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 1060 (Mobile)

2023

Why buy it

✅42.1% 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: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 115W instead of 350W, a 235W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 15.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $549 MSRP).

Radeon R9 290X

2013

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 15.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($549 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) 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.
❌204.3% higher power demand at 350W vs 115W.

GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)

2023

Radeon R9 290X

2013

Why buy it

✅42.1% 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: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 115W instead of 350W, a 235W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 15.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($549 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 15.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $549 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) 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.
❌204.3% higher power demand at 350W vs 115W.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) better than Radeon R9 290X?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) averages 42.1% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 8,160 vs 8,426 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) is a 2023 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?

GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2023 generation instead of 2013, more VRAM at 6 GB instead of 4 GB, the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling, and a 5nm process instead of 28nm. 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 1060 (Mobile) is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $549 MSRP, and you are getting 42.1% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and a lower G3D Mark (8,160 vs 8,426). 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.

GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 290X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)	Radeon R9 290X
1080p
low	106 FPS	80 FPS
medium	95 FPS	69 FPS
high	83 FPS	56 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	37 FPS
1440p
low	95 FPS	70 FPS
medium	83 FPS	61 FPS
high	71 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	59 FPS	28 FPS
4K
low	50 FPS	25 FPS
medium	47 FPS	24 FPS
high	35 FPS	16 FPS
ultra	31 FPS	14 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)Open Radeon R9 290X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)	Radeon R9 290X
1080p
low	216 FPS	183 FPS
medium	182 FPS	157 FPS
high	153 FPS	125 FPS
ultra	114 FPS	97 FPS
1440p
low	135 FPS	127 FPS
medium	109 FPS	100 FPS
high	90 FPS	79 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	60 FPS
4K
low	64 FPS	59 FPS
medium	53 FPS	48 FPS
high	51 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	35 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)Open Radeon R9 290X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)	Radeon R9 290X
1080p
low	367 FPS	379 FPS
medium	294 FPS	303 FPS
high	245 FPS	253 FPS
ultra	184 FPS	190 FPS
1440p
low	275 FPS	284 FPS
medium	220 FPS	228 FPS
high	184 FPS	190 FPS
ultra	138 FPS	142 FPS
4K
low	184 FPS	190 FPS
medium	147 FPS	152 FPS
high	122 FPS	126 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	95 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)Open Radeon R9 290X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)	Radeon R9 290X
1080p
low	367 FPS	155 FPS
medium	294 FPS	128 FPS
high	245 FPS	110 FPS
ultra	184 FPS	94 FPS
1440p
low	275 FPS	110 FPS
medium	220 FPS	91 FPS
high	184 FPS	79 FPS
ultra	138 FPS	65 FPS
4K
low	184 FPS	66 FPS
medium	147 FPS	52 FPS
high	122 FPS	41 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	31 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)Open Radeon R9 290X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) and Radeon R9 290X

GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)

The GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 3 2023. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 1545 MHz to 1890 MHz. It has 3072 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 115W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 24 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,160 points.

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 GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) scores 8,160 and the Radeon R9 290X reaches 8,426 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) is built on Ada Lovelace while the Radeon R9 290X uses GCN 2.0, both on 5 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 3,072 (GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)) vs 2,816 (Radeon R9 290X). Raw compute: 11.61 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)) vs 5.632 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290X). Boost clocks: 1890 MHz vs 947 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)	Radeon R9 290X
G3D Mark Score	8,160	8,426+3%
Architecture	Ada Lovelace	GCN 2.0
Process Node	5 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	3072+9%	2816
Compute (TFLOPS)	11.61 TFLOPS+106%	5.632 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1890 MHz+100%	947 MHz
ROPs	48	64+33%
TMUs	96	176+83%
L1 Cache	3 MB+335%	0.69 MB
L2 Cache	32 MB+3100%	1 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon R9 290X relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)	Radeon R9 290X
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 1060 (Mobile) comes with 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 290X has 4 GB. The GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) offers 50% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 192 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)) vs 320 GB/s (Radeon R9 290X) — a 66.7% advantage for the Radeon R9 290X. Bus width: 192-bit vs 512-bit. L2 Cache: 32 MB (GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 290X) — the GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)	Radeon R9 290X
VRAM Capacity	6 GB+50%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	192 GB/s	320 GB/s+67%
Bus Width	192-bit	512-bit+167%
L2 Cache	32 MB+3100%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)) vs 12.0 (Radeon R9 290X). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)	Radeon R9 290X
DirectX	12	12.0
Vulkan	1.3+18%	1.1
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	6+50%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 6th Gen (GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290X). Decoder: NVDEC 3rd Gen vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265 (GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290X).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)	Radeon R9 290X
Encoder	NVENC 6th Gen	VCE 2.0
Decoder	NVDEC 3rd Gen	UVD 4.2
Codecs	H.264,H.265	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) draws 115W versus the Radeon R9 290X's 350W — a 101.1% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)) vs 750W (Radeon R9 290X). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 275mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 70 vs 95°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)	Radeon R9 290X
TDP	115W-67%	350W
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)	70-26%	95°C
Perf/Watt	71.0+195%	24.1