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 290X

2013

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌27.3% higher power demand at 350W vs 275W.

Radeon R9 290X / 390X

2015

Why buy it

✅Draws 275W instead of 350W, a 75W reduction.
✅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.

Radeon R9 290X

2013

Radeon R9 290X / 390X

2015

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Why buy it

✅Draws 275W instead of 350W, a 75W reduction.
✅More future proof: GCN 2.0 (2013−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌27.3% higher power demand at 350W vs 275W.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Quick Answers

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

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 8,426 vs 8,380 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer Radeon R9 290X is the overall package: you are getting FSR upscaling.

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

Radeon R9 290X 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 can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $549 MSRP. Radeon R9 290X is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. Radeon R9 290X is in basically the same MSRP band at $549 MSRP versus $549 MSRP, and you are getting 0.5% higher G3D Mark. Radeon R9 290X / 390X is the newer 2015 card, so it still has a real case if you care more about newer architecture and lower power draw (275W vs 350W) than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

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

Yes. Radeon R9 290X / 390X 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 newer architecture, lower power draw (275W vs 350W), and staying closer to $549 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Radeon R9 290X. The trade-off is that Radeon R9 290X currently gives you 0.5% higher G3D Mark. It only holds a slight 0.5% edge in G3D-per-dollar, so the value lead is real but narrow.

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 290X Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 290X / 390X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Radeon R9 290X	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
1080p
low	103 FPS	80 FPS
medium	89 FPS	69 FPS
high	72 FPS	56 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	37 FPS
1440p
low	90 FPS	70 FPS
medium	79 FPS	61 FPS
high	57 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	33 FPS	28 FPS
4K
low	28 FPS	25 FPS
medium	27 FPS	24 FPS
high	18 FPS	16 FPS
ultra	15 FPS	14 FPS

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

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Radeon R9 290X	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
1080p
low	197 FPS	185 FPS
medium	168 FPS	157 FPS
high	134 FPS	130 FPS
ultra	104 FPS	103 FPS
1440p
low	134 FPS	130 FPS
medium	104 FPS	102 FPS
high	82 FPS	82 FPS
ultra	62 FPS	63 FPS
4K
low	61 FPS	59 FPS
medium	49 FPS	48 FPS
high	44 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	35 FPS	35 FPS

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

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Radeon R9 290X	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
1080p
low	379 FPS	377 FPS
medium	303 FPS	302 FPS
high	253 FPS	251 FPS
ultra	190 FPS	189 FPS
1440p
low	284 FPS	283 FPS
medium	228 FPS	226 FPS
high	190 FPS	189 FPS
ultra	142 FPS	141 FPS
4K
low	190 FPS	189 FPS
medium	152 FPS	151 FPS
high	126 FPS	126 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	94 FPS

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

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Radeon R9 290X	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
1080p
low	155 FPS	155 FPS
medium	128 FPS	128 FPS
high	110 FPS	110 FPS
ultra	94 FPS	94 FPS
1440p
low	110 FPS	110 FPS
medium	91 FPS	91 FPS
high	79 FPS	79 FPS
ultra	65 FPS	65 FPS
4K
low	66 FPS	66 FPS
medium	52 FPS	52 FPS
high	41 FPS	41 FPS
ultra	31 FPS	31 FPS

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

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

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

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.

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 290X scores 8,426 and the Radeon R9 290X / 390X reaches 8,380 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 290X is built on GCN 2.0 while the Radeon R9 290X / 390X uses GCN 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,816 (Radeon R9 290X) vs 2,816 (Radeon R9 290X / 390X). Raw compute: 5.632 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290X) vs 5.914 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290X / 390X). Boost clocks: 947 MHz vs 1050 MHz.

Feature	Radeon R9 290X	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
G3D Mark Score	8,426	8,380
Architecture	GCN 2.0	GCN 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2816	2816
Compute (TFLOPS)	5.632 TFLOPS	5.914 TFLOPS+5%
Boost Clock	947 MHz	1050 MHz+11%
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	176	176
L1 Cache	704 KB	704 KB
L2 Cache	1 MB	1 MB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

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

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

🎬

Media & Encoding

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

Feature	Radeon R9 290X	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 290X draws 350W versus the Radeon R9 290X / 390X's 275W — a 24% difference. The Radeon R9 290X / 390X is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (Radeon R9 290X) 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 290X	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
TDP	350W	275W-21%
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	24.1	30.5+27%

💰

Value Analysis

The Radeon R9 290X launched at $549 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 290X / 390X launched at $549. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 15.3 (Radeon R9 290X) vs 15.3 (Radeon R9 290X / 390X) — the Radeon R9 290X / 390X offers 0% better value. The Radeon R9 290X / 390X is the newer GPU (2015 vs 2013).