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.

GeForce RTX 3060

2021

Why buy it

✅89.8% more average FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $70 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Delivers 151.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 20.5 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 4 GB).

Trade-offs

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

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 GeForce RTX 3060 across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
21.3% HIGHER MSRP
$399 MSRPvs$329 MSRP

GeForce RTX 3060

2021

Radeon R9 290

2013

Why buy it

✅89.8% more average FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $70 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Delivers 151.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 20.5 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 4 GB).

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
21.3% HIGHER MSRP
$399 MSRPvs$329 MSRP

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3060 better than Radeon R9 290?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3060 is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 3060 averages 89.8% more FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 16,995 vs 8,184 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3060 is a 2021 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Radeon R9 290 is a 2013 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?

GeForce RTX 3060 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2021 generation instead of 2013, 107.7% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 12 GB instead of 4 GB, and the stronger feature stack with DLSS Super Resolution instead of FSR upscaling. That leaves it with more room for heavier textures, tougher ray tracing loads, and higher-end 1440p or 4K gaming over the next few years.

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

GeForce RTX 3060 is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce RTX 3060 is about $70 cheaper on MSRP at $329 MSRP versus $399 MSRP, and you are getting 89.8% more estimated average FPS across 48 tracked games in our benchmark data and 107.7% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 151.8%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is Radeon R9 290 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon R9 290 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 $399 MSRP, even if GeForce RTX 3060 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.

GeForce RTX 3060 Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 290 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon R9 290
1080p
low	149 FPS	83 FPS
medium	131 FPS	71 FPS
high	118 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	99 FPS	39 FPS
1440p
low	126 FPS	72 FPS
medium	104 FPS	64 FPS
high	92 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	80 FPS	30 FPS
4K
low	67 FPS	26 FPS
medium	58 FPS	25 FPS
high	39 FPS	17 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	14 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open Radeon R9 290

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon R9 290
1080p
low	354 FPS	185 FPS
medium	310 FPS	156 FPS
high	249 FPS	129 FPS
ultra	195 FPS	100 FPS
1440p
low	222 FPS	132 FPS
medium	196 FPS	103 FPS
high	160 FPS	83 FPS
ultra	128 FPS	64 FPS
4K
low	110 FPS	60 FPS
medium	94 FPS	49 FPS
high	77 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	60 FPS	36 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open Radeon R9 290

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon R9 290
1080p
low	765 FPS	368 FPS
medium	612 FPS	295 FPS
high	510 FPS	246 FPS
ultra	382 FPS	184 FPS
1440p
low	535 FPS	276 FPS
medium	432 FPS	221 FPS
high	366 FPS	184 FPS
ultra	287 FPS	138 FPS
4K
low	367 FPS	184 FPS
medium	298 FPS	147 FPS
high	221 FPS	123 FPS
ultra	176 FPS	92 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open Radeon R9 290

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon R9 290
1080p
low	523 FPS	152 FPS
medium	452 FPS	123 FPS
high	383 FPS	105 FPS
ultra	319 FPS	87 FPS
1440p
low	428 FPS	110 FPS
medium	371 FPS	90 FPS
high	298 FPS	78 FPS
ultra	245 FPS	62 FPS
4K
low	279 FPS	64 FPS
medium	259 FPS	49 FPS
high	225 FPS	39 FPS
ultra	186 FPS	28 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3060 Open Radeon R9 290

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3060 and Radeon R9 290

GeForce RTX 3060

The GeForce RTX 3060 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 12 2021. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1320 MHz to 1777 MHz. It has 3584 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 170W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 28 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 16,995 points. Launch price was $329.

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.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3060 scores 16,995 versus the Radeon R9 290's 8,184 — the GeForce RTX 3060 leads by 107.7%. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the Radeon R9 290 uses GCN 2.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 290). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 4.849 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon R9 290
G3D Mark Score	16,995+108%	8,184
Architecture	Ampere	GCN 2.0
Process Node	8 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	3584+40%	2560
Compute (TFLOPS)	12.74 TFLOPS+163%	4.849 TFLOPS
ROPs	48	64+33%
TMUs	112	160+43%
L1 Cache	3.5 MB+456%	0.63 MB
L2 Cache	3 MB+200%	1 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3060 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon R9 290 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon R9 290
Upscaling Tech	DLSS 2 Super Resolution	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 3060 comes with 12 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 290 has 4 GB. The GeForce RTX 3060 offers 200% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 360 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 320 GB/s (Radeon R9 290) — a 12.5% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3060. Bus width: 192-bit vs 512-bit. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 290) — the GeForce RTX 3060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon R9 290
VRAM Capacity	12 GB+200%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	360 GB/s+13%	320 GB/s
Bus Width	192-bit	512-bit+167%
L2 Cache	3 MB+200%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 12.0 (Radeon R9 290). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon R9 290
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12.0
Vulkan	1.3+8%	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	6+50%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th Gen (GeForce RTX 3060) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon R9 290
Encoder	NVENC 7th Gen	VCE 2.0
Decoder	NVDEC 5th Gen	UVD 4.2
Codecs	AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3060 draws 170W versus the Radeon R9 290's 275W — a 47.2% difference. The GeForce RTX 3060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 750W (Radeon R9 290). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 275mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 95°C.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3060	Radeon R9 290
TDP	170W-38%	275W
Recommended PSU	550W-27%	750W
Power Connector	8-pin	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	242mm	275mm
Height	112mm	109mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	75-21%	95°C
Perf/Watt	100.0+236%	29.8

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 3060 launched at $329 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 290 launched at $399. The GeForce RTX 3060 costs 17.5% less ($70 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 51.7 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 20.5 (Radeon R9 290) — the GeForce RTX 3060 offers 152.2% better value. The GeForce RTX 3060 is the newer GPU (2021 vs 2013).