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 RTX 4070 Ti

2023

Why buy it

✅184.6% more average FPS across 46 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 92.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 39.5 vs 20.5 G3D/$ ($799 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Radeon R9 290

2013

Why buy it

✅Costs $400 less on MSRP ($399 MSRP vs $799 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 4070 Ti across 46 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 20.5 vs 39.5 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $799 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 4070 Ti

2023

Radeon R9 290

2013

Why buy it

✅184.6% more average FPS across 46 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 92.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 39.5 vs 20.5 G3D/$ ($799 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅Costs $400 less on MSRP ($399 MSRP vs $799 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 4070 Ti across 46 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 20.5 vs 39.5 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $799 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 4070 Ti better than Radeon R9 290?

Yes. GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 4070 Ti averages 184.6% more FPS across 46 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 31,578 vs 8,184 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is a 2023 card with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation, 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 RTX 4070 Ti is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2023 generation instead of 2013, 285.9% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 12 GB instead of 4 GB, and better frame-generation support with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023) instead of FSR upscaling. That leaves it with more room for heavier textures, tougher ray tracing loads, and higher-end 1440p or 4K gaming over the next few years.

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

GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is about 100.3% more expensive on MSRP at $799 MSRP versus $399 MSRP, and you are getting 184.6% more estimated average FPS across 46 tracked games in our benchmark data and 285.9% 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.

GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 290 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 4070 Ti	Radeon R9 290
1080p
low	188 FPS	83 FPS
medium	171 FPS	71 FPS
high	155 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	135 FPS	39 FPS
1440p
low	151 FPS	72 FPS
medium	125 FPS	64 FPS
high	111 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	30 FPS
4K
low	92 FPS	26 FPS
medium	79 FPS	25 FPS
high	66 FPS	17 FPS
ultra	59 FPS	14 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Open Radeon R9 290

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 4070 Ti	Radeon R9 290
1080p
low	664 FPS	185 FPS
medium	539 FPS	156 FPS
high	415 FPS	129 FPS
ultra	366 FPS	100 FPS
1440p
low	496 FPS	132 FPS
medium	400 FPS	103 FPS
high	329 FPS	83 FPS
ultra	269 FPS	64 FPS
4K
low	250 FPS	60 FPS
medium	211 FPS	49 FPS
high	187 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	159 FPS	36 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Open Radeon R9 290

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 4070 Ti	Radeon R9 290
1080p
low	921 FPS	368 FPS
medium	742 FPS	295 FPS
high	652 FPS	246 FPS
ultra	569 FPS	184 FPS
1440p
low	720 FPS	276 FPS
medium	578 FPS	221 FPS
high	497 FPS	184 FPS
ultra	427 FPS	138 FPS
4K
low	498 FPS	184 FPS
medium	403 FPS	147 FPS
high	352 FPS	123 FPS
ultra	296 FPS	92 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Open Radeon R9 290

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 4070 Ti	Radeon R9 290
1080p
low	879 FPS	152 FPS
medium	731 FPS	123 FPS
high	664 FPS	105 FPS
ultra	600 FPS	87 FPS
1440p
low	706 FPS	110 FPS
medium	585 FPS	90 FPS
high	514 FPS	78 FPS
ultra	460 FPS	62 FPS
4K
low	477 FPS	64 FPS
medium	408 FPS	49 FPS
high	366 FPS	39 FPS
ultra	324 FPS	28 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Open Radeon R9 290

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 4070 Ti and Radeon R9 290

GeForce RTX 4070 Ti

The GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 3 2023. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 2310 MHz to 2610 MHz. It has 7680 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 285W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. It features 60 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 31,578 points. Launch price was $799.

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

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti scores 31,578 versus the Radeon R9 290's 8,184 — the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti leads by 285.9%. The GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is built on Ada Lovelace while the Radeon R9 290 uses GCN 2.0, both on 4 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 7,680 (GeForce RTX 4070 Ti) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 290). Raw compute: 40.09 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 4070 Ti) vs 4.849 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290).

Feature	GeForce RTX 4070 Ti	Radeon R9 290
G3D Mark Score	31,578+286%	8,184
Architecture	Ada Lovelace	GCN 2.0
Process Node	4 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	7680+200%	2560
Compute (TFLOPS)	40.09 TFLOPS+727%	4.849 TFLOPS
ROPs	80+25%	64
TMUs	240+50%	160
L1 Cache	7.5 MB+1090%	0.63 MB
L2 Cache	48 MB+4700%	1 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is support for DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation. This allows it to generate entire frames using AI/Algorithms, essentially doubling the frame rate in CPU-bound scenarios or heavy ray-tracing titles. The Radeon R9 290 lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.The GeForce RTX 4070 Ti 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 RTX 4070 Ti	Radeon R9 290
Upscaling Tech	DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	Yes (DLSS 3.5)	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 4070 Ti comes with 12 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 290 has 4 GB. The GeForce RTX 4070 Ti offers 200% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 504 GB/s (GeForce RTX 4070 Ti) vs 320 GB/s (Radeon R9 290) — a 57.5% advantage for the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti. Bus width: 192-bit vs 512-bit. L2 Cache: 48 MB (GeForce RTX 4070 Ti) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 290) — the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4070 Ti	Radeon R9 290
VRAM Capacity	12 GB+200%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6X	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	504 GB/s+57%	320 GB/s
Bus Width	192-bit	512-bit+167%
L2 Cache	48 MB+4700%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 4070 Ti) 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 RTX 4070 Ti	Radeon R9 290
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12.0
Vulkan	1.3+8%	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	6+50%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (8th Gen) (GeForce RTX 4070 Ti) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290). Decoder: NVDEC (5th Gen) vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: AV1,H.264,H.265,VP9 (GeForce RTX 4070 Ti) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290).

Feature	GeForce RTX 4070 Ti	Radeon R9 290
Encoder	NVENC (8th Gen)	VCE 2.0
Decoder	NVDEC (5th Gen)	UVD 4.2
Codecs	AV1,H.264,H.265,VP9	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 4070 Ti draws 285W versus the Radeon R9 290's 275W — a 3.6% difference. The Radeon R9 290 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 700W (GeForce RTX 4070 Ti) vs 750W (Radeon R9 290). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 285mm vs 275mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 70°C vs 95°C.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4070 Ti	Radeon R9 290
TDP	285W	275W-4%
Recommended PSU	700W-7%	750W
Power Connector	8-pin	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	285mm	275mm
Height	112mm	109mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	70°C-26%	95°C
Perf/Watt	110.8+272%	29.8

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 4070 Ti launched at $799 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 290 launched at $399. The Radeon R9 290 costs 50.1% less ($400 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 39.5 (GeForce RTX 4070 Ti) vs 20.5 (Radeon R9 290) — the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti offers 92.7% better value. The GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is the newer GPU (2023 vs 2013).