GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon R9 M290X

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 3060

2021

Why buy it

✅+428.1% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Costs $71 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅Delivers 542.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 8.0 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 4 GB).

Trade-offs

❌70% higher power demand at 170W vs 100W.

Radeon R9 M290X

2014

Why buy it

✅Draws 100W instead of 170W, a 70W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (3,218 vs 16,995).
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
21.6% HIGHER MSRP
$400 MSRPvs$329 MSRP

GeForce RTX 3060

2021

Radeon R9 M290X

2014

Why buy it

✅+428.1% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Costs $71 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅Delivers 542.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 8.0 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 4 GB).

Why buy it

✅Draws 100W instead of 170W, a 70W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌70% higher power demand at 170W vs 100W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (3,218 vs 16,995).
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
21.6% HIGHER MSRP
$400 MSRPvs$329 MSRP

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3060 better than Radeon R9 M290X?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 16,995 vs 3,218 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3060 is a 2021 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Radeon R9 M290X is a 2014 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 3060 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2021 generation instead of 2014, 428.1% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 12 GB instead of 4 GB, and the stronger feature stack with DLSS Super Resolution 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 3060 is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce RTX 3060 is about $71 cheaper on MSRP at $329 MSRP versus $400 MSRP, and you are getting 428.1% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 542.1%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is Radeon R9 M290X still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon R9 M290X is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around $400 MSRP, even if GeForce RTX 3060 is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

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 3060 Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 M290X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon R9 M290X
1080p
low	149 FPS	78 FPS
medium	131 FPS	67 FPS
high	118 FPS	53 FPS
ultra	99 FPS	35 FPS
1440p
low	126 FPS	69 FPS
medium	104 FPS	59 FPS
high	92 FPS	42 FPS
ultra	80 FPS	27 FPS
4K
low	67 FPS	24 FPS
medium	58 FPS	23 FPS
high	39 FPS	15 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	13 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open Radeon R9 M290X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon R9 M290X
1080p
low	354 FPS	112 FPS
medium	310 FPS	84 FPS
high	249 FPS	64 FPS
ultra	195 FPS	40 FPS
1440p
low	222 FPS	64 FPS
medium	196 FPS	43 FPS
high	160 FPS	32 FPS
ultra	128 FPS	22 FPS
4K
low	110 FPS	24 FPS
medium	94 FPS	16 FPS
high	77 FPS	13 FPS
ultra	60 FPS	9 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open Radeon R9 M290X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon R9 M290X
1080p
low	765 FPS	145 FPS
medium	612 FPS	116 FPS
high	510 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	382 FPS	72 FPS
1440p
low	535 FPS	109 FPS
medium	432 FPS	87 FPS
high	366 FPS	72 FPS
ultra	287 FPS	54 FPS
4K
low	367 FPS	72 FPS
medium	298 FPS	58 FPS
high	221 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	176 FPS	36 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open Radeon R9 M290X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon R9 M290X
1080p
low	523 FPS	142 FPS
medium	452 FPS	113 FPS
high	383 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	319 FPS	72 FPS
1440p
low	428 FPS	103 FPS
medium	371 FPS	84 FPS
high	298 FPS	72 FPS
ultra	245 FPS	54 FPS
4K
low	279 FPS	60 FPS
medium	259 FPS	46 FPS
high	225 FPS	36 FPS
ultra	186 FPS	25 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open Radeon R9 M290X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3060 and Radeon R9 M290X

GeForce RTX 3060

The GeForce RTX 3060 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 12 2021. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1320 MHz to 1777 MHz. It has 3584 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 170W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 28 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 16,995 points. Launch price was $329.

Radeon R9 M290X

The Radeon R9 M290X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 9 2014. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 850 MHz to 900 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,218 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 scores 16,995 versus the Radeon R9 M290X's 3,218 — the GeForce RTX 3060 leads by 428.1%. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the Radeon R9 M290X uses GCN 1.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 1,280 (Radeon R9 M290X). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 2.304 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 M290X). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 900 MHz.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon R9 M290X
G3D Mark Score	16,995+428%	3,218
Architecture	Ampere	GCN 1.0
Process Node	8 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	3584+180%	1280
Compute (TFLOPS)	12.74 TFLOPS+453%	2.304 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1777 MHz+97%	900 MHz
ROPs	48+50%	32
TMUs	112+40%	80
L1 Cache	3.5 MB+1029%	0.31 MB
L2 Cache	3 MB+500%	0.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3060 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon R9 M290X relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon R9 M290X
Upscaling Tech	DLSS 2 Super Resolution	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 RTX 3060 comes with 12 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 M290X has 4 GB. The GeForce RTX 3060 offers 200% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 192-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon R9 M290X) — the GeForce RTX 3060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon R9 M290X
VRAM Capacity	12 GB+200%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	360 GB/s	Unknown
Bus Width	192-bit+50%	128-bit
L2 Cache	3 MB+500%	0.5 MB

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3060 draws 170W versus the Radeon R9 M290X's 100W — a 51.9% difference. The Radeon R9 M290X is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M290X). Power connectors: 8-pin vs Mobile.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon R9 M290X
TDP	170W	100W-41%
Recommended PSU	550W	350W-36%
Power Connector	8-pin	Mobile
Length	242mm	—
Height	112mm	—
Slots	2	—
Temp (Load)	75	—
Perf/Watt	100.0+211%	32.2

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 3060 launched at $329 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 M290X launched at $400. The GeForce RTX 3060 costs 17.8% less ($71 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 51.7 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 8.0 (Radeon R9 M290X) — the GeForce RTX 3060 offers 546.3% better value. The GeForce RTX 3060 is the newer GPU (2021 vs 2014).