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 P4-2Q

2015

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: 2015-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
275% HIGHER MSRP
$1,500 MSRPvs$400 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.1 vs 8.0 G3D/$ ($1,500 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
❌125% higher power demand at 225W vs 100W.

Radeon R9 M290X

2014

Why buy it

✅Costs $1,100 less on MSRP ($400 MSRP vs $1,500 MSRP).
✅Delivers 281.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 8.0 vs 2.1 G3D/$ ($400 MSRP vs $1,500 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 P4-2Q

2015

Radeon R9 M290X

2014

Why buy it

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

Why buy it

✅Costs $1,100 less on MSRP ($400 MSRP vs $1,500 MSRP).
✅Delivers 281.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 8.0 vs 2.1 G3D/$ ($400 MSRP vs $1,500 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: 2015-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
275% HIGHER MSRP
$1,500 MSRPvs$400 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.1 vs 8.0 G3D/$ ($1,500 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 Radeon R9 M290X better than GRID P4-2Q?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 3,162 vs 3,218 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer Radeon R9 M290X is the overall package: you are getting FSR upscaling, plus much lower power draw (100W vs 225W).

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

GRID P4-2Q is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2015 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?

Radeon R9 M290X can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $400 MSRP. Radeon R9 M290X is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. Radeon R9 M290X is about $1,100 cheaper on MSRP at $400 MSRP versus $1,500 MSRP, and you are getting 1.8% higher G3D Mark. GRID P4-2Q is the newer 2015 card, so it still has a real case if you care more about newer architecture and future-proofing than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

When does GRID P4-2Q make more sense than Radeon R9 M290X?

Yes. GRID P4-2Q 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, future-proofing, and staying closer to $1,500 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Radeon R9 M290X. The trade-off is that Radeon R9 M290X currently gives you 1.8% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 281.6%.

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 P4-2Q Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 M290X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GRID P4-2Q	Radeon R9 M290X
1080p
low	103 FPS	78 FPS
medium	85 FPS	67 FPS
high	67 FPS	53 FPS
ultra	40 FPS	35 FPS
1440p
low	86 FPS	69 FPS
medium	72 FPS	59 FPS
high	51 FPS	42 FPS
ultra	29 FPS	27 FPS
4K
low	28 FPS	24 FPS
medium	26 FPS	23 FPS
high	17 FPS	15 FPS
ultra	15 FPS	13 FPS

Open GRID P4-2Q Open Radeon R9 M290X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GRID P4-2Q	Radeon R9 M290X
1080p
low	128 FPS	112 FPS
medium	101 FPS	84 FPS
high	82 FPS	64 FPS
ultra	63 FPS	40 FPS
1440p
low	88 FPS	64 FPS
medium	65 FPS	43 FPS
high	53 FPS	32 FPS
ultra	40 FPS	22 FPS
4K
low	41 FPS	24 FPS
medium	32 FPS	16 FPS
high	29 FPS	13 FPS
ultra	24 FPS	9 FPS

Open GRID P4-2Q Open Radeon R9 M290X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GRID P4-2Q	Radeon R9 M290X
1080p
low	142 FPS	145 FPS
medium	114 FPS	116 FPS
high	95 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	71 FPS	72 FPS
1440p
low	107 FPS	109 FPS
medium	85 FPS	87 FPS
high	71 FPS	72 FPS
ultra	53 FPS	54 FPS
4K
low	71 FPS	72 FPS
medium	57 FPS	58 FPS
high	47 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	36 FPS

Open GRID P4-2Q Open Radeon R9 M290X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GRID P4-2Q	Radeon R9 M290X
1080p
low	142 FPS	142 FPS
medium	114 FPS	113 FPS
high	95 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	71 FPS	72 FPS
1440p
low	107 FPS	103 FPS
medium	85 FPS	84 FPS
high	71 FPS	72 FPS
ultra	53 FPS	54 FPS
4K
low	71 FPS	60 FPS
medium	57 FPS	46 FPS
high	47 FPS	36 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	25 FPS

Open GRID P4-2Q Open Radeon R9 M290X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GRID P4-2Q and Radeon R9 M290X

GRID P4-2Q

The GRID P4-2Q is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in August 30 2015. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 557 MHz to 1178 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 225W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,162 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 P4-2Q scores 3,162 and the Radeon R9 M290X reaches 3,218 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GRID P4-2Q is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Radeon R9 M290X uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,048 (GRID P4-2Q) vs 1,280 (Radeon R9 M290X). Raw compute: 4.825 TFLOPS (GRID P4-2Q) vs 2.304 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 M290X). Boost clocks: 1178 MHz vs 900 MHz.

Feature	GRID P4-2Q	Radeon R9 M290X
G3D Mark Score	3,162	3,218+2%
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2048+60%	1280
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.825 TFLOPS+109%	2.304 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1178 MHz+31%	900 MHz
ROPs	64+100%	32
TMUs	128+60%	80
L1 Cache	768 KB+140%	320 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GRID P4-2Q	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 P4-2Q 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 P4-2Q) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon R9 M290X) — the GRID P4-2Q has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GRID P4-2Q	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 P4-2Q 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 P4-2Q) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M290X). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs Mobile.

Feature	GRID P4-2Q	Radeon R9 M290X
TDP	225W	100W-56%
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	Mobile
Perf/Watt	14.1	32.2+128%

💰

Value Analysis

The GRID P4-2Q launched at $1500 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 M290X launched at $400. The Radeon R9 M290X costs 73.3% less ($1100 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.1 (GRID P4-2Q) vs 8.0 (Radeon R9 M290X) — the Radeon R9 M290X offers 281% better value. The GRID P4-2Q is the newer GPU (2015 vs 2014).