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 290

2013

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 480 across 45 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
74.2% HIGHER MSRP
$399 MSRPvs$229 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 20.5 vs 37.3 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).

Radeon RX 480

2016

Why buy it

✅16.6% more average FPS across 45 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $170 less on MSRP ($229 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Delivers 81.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 37.3 vs 20.5 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
✅Draws 150W instead of 275W, a 125W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Radeon R9 290

2013

Radeon RX 480

2016

Why buy it

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

Why buy it

✅16.6% more average FPS across 45 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $170 less on MSRP ($229 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Delivers 81.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 37.3 vs 20.5 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
✅Draws 150W instead of 275W, a 125W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 480 across 45 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
74.2% HIGHER MSRP
$399 MSRPvs$229 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 20.5 vs 37.3 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon RX 480 better than Radeon R9 290?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. Radeon RX 480 averages 16.6% more FPS across 45 tracked games in our benchmark data. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 8,184 vs 8,546 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer Radeon RX 480 is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, FSR upscaling, plus much lower power draw (150W vs 275W).

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

Radeon R9 290 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 RX 480 is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. Radeon RX 480 is about $170 cheaper on MSRP at $229 MSRP versus $399 MSRP, and you are getting 16.6% more estimated average FPS across 45 tracked games in our benchmark data and 4.4% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 81.9%. Radeon R9 290 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 290 make more sense than Radeon RX 480?

Yes. Radeon R9 290 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 $399 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Radeon RX 480. The trade-off is that Radeon RX 480 currently gives you 4.4% higher G3D Mark and 16.6% more estimated average FPS across 45 tracked games in our benchmark data. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 81.9%.

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 290 Benchmark Check

Radeon RX 480 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Radeon R9 290	Radeon RX 480
1080p
low	83 FPS	104 FPS
medium	71 FPS	88 FPS
high	59 FPS	75 FPS
ultra	39 FPS	50 FPS
1440p
low	72 FPS	90 FPS
medium	64 FPS	75 FPS
high	47 FPS	57 FPS
ultra	30 FPS	37 FPS
4K
low	26 FPS	36 FPS
medium	25 FPS	32 FPS
high	17 FPS	21 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	17 FPS

Open Radeon R9 290 Open Radeon RX 480

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Radeon R9 290	Radeon RX 480
1080p
low	185 FPS	149 FPS
medium	156 FPS	129 FPS
high	129 FPS	111 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	86 FPS
1440p
low	132 FPS	89 FPS
medium	103 FPS	71 FPS
high	83 FPS	56 FPS
ultra	64 FPS	43 FPS
4K
low	60 FPS	37 FPS
medium	49 FPS	30 FPS
high	44 FPS	24 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	19 FPS

Open Radeon R9 290 Open Radeon RX 480

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Radeon R9 290	Radeon RX 480
1080p
low	368 FPS	385 FPS
medium	295 FPS	308 FPS
high	246 FPS	256 FPS
ultra	184 FPS	192 FPS
1440p
low	276 FPS	288 FPS
medium	221 FPS	231 FPS
high	184 FPS	192 FPS
ultra	138 FPS	144 FPS
4K
low	184 FPS	192 FPS
medium	147 FPS	154 FPS
high	123 FPS	128 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	96 FPS

Open Radeon R9 290 Open Radeon RX 480

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Radeon R9 290	Radeon RX 480
1080p
low	152 FPS	247 FPS
medium	123 FPS	214 FPS
high	105 FPS	174 FPS
ultra	87 FPS	148 FPS
1440p
low	110 FPS	188 FPS
medium	90 FPS	165 FPS
high	78 FPS	129 FPS
ultra	62 FPS	107 FPS
4K
low	64 FPS	104 FPS
medium	49 FPS	84 FPS
high	39 FPS	66 FPS
ultra	28 FPS	53 FPS

Open Radeon R9 290 Open Radeon RX 480

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon R9 290 and Radeon RX 480

Radeon R9 290

The Radeon R9 290 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 5 2013. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 947 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 275W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,184 points. Launch price was $399.

Radeon RX 480

The Radeon RX 480 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 29 2016. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1120 MHz to 1266 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,546 points. Launch price was $229.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 290 scores 8,184 and the Radeon RX 480 reaches 8,546 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 290 is built on GCN 2.0 while the Radeon RX 480 uses GCN 4.0, both on 28 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (Radeon R9 290) vs 2,304 (Radeon RX 480). Raw compute: 4.849 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290) vs 5.834 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 480).

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon RX 480
G3D Mark Score	8,184	8,546+4%
Architecture	GCN 2.0	GCN 4.0
Process Node	28 nm	14 nm
Shading Units	2560+11%	2304
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.849 TFLOPS	5.834 TFLOPS+20%
ROPs	64+100%	32
TMUs	160+11%	144
L1 Cache	640 KB+11%	576 KB
L2 Cache	1 MB	2 MB+100%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon RX 480
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)

The Radeon R9 290 comes with 4 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon RX 480 has 8 GB. The Radeon RX 480 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 320 GB/s (Radeon R9 290) vs 256 GB/s (Radeon RX 480) — a 25% advantage for the Radeon R9 290. Bus width: 512-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 1 MB (Radeon R9 290) vs 2 MB (Radeon RX 480) — the Radeon RX 480 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon RX 480
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	8 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	320 GB/s+25%	256 GB/s
Bus Width	512-bit+100%	256-bit
L2 Cache	1 MB	2 MB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.0 (Radeon R9 290) vs 12.0 (Radeon RX 480). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon RX 480
DirectX	12.0	12.0
Vulkan	1.2	1.3+8%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	6+50%	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290) vs VCE 3.4 (Radeon RX 480). Decoder: UVD 4.2 vs UVD 6.3. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (Radeon RX 480).

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon RX 480
Encoder	VCE 2.0	VCE 3.4
Decoder	UVD 4.2	UVD 6.3
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 290 draws 275W versus the Radeon RX 480's 150W — a 58.8% difference. The Radeon RX 480 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (Radeon R9 290) vs 500W (Radeon RX 480). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 275mm vs 240mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 95°C vs 85°C.

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon RX 480
TDP	275W	150W-45%
Recommended PSU	750W	500W-33%
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	8-pin
Length	275mm	240mm
Height	109mm	95mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	95°C	85°C-11%
Perf/Watt	29.8	57.0+91%

💰

Value Analysis

The Radeon R9 290 launched at $399 MSRP, while the Radeon RX 480 launched at $229. The Radeon RX 480 costs 42.6% less ($170 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 20.5 (Radeon R9 290) vs 37.3 (Radeon RX 480) — the Radeon RX 480 offers 82% better value. The Radeon RX 480 is the newer GPU (2016 vs 2013).