Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire vs Radeon Ryzen 7 6800HS

AMD

Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire

2014Core: 850 MHzBoost: 900 MHz

Popular choices:

VS
AMD

Radeon Ryzen 7 6800HS

2022Core: 1800 MHzBoost: 2100 MHz

Popular choices:

Performance Spectrum - GPU

About G3D Mark

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 Crossfire

2014

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon Ryzen 7 6800HS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
  • 33.3% HIGHER MSRP
    $800 MSRPvs$600 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 7.5 vs 10.0 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs $600 MSRP).
  • 100% higher power demand at 200W vs 100W.

Radeon Ryzen 7 6800HS

2022

Why buy it

  • 97.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $200 less on MSRP ($600 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
  • Delivers 33.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 10.0 vs 7.5 G3D/$ ($600 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
  • More future proof: RDNA 2.0 (2020−2025) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
  • Draws 100W instead of 200W, a 100W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon Ryzen 7 6800HS better than Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire?
Yes. Radeon Ryzen 7 6800HS is clearly the better overall GPU here. Radeon Ryzen 7 6800HS averages 97.0% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 6,012 vs 6,000 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Radeon Ryzen 7 6800HS is a 2022 card with FSR upscaling, while Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire is a 2014 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.
Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon Ryzen 7 6800HS is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2022 generation instead of 2014, 100.0% more ray-tracing hardware, and a 7nm process instead of 28nm. That makes it the safer long-run choice for modern games.
Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?
Radeon Ryzen 7 6800HS is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. Radeon Ryzen 7 6800HS is about $200 cheaper on MSRP at $600 MSRP versus $800 MSRP, and you are getting 97.0% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 0.2% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 33.6%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.
Is Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire still worth buying for gaming in 2026?
Yes. Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around $800 MSRP, even if Radeon Ryzen 7 6800HS is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

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.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

PresetRadeon R9 M290X CrossfireRadeon Ryzen 7 6800HS
1080p
low38 FPS126 FPS
medium32 FPS113 FPS
high22 FPS98 FPS
ultra14 FPS83 FPS
1440p
low31 FPS108 FPS
medium24 FPS92 FPS
high15 FPS80 FPS
ultra9 FPS71 FPS
4K
low11 FPS58 FPS
medium9 FPS52 FPS
high6 FPS45 FPS
ultra5 FPS40 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetRadeon R9 M290X CrossfireRadeon Ryzen 7 6800HS
1080p
low103 FPS271 FPS
medium74 FPS216 FPS
high53 FPS178 FPS
ultra35 FPS135 FPS
1440p
low56 FPS179 FPS
medium34 FPS148 FPS
high23 FPS118 FPS
ultra17 FPS95 FPS
4K
low20 FPS96 FPS
medium13 FPS79 FPS
high10 FPS67 FPS
ultra8 FPS51 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetRadeon R9 M290X CrossfireRadeon Ryzen 7 6800HS
1080p
low270 FPS271 FPS
medium216 FPS216 FPS
high180 FPS180 FPS
ultra135 FPS135 FPS
1440p
low202 FPS203 FPS
medium162 FPS162 FPS
high135 FPS135 FPS
ultra101 FPS101 FPS
4K
low135 FPS135 FPS
medium108 FPS108 FPS
high90 FPS90 FPS
ultra68 FPS68 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetRadeon R9 M290X CrossfireRadeon Ryzen 7 6800HS
1080p
low118 FPS271 FPS
medium92 FPS216 FPS
high63 FPS180 FPS
ultra42 FPS135 FPS
1440p
low72 FPS203 FPS
medium52 FPS162 FPS
high39 FPS135 FPS
ultra27 FPS101 FPS
4K
low38 FPS129 FPS
medium27 FPS102 FPS
high20 FPS90 FPS
ultra14 FPS68 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire and Radeon Ryzen 7 6800HS

AMD

Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire

The Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 1 2014. It features the GCN architecture. The core clock ranges from 850 MHz to 900 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,000 points.

AMD

Radeon Ryzen 7 6800HS

The Radeon Ryzen 7 6800HS is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 4 2022. It features the RDNA 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1800 MHz to 2100 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. It features 32 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,012 points.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire scores 6,000 and the Radeon Ryzen 7 6800HS reaches 6,012 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire is built on GCN while the Radeon Ryzen 7 6800HS uses RDNA 2.0, both on 28 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire) vs 2,048 (Radeon Ryzen 7 6800HS). Boost clocks: 900 MHz vs 2100 MHz.

FeatureRadeon R9 M290X CrossfireRadeon Ryzen 7 6800HS
G3D Mark Score
6,000
6,012
Architecture
GCN
RDNA 2.0
Process Node
28 nm
7 nm
Shading Units
2560+25%
2048
Boost Clock
900 MHz
2100 MHz+133%
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling
FSR upscaling + RSR

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon R9 M290X CrossfireRadeon Ryzen 7 6800HS
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 video memory. Bus width: 512-bit (Dual) vs System.

FeatureRadeon R9 M290X CrossfireRadeon Ryzen 7 6800HS
VRAM Capacity
4 GB
4 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
Shared
Memory Bandwidth
307.2 GB/s (Dual)
System
Bus Width
512-bit (Dual)
System
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire draws 200W versus the Radeon Ryzen 7 6800HS's 100W — a 66.7% difference. The Radeon Ryzen 7 6800HS is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire) vs 350W (Radeon Ryzen 7 6800HS). Power connectors: Mobile vs PCIe-powered.

FeatureRadeon R9 M290X CrossfireRadeon Ryzen 7 6800HS
TDP
200W
100W-50%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
Mobile
PCIe-powered
Length
1mm
Slots
0
Perf/Watt
30.0
60.1+100%
💰

Value Analysis

The Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire launched at $800 MSRP, while the Radeon Ryzen 7 6800HS launched at $600. The Radeon Ryzen 7 6800HS costs 25% less ($200 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 7.5 (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire) vs 10.0 (Radeon Ryzen 7 6800HS) — the Radeon Ryzen 7 6800HS offers 33.3% better value. The Radeon Ryzen 7 6800HS is the newer GPU (2022 vs 2014).

FeatureRadeon R9 M290X CrossfireRadeon Ryzen 7 6800HS
MSRP
$800
$600-25%
Performance per Dollar
7.5
10.0+33%
Codename
Neptune CF
Navi 23
Release
March 1 2014
January 4 2022
Ranking
#348
#135