Radeon R9 M290X vs Radeon R9 M470X

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 M290X

2014

Why buy it

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

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.
❌
14.3% HIGHER MSRP
$400 MSRPvs$350 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 8.0 vs 9.3 G3D/$ ($400 MSRP vs $350 MSRP).
❌33.3% higher power demand at 100W vs 75W.

Radeon R9 M470X

2016

Why buy it

✅Costs $50 less on MSRP ($350 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅Delivers 15.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 9.3 vs 8.0 G3D/$ ($350 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅Draws 75W instead of 100W, a 25W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

Radeon R9 M290X

2014

Radeon R9 M470X

2016

Why buy it

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

Why buy it

✅Costs $50 less on MSRP ($350 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅Delivers 15.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 9.3 vs 8.0 G3D/$ ($350 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅Draws 75W instead of 100W, a 25W 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.
❌
14.3% HIGHER MSRP
$400 MSRPvs$350 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 8.0 vs 9.3 G3D/$ ($400 MSRP vs $350 MSRP).
❌33.3% higher power demand at 100W vs 75W.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2016-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 M470X 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 3,218 vs 3,244 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer Radeon R9 M470X is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, FSR upscaling, plus much lower power draw (75W vs 100W).

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

Radeon R9 M290X is the safer long-term GPU choice because it gives you the stronger overall hardware and feature outlook for modern games.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

Radeon R9 M470X can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $350 MSRP. Radeon R9 M470X is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. Radeon R9 M470X is about $50 cheaper on MSRP at $350 MSRP versus $400 MSRP, and you are getting 0.8% higher G3D Mark. Radeon R9 M290X is the more forward-looking alternative, so it still has a real case if you care more about future-proofing than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

When does Radeon R9 M290X make more sense than Radeon R9 M470X?

Yes. Radeon R9 M290X 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 future-proofing and staying closer to $400 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Radeon R9 M470X. The trade-off is that Radeon R9 M470X currently gives you 0.8% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 15.2%.

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 M290X Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 M470X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Radeon R9 M290X	Radeon R9 M470X
1080p
low	78 FPS	50 FPS
medium	67 FPS	33 FPS
high	53 FPS	23 FPS
ultra	35 FPS	11 FPS
1440p
low	69 FPS	35 FPS
medium	59 FPS	21 FPS
high	42 FPS	11 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	6 FPS
4K
low	24 FPS	11 FPS
medium	23 FPS	8 FPS
high	15 FPS	4 FPS
ultra	13 FPS	3 FPS

Open Radeon R9 M290X Open Radeon R9 M470X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Radeon R9 M290X	Radeon R9 M470X
1080p
low	112 FPS	60 FPS
medium	84 FPS	33 FPS
high	64 FPS	24 FPS
ultra	40 FPS	16 FPS
1440p
low	64 FPS	30 FPS
medium	43 FPS	17 FPS
high	32 FPS	10 FPS
ultra	22 FPS	8 FPS
4K
low	24 FPS	8 FPS
medium	16 FPS	5 FPS
high	13 FPS	4 FPS
ultra	9 FPS	3 FPS

Open Radeon R9 M290X Open Radeon R9 M470X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Radeon R9 M290X	Radeon R9 M470X
1080p
low	145 FPS	146 FPS
medium	116 FPS	117 FPS
high	97 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	72 FPS	73 FPS
1440p
low	109 FPS	109 FPS
medium	87 FPS	88 FPS
high	72 FPS	73 FPS
ultra	54 FPS	55 FPS
4K
low	72 FPS	73 FPS
medium	58 FPS	58 FPS
high	48 FPS	49 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	36 FPS

Open Radeon R9 M290X Open Radeon R9 M470X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Radeon R9 M290X	Radeon R9 M470X
1080p
low	142 FPS	146 FPS
medium	113 FPS	117 FPS
high	97 FPS	92 FPS
ultra	72 FPS	67 FPS
1440p
low	103 FPS	78 FPS
medium	84 FPS	62 FPS
high	72 FPS	53 FPS
ultra	54 FPS	36 FPS
4K
low	60 FPS	43 FPS
medium	46 FPS	32 FPS
high	36 FPS	27 FPS
ultra	25 FPS	18 FPS

Open Radeon R9 M290X Open Radeon R9 M470X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon R9 M290X and Radeon R9 M470X

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.

Radeon R9 M470X

The Radeon R9 M470X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 15 2016. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1000 MHz to 1100 MHz. It has 896 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,244 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 M290X scores 3,218 and the Radeon R9 M470X reaches 3,244 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 M290X is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon R9 M470X uses GCN 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,280 (Radeon R9 M290X) vs 896 (Radeon R9 M470X). Raw compute: 2.304 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 M290X) vs 1.971 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 M470X). Boost clocks: 900 MHz vs 1100 MHz.

Feature	Radeon R9 M290X	Radeon R9 M470X
G3D Mark Score	3,218	3,244
Architecture	GCN 1.0	GCN 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1280+43%	896
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.304 TFLOPS+17%	1.971 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	900 MHz	1100 MHz+22%
ROPs	32+100%	16
TMUs	80+43%	56
L1 Cache	320 KB+43%	224 KB
L2 Cache	512 KB+100%	256 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon R9 M290X	Radeon R9 M470X
Upscaling Tech	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	AMD Anti-Lag	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 4 GB of GDDR5. Bus width: 128-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 512 KB (Radeon R9 M290X) vs 256 KB (Radeon R9 M470X) — the Radeon R9 M290X has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon R9 M290X	Radeon R9 M470X
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	512 KB+100%	256 KB

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 M290X draws 100W versus the Radeon R9 M470X's 75W — a 28.6% difference. The Radeon R9 M470X is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon R9 M290X) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M470X). Power connectors: Mobile vs Mobile.

Feature	Radeon R9 M290X	Radeon R9 M470X
TDP	100W	75W-25%
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	Mobile	Mobile
Perf/Watt	32.2	43.3+34%

💰

Value Analysis

The Radeon R9 M290X launched at $400 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 M470X launched at $350. The Radeon R9 M470X costs 12.5% less ($50 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 8.0 (Radeon R9 M290X) vs 9.3 (Radeon R9 M470X) — the Radeon R9 M470X offers 16.3% better value. The Radeon R9 M470X is the newer GPU (2016 vs 2014).