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

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

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌337.5% higher power demand at 350W vs 80W.

RTX A4500 Embedded GPU

2022

Why buy it

✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 80W instead of 350W, a 270W reduction.
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

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

Radeon R9 290X

2013

RTX A4500 Embedded GPU

2022

Why buy it

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

Why buy it

✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 80W instead of 350W, a 270W reduction.
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm 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.
❌337.5% higher power demand at 350W vs 80W.

Trade-offs

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

Quick Answers

So, is RTX A4500 Embedded GPU better than Radeon R9 290X?

Yes. RTX A4500 Embedded GPU is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 8,485 vs 8,426 in G3D Mark. On top of that, RTX A4500 Embedded GPU is a 2022 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?

RTX A4500 Embedded GPU is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2022 generation instead of 2013, the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling, and a 8nm 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?

RTX A4500 Embedded GPU is the smarter buy by a wide margin. RTX A4500 Embedded GPU is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $549 MSRP, and you are getting 0.7% 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.

Radeon R9 290X Benchmark Check

RTX A4500 Embedded GPU Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Radeon R9 290X	RTX A4500 Embedded GPU
1080p
low	103 FPS	96 FPS
medium	89 FPS	85 FPS
high	72 FPS	70 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	47 FPS
1440p
low	90 FPS	80 FPS
medium	79 FPS	70 FPS
high	57 FPS	52 FPS
ultra	33 FPS	35 FPS
4K
low	28 FPS	32 FPS
medium	27 FPS	29 FPS
high	18 FPS	21 FPS
ultra	15 FPS	19 FPS

Open Radeon R9 290X Open RTX A4500 Embedded GPU

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Radeon R9 290X	RTX A4500 Embedded GPU
1080p
low	197 FPS	248 FPS
medium	168 FPS	197 FPS
high	134 FPS	162 FPS
ultra	104 FPS	138 FPS
1440p
low	134 FPS	175 FPS
medium	104 FPS	133 FPS
high	82 FPS	116 FPS
ultra	62 FPS	95 FPS
4K
low	61 FPS	88 FPS
medium	49 FPS	68 FPS
high	44 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	35 FPS	46 FPS

Open Radeon R9 290X Open RTX A4500 Embedded GPU

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Radeon R9 290X	RTX A4500 Embedded GPU
1080p
low	379 FPS	382 FPS
medium	303 FPS	305 FPS
high	253 FPS	255 FPS
ultra	190 FPS	191 FPS
1440p
low	284 FPS	286 FPS
medium	228 FPS	229 FPS
high	190 FPS	191 FPS
ultra	142 FPS	143 FPS
4K
low	190 FPS	191 FPS
medium	152 FPS	153 FPS
high	126 FPS	127 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	95 FPS

Open Radeon R9 290X Open RTX A4500 Embedded GPU

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Radeon R9 290X	RTX A4500 Embedded GPU
1080p
low	155 FPS	163 FPS
medium	128 FPS	134 FPS
high	110 FPS	116 FPS
ultra	94 FPS	98 FPS
1440p
low	110 FPS	118 FPS
medium	91 FPS	100 FPS
high	79 FPS	87 FPS
ultra	65 FPS	73 FPS
4K
low	66 FPS	72 FPS
medium	52 FPS	59 FPS
high	41 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	31 FPS	36 FPS

Open Radeon R9 290X Open RTX A4500 Embedded GPU

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon R9 290X and RTX A4500 Embedded GPU

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.

RTX A4500 Embedded GPU

The RTX A4500 Embedded GPU is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 30 2022. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 510 MHz to 1215 MHz. It has 5888 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 80W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 46 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,485 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 290X scores 8,426 and the RTX A4500 Embedded GPU reaches 8,485 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 290X is built on GCN 2.0 while the RTX A4500 Embedded GPU uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 2,816 (Radeon R9 290X) vs 5,888 (RTX A4500 Embedded GPU). Raw compute: 5.632 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290X) vs 14.31 TFLOPS (RTX A4500 Embedded GPU). Boost clocks: 947 MHz vs 1215 MHz.

Feature	Radeon R9 290X	RTX A4500 Embedded GPU
G3D Mark Score	8,426	8,485
Architecture	GCN 2.0	Ampere
Process Node	28 nm	8 nm
Shading Units	2816	5888+109%
Compute (TFLOPS)	5.632 TFLOPS	14.31 TFLOPS+154%
Boost Clock	947 MHz	1215 MHz+28%
ROPs	64	96+50%
TMUs	176	184+5%
L1 Cache	0.69 MB	5.8 MB+741%
L2 Cache	1 MB	4 MB+300%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The RTX A4500 Embedded GPU 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	Radeon R9 290X	RTX A4500 Embedded GPU
Upscaling Tech	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	AMD Anti-Lag	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 4 GB of video memory. Bus width: 512-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 1 MB (Radeon R9 290X) vs 4 MB (RTX A4500 Embedded GPU) — the RTX A4500 Embedded GPU has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon R9 290X	RTX A4500 Embedded GPU
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Bus Width	512-bit+300%	128-bit
L2 Cache	1 MB	4 MB+300%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.0 (Radeon R9 290X) vs 12.2 (RTX A4500 Embedded GPU). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.

Feature	Radeon R9 290X	RTX A4500 Embedded GPU
DirectX	12.0	12.2+2%
Vulkan	1.1	1.3+18%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	6+50%	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290X) vs NVENC 8.0 (RTX A4500 Embedded GPU). Decoder: UVD 4.2 vs PureVideo HD VP11. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290X) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (RTX A4500 Embedded GPU).

Feature	Radeon R9 290X	RTX A4500 Embedded GPU
Encoder	VCE 2.0	NVENC 8.0
Decoder	UVD 4.2	PureVideo HD VP11
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 290X draws 350W versus the RTX A4500 Embedded GPU's 80W — a 125.6% difference. The RTX A4500 Embedded GPU is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (Radeon R9 290X) vs 500W (RTX A4500 Embedded GPU). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 275mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.

Feature	Radeon R9 290X	RTX A4500 Embedded GPU
TDP	350W	80W-77%
Recommended PSU	750W	500W-33%
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	275mm	0mm
Height	109mm	0mm
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	95°C	—
Perf/Watt	24.1	106.1+340%