Quadro M1200 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.

Quadro M1200

2017

Why buy it

✅Draws 45W instead of 100W, a 55W reduction.
✅More future proof: Maxwell (2014−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2017-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 8.0 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $400 MSRP).

Radeon R9 M290X

2014

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 8.0 vs 0 G3D/$ ($400 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

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.
❌122.2% higher power demand at 100W vs 45W.

Quadro M1200

2017

Radeon R9 M290X

2014

Why buy it

✅Draws 45W instead of 100W, a 55W reduction.
✅More future proof: Maxwell (2014−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 8.0 vs 0 G3D/$ ($400 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2017-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 8.0 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $400 MSRP).

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.
❌122.2% higher power demand at 100W vs 45W.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon R9 M290X better than Quadro M1200?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 3,212 vs 3,218 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer Radeon R9 M290X is the overall package: you are getting FSR upscaling.

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

Quadro M1200 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2017 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 priced in an unclear MSRP range at $400 MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 0.2% higher G3D Mark. Quadro M1200 is the newer 2017 card, so it still has a real case if you care more about newer architecture, lower power draw (45W vs 100W), and future-proofing than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

When does Quadro M1200 make more sense than Radeon R9 M290X?

Yes. Quadro M1200 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 (45W vs 100W), future-proofing, and staying closer to an unclear MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Radeon R9 M290X. The trade-off is that Radeon R9 M290X currently gives you 0.2% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%.

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.

Quadro M1200 Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 M290X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Quadro M1200	Radeon R9 M290X
1080p
low	34 FPS	78 FPS
medium	21 FPS	67 FPS
high	13 FPS	53 FPS
ultra	6 FPS	35 FPS
1440p
low	16 FPS	69 FPS
medium	9 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 Quadro M1200 Open Radeon R9 M290X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Quadro M1200	Radeon R9 M290X
1080p
low	79 FPS	112 FPS
medium	49 FPS	84 FPS
high	37 FPS	64 FPS
ultra	22 FPS	40 FPS
1440p
low	36 FPS	64 FPS
medium	27 FPS	43 FPS
high	17 FPS	32 FPS
ultra	12 FPS	22 FPS
4K
low	12 FPS	24 FPS
medium	9 FPS	16 FPS
high	8 FPS	13 FPS
ultra	5 FPS	9 FPS

Open Quadro M1200 Open Radeon R9 M290X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Quadro M1200	Radeon R9 M290X
1080p
low	145 FPS	145 FPS
medium	116 FPS	116 FPS
high	96 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	72 FPS	72 FPS
1440p
low	108 FPS	109 FPS
medium	87 FPS	87 FPS
high	72 FPS	72 FPS
ultra	54 FPS	54 FPS
4K
low	72 FPS	72 FPS
medium	58 FPS	58 FPS
high	48 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	36 FPS

Open Quadro M1200 Open Radeon R9 M290X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Quadro M1200	Radeon R9 M290X
1080p
low	145 FPS	142 FPS
medium	116 FPS	113 FPS
high	96 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	72 FPS	72 FPS
1440p
low	108 FPS	103 FPS
medium	87 FPS	84 FPS
high	72 FPS	72 FPS
ultra	54 FPS	54 FPS
4K
low	71 FPS	60 FPS
medium	56 FPS	46 FPS
high	46 FPS	36 FPS
ultra	35 FPS	25 FPS

Open Quadro M1200 Open Radeon R9 M290X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Quadro M1200 and Radeon R9 M290X

Quadro M1200

The Quadro M1200 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 11 2017. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 1093 MHz to 1150 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 45W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,212 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 Quadro M1200 scores 3,212 and the Radeon R9 M290X reaches 3,218 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Quadro M1200 is built on Maxwell while the Radeon R9 M290X uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 640 (Quadro M1200) vs 1,280 (Radeon R9 M290X). Raw compute: 1.399 TFLOPS (Quadro M1200) vs 2.304 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 M290X). Boost clocks: 1150 MHz vs 900 MHz.

Feature	Quadro M1200	Radeon R9 M290X
G3D Mark Score	3,212	3,218
Architecture	Maxwell	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	640	1280+100%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.399 TFLOPS	2.304 TFLOPS+65%
Boost Clock	1150 MHz+28%	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	Quadro M1200	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)

Both cards feature 4 GB of GDDR5. Bus width: 64-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (Quadro M1200) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon R9 M290X) — the Quadro M1200 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Quadro M1200	Radeon R9 M290X
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	64-bit	128-bit+100%
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Quadro M1200 draws 45W versus the Radeon R9 M290X's 100W — a 75.9% difference. The Quadro M1200 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Quadro M1200) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M290X). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs Mobile.

Feature	Quadro M1200	Radeon R9 M290X
TDP	45W-55%	100W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	Mobile
Slots	0	—
Temp (Load)	82°C	—
Perf/Watt	71.4+122%	32.2

💰

Value Analysis

The Quadro M1200 launched at $0 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 M290X launched at $400. The Quadro M1200 costs 100+% less ($400 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): Infinity (Quadro M1200) vs 8.0 (Radeon R9 M290X) — the Quadro M1200 offers Infinity% better value. The Quadro M1200 is the newer GPU (2017 vs 2014).