CMP 40HX vs Radeon R9 290X

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.

CMP 40HX

2021

Why buy it

✅More future proof: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 185W instead of 350W, a 165W reduction.
✅Measures 229mm instead of 275mm, a 46mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌
27.3% HIGHER MSRP
$699 MSRPvs$549 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 12.5 vs 15.3 G3D/$ ($699 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).

Radeon R9 290X

2013

Why buy it

✅Costs $150 less on MSRP ($549 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅Delivers 22.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 15.3 vs 12.5 G3D/$ ($549 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌89.2% higher power demand at 350W vs 185W.
❌20.1% longer card at 275mm vs 229mm.

CMP 40HX

2021

Radeon R9 290X

2013

Why buy it

✅More future proof: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 185W instead of 350W, a 165W reduction.
✅Measures 229mm instead of 275mm, a 46mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Why buy it

✅Costs $150 less on MSRP ($549 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅Delivers 22.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 15.3 vs 12.5 G3D/$ ($549 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌
27.3% HIGHER MSRP
$699 MSRPvs$549 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 12.5 vs 15.3 G3D/$ ($699 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌89.2% higher power demand at 350W vs 185W.
❌20.1% longer card at 275mm vs 229mm.

Quick Answers

So, is CMP 40HX better than Radeon R9 290X?

Yes. CMP 40HX is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 8,749 vs 8,426 in G3D Mark. On top of that, CMP 40HX is a 2021 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, while Radeon R9 290X 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?

CMP 40HX is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2021 generation instead of 2013, the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling, and a 12nm 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?

CMP 40HX is the smarter buy by a wide margin. CMP 40HX is about 27.3% more expensive on MSRP at $699 MSRP versus $549 MSRP, and you are getting 3.8% higher G3D Mark. Radeon R9 290X really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

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

No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon R9 290X is 2013 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM, 8,426 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.

CMP 40HX Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 290X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	CMP 40HX	Radeon R9 290X
1080p
low	146 FPS	103 FPS
medium	135 FPS	89 FPS
high	114 FPS	72 FPS
ultra	86 FPS	43 FPS
1440p
low	129 FPS	90 FPS
medium	111 FPS	79 FPS
high	92 FPS	57 FPS
ultra	72 FPS	33 FPS
4K
low	58 FPS	28 FPS
medium	51 FPS	27 FPS
high	41 FPS	18 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	15 FPS

Open CMP 40HX Open Radeon R9 290X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	CMP 40HX	Radeon R9 290X
1080p
low	313 FPS	197 FPS
medium	255 FPS	168 FPS
high	208 FPS	134 FPS
ultra	176 FPS	104 FPS
1440p
low	212 FPS	134 FPS
medium	170 FPS	104 FPS
high	141 FPS	82 FPS
ultra	115 FPS	62 FPS
4K
low	116 FPS	61 FPS
medium	95 FPS	49 FPS
high	78 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	59 FPS	35 FPS

Open CMP 40HX Open Radeon R9 290X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	CMP 40HX	Radeon R9 290X
1080p
low	394 FPS	379 FPS
medium	315 FPS	303 FPS
high	262 FPS	253 FPS
ultra	197 FPS	190 FPS
1440p
low	295 FPS	284 FPS
medium	236 FPS	228 FPS
high	197 FPS	190 FPS
ultra	148 FPS	142 FPS
4K
low	197 FPS	190 FPS
medium	157 FPS	152 FPS
high	131 FPS	126 FPS
ultra	98 FPS	95 FPS

Open CMP 40HX Open Radeon R9 290X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	CMP 40HX	Radeon R9 290X
1080p
low	341 FPS	155 FPS
medium	273 FPS	128 FPS
high	241 FPS	110 FPS
ultra	197 FPS	94 FPS
1440p
low	263 FPS	110 FPS
medium	213 FPS	91 FPS
high	183 FPS	79 FPS
ultra	148 FPS	65 FPS
4K
low	139 FPS	66 FPS
medium	111 FPS	52 FPS
high	102 FPS	41 FPS
ultra	81 FPS	31 FPS

Open CMP 40HX Open Radeon R9 290X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of CMP 40HX and Radeon R9 290X

CMP 40HX

The CMP 40HX is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in February 25 2021. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1470 MHz to 1650 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 185W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. It features 36 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,749 points. Launch price was $699.

Radeon R9 290X

The Radeon R9 290X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 24 2013. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 947 MHz. It has 2816 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 350W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,426 points. Launch price was $549.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The CMP 40HX scores 8,749 and the Radeon R9 290X reaches 8,426 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The CMP 40HX is built on Turing while the Radeon R9 290X uses GCN 2.0, both on 12 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,304 (CMP 40HX) vs 2,816 (Radeon R9 290X). Raw compute: 7.603 TFLOPS (CMP 40HX) vs 5.632 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290X). Boost clocks: 1650 MHz vs 947 MHz.

Feature	CMP 40HX	Radeon R9 290X
G3D Mark Score	8,749+4%	8,426
Architecture	Turing	GCN 2.0
Process Node	12 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2304	2816+22%
Compute (TFLOPS)	7.603 TFLOPS+35%	5.632 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1650 MHz+74%	947 MHz
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	144	176+22%
L1 Cache	2.3 MB+233%	0.69 MB
L2 Cache	4 MB+300%	1 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	CMP 40HX	Radeon R9 290X
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: 128-bit vs 512-bit. L2 Cache: 4 MB (CMP 40HX) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 290X) — the CMP 40HX has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	CMP 40HX	Radeon R9 290X
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Bus Width	128-bit	512-bit+300%
L2 Cache	4 MB+300%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (CMP 40HX) vs 12.0 (Radeon R9 290X). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 0 vs 6.

Feature	CMP 40HX	Radeon R9 290X
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12.0
Vulkan	1.2+9%	1.1
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	0	6

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (CMP 40HX) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290X). Decoder: No vs UVD 4.2.

Feature	CMP 40HX	Radeon R9 290X
Encoder	No	VCE 2.0
Decoder	No	UVD 4.2
Codecs		MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The CMP 40HX draws 185W versus the Radeon R9 290X's 350W — a 61.7% difference. The CMP 40HX is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (CMP 40HX) vs 750W (Radeon R9 290X). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 229mm vs 275mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 95°C.

Feature	CMP 40HX	Radeon R9 290X
TDP	185W-47%	350W
Recommended PSU	500W-33%	750W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	229mm	275mm
Height	111mm	109mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	80°C-16%	95°C
Perf/Watt	47.3+96%	24.1

💰

Value Analysis

The CMP 40HX launched at $699 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 290X launched at $549. The Radeon R9 290X costs 21.5% less ($150 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 12.5 (CMP 40HX) vs 15.3 (Radeon R9 290X) — the Radeon R9 290X offers 22.4% better value. The CMP 40HX is the newer GPU (2021 vs 2013).