0.3% more average FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅More future proof: GCN 2.0 (2013−2017) on 28nm 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.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
37.6% HIGHER MSRP
$549 MSRPvs$399 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 15.3 vs 20.5 G3D/$ ($549 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

Quick Answers

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

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. Radeon R9 290X / 390X averages 0.3% more FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 8,184 vs 8,380 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer Radeon R9 290X / 390X is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, FSR upscaling.

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

Radeon R9 290 is the safer long-term GPU choice because it gives you the stronger overall hardware and feature outlook for modern games.

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

Radeon R9 290X / 390X is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Radeon R9 290X / 390X is about 37.6% more expensive on MSRP at $549 MSRP versus $399 MSRP, and you are getting 0.3% more estimated average FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data and 2.4% higher G3D Mark. Radeon R9 290 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

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

Yes. Radeon R9 290 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 future-proofing and staying closer to $399 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 2.4% higher G3D Mark and 0.3% more estimated average FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data. Radeon R9 290 still holds the G3D-per-dollar lead, so the performance win comes with a real value premium.

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 R9 290 Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 290X / 390X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Radeon R9 290	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
1080p
low	83 FPS	80 FPS
medium	71 FPS	69 FPS
high	59 FPS	56 FPS
ultra	39 FPS	37 FPS
1440p
low	72 FPS	70 FPS
medium	64 FPS	61 FPS
high	47 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	30 FPS	28 FPS
4K
low	26 FPS	25 FPS
medium	25 FPS	24 FPS
high	17 FPS	16 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	14 FPS

Open Radeon R9 290 Open Radeon R9 290X / 390X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Radeon R9 290	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
1080p
low	185 FPS	185 FPS
medium	156 FPS	157 FPS
high	129 FPS	130 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	103 FPS
1440p
low	132 FPS	130 FPS
medium	103 FPS	102 FPS
high	83 FPS	82 FPS
ultra	64 FPS	63 FPS
4K
low	60 FPS	59 FPS
medium	49 FPS	48 FPS
high	44 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	35 FPS

Open Radeon R9 290 Open Radeon R9 290X / 390X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Radeon R9 290	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
1080p
low	368 FPS	377 FPS
medium	295 FPS	302 FPS
high	246 FPS	251 FPS
ultra	184 FPS	189 FPS
1440p
low	276 FPS	283 FPS
medium	221 FPS	226 FPS
high	184 FPS	189 FPS
ultra	138 FPS	141 FPS
4K
low	184 FPS	189 FPS
medium	147 FPS	151 FPS
high	123 FPS	126 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	94 FPS

Open Radeon R9 290 Open Radeon R9 290X / 390X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Radeon R9 290	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
1080p
low	152 FPS	155 FPS
medium	123 FPS	128 FPS
high	105 FPS	110 FPS
ultra	87 FPS	94 FPS
1440p
low	110 FPS	110 FPS
medium	90 FPS	91 FPS
high	78 FPS	79 FPS
ultra	62 FPS	65 FPS
4K
low	64 FPS	66 FPS
medium	49 FPS	52 FPS
high	39 FPS	41 FPS
ultra	28 FPS	31 FPS

Open Radeon R9 290 Open Radeon R9 290X / 390X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

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

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.

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 R9 290 scores 8,184 and the Radeon R9 290X / 390X reaches 8,380 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 290 is built on GCN 2.0 while the Radeon R9 290X / 390X uses GCN 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,560 (Radeon R9 290) vs 2,816 (Radeon R9 290X / 390X). Raw compute: 4.849 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290) vs 5.914 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290X / 390X).

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
G3D Mark Score	8,184	8,380+2%
Architecture	GCN 2.0	GCN 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2560	2816+10%
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.849 TFLOPS	5.914 TFLOPS+22%
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	160	176+10%
L1 Cache	640 KB	704 KB+10%
L2 Cache	1 MB	1 MB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon R9 290	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 GDDR5. Bus width: 512-bit vs 512-bit.

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	320 GB/s	320 GB/s
Bus Width	512-bit	512-bit
L2 Cache	1 MB	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.0 (Radeon R9 290) vs 12.0 (Radeon R9 290X / 390X). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 6.

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
DirectX	12.0	12.0
Vulkan	1.2+9%	1.1
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	6	6

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290X / 390X). Decoder: UVD 4.2 vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290X / 390X).

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
Encoder	VCE 2.0	VCE 2.0
Decoder	UVD 4.2	UVD 4.2
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 290 draws 275W versus the Radeon R9 290X / 390X's 275W — a 0% difference. The Radeon R9 290X / 390X is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (Radeon R9 290) vs 750W (Radeon R9 290X / 390X). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 275mm vs 275mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 95°C vs 95°C.

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
TDP	275W	275W
Recommended PSU	750W	750W
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	275mm	275mm
Height	109mm	109mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	95°C	95°C
Perf/Watt	29.8	30.5+2%

💰

Value Analysis

The Radeon R9 290 launched at $399 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 290X / 390X launched at $549. The Radeon R9 290 costs 27.3% less ($150 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 20.5 (Radeon R9 290) vs 15.3 (Radeon R9 290X / 390X) — the Radeon R9 290 offers 34% better value. The Radeon R9 290X / 390X is the newer GPU (2015 vs 2013).