GRID P100-8Q 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.

GRID P100-8Q

2016

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
1743.5% HIGHER MSRP
$7,374 MSRPvs$400 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0.4 vs 8.0 G3D/$ ($7,374 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
❌125% higher power demand at 225W vs 100W.

Radeon R9 M290X

2014

Why buy it

✅Costs $6,974 less on MSRP ($400 MSRP vs $7,374 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1715.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 8.0 vs 0.4 G3D/$ ($400 MSRP vs $7,374 MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Draws 100W instead of 225W, a 125W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

GRID P100-8Q

2016

Radeon R9 M290X

2014

Why buy it

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

Why buy it

✅Costs $6,974 less on MSRP ($400 MSRP vs $7,374 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1715.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 8.0 vs 0.4 G3D/$ ($400 MSRP vs $7,374 MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Draws 100W instead of 225W, a 125W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
1743.5% HIGHER MSRP
$7,374 MSRPvs$400 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0.4 vs 8.0 G3D/$ ($7,374 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
❌125% higher power demand at 225W vs 100W.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

Quick Answers

So, is GRID P100-8Q better than Radeon R9 M290X?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 3,267 vs 3,218 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer GRID P100-8Q is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

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

GRID P100-8Q is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2016 generation instead of 2014 and the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling. 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?

GRID P100-8Q is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GRID P100-8Q is about 1743.5% more expensive on MSRP at $7,374 MSRP versus $400 MSRP, and you are getting 1.5% higher G3D Mark. Radeon R9 M290X really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

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

No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon R9 M290X is 2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM, 3,218 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.

GRID P100-8Q Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 M290X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GRID P100-8Q	Radeon R9 M290X
1080p
low	30 FPS	78 FPS
medium	17 FPS	67 FPS
high	11 FPS	53 FPS
ultra	5 FPS	35 FPS
1440p
low	14 FPS	69 FPS
medium	7 FPS	59 FPS
high	4 FPS	42 FPS
ultra	2 FPS	27 FPS
4K
low	5 FPS	24 FPS
medium	3 FPS	23 FPS
high	2 FPS	15 FPS
ultra	1 FPS	13 FPS

Open GRID P100-8Q Open Radeon R9 M290X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GRID P100-8Q	Radeon R9 M290X
1080p
low	82 FPS	112 FPS
medium	51 FPS	84 FPS
high	38 FPS	64 FPS
ultra	24 FPS	40 FPS
1440p
low	36 FPS	64 FPS
medium	25 FPS	43 FPS
high	16 FPS	32 FPS
ultra	12 FPS	22 FPS
4K
low	11 FPS	24 FPS
medium	9 FPS	16 FPS
high	7 FPS	13 FPS
ultra	5 FPS	9 FPS

Open GRID P100-8Q Open Radeon R9 M290X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GRID P100-8Q	Radeon R9 M290X
1080p
low	147 FPS	145 FPS
medium	118 FPS	116 FPS
high	98 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	74 FPS	72 FPS
1440p
low	110 FPS	109 FPS
medium	88 FPS	87 FPS
high	74 FPS	72 FPS
ultra	55 FPS	54 FPS
4K
low	74 FPS	72 FPS
medium	59 FPS	58 FPS
high	49 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	36 FPS

Open GRID P100-8Q Open Radeon R9 M290X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GRID P100-8Q	Radeon R9 M290X
1080p
low	147 FPS	142 FPS
medium	118 FPS	113 FPS
high	98 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	74 FPS	72 FPS
1440p
low	110 FPS	103 FPS
medium	88 FPS	84 FPS
high	74 FPS	72 FPS
ultra	55 FPS	54 FPS
4K
low	72 FPS	60 FPS
medium	57 FPS	46 FPS
high	46 FPS	36 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	25 FPS

Open GRID P100-8Q Open Radeon R9 M290X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GRID P100-8Q and Radeon R9 M290X

GRID P100-8Q

The GRID P100-8Q is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 18 2016. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 1033 MHz to 1306 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 225W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,267 points.

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

The GRID P100-8Q scores 3,267 and the Radeon R9 M290X reaches 3,218 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GRID P100-8Q is built on Maxwell while the Radeon R9 M290X uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 640 (GRID P100-8Q) vs 1,280 (Radeon R9 M290X). Raw compute: 1.672 TFLOPS (GRID P100-8Q) vs 2.304 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 M290X). Boost clocks: 1306 MHz vs 900 MHz.

Feature	GRID P100-8Q	Radeon R9 M290X
G3D Mark Score	3,267+2%	3,218
Architecture	Maxwell	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	640	1280+100%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.672 TFLOPS	2.304 TFLOPS+38%
Boost Clock	1306 MHz+45%	900 MHz
ROPs	16	32+100%
TMUs	40	80+100%
L1 Cache	320 KB	320 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GRID P100-8Q	Radeon R9 M290X
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)

The GRID P100-8Q comes with 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 M290X has 4 GB. The Radeon R9 M290X offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 64-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GRID P100-8Q) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon R9 M290X) — the GRID P100-8Q has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GRID P100-8Q	Radeon R9 M290X
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	4 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	64-bit	128-bit+100%
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GRID P100-8Q draws 225W versus the Radeon R9 M290X's 100W — a 76.9% difference. The Radeon R9 M290X is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GRID P100-8Q) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M290X). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs Mobile.

Feature	GRID P100-8Q	Radeon R9 M290X
TDP	225W	100W-56%
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	Mobile
Perf/Watt	14.5	32.2+122%

💰

Value Analysis

The GRID P100-8Q launched at $7374 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 M290X launched at $400. The Radeon R9 M290X costs 94.6% less ($6974 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 0.4 (GRID P100-8Q) vs 8.0 (Radeon R9 M290X) — the Radeon R9 M290X offers 1900% better value. The GRID P100-8Q is the newer GPU (2016 vs 2014).