GeForce RTX 4060 vs Radeon HD 8990

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 4060

2023

Why buy it

✅+274.9% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Costs $700 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1152.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 65.4 vs 5.2 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
✅166.7% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 3 GB).

Trade-offs

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

Radeon HD 8990

2013

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (5,214 vs 19,548).
❌Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
234.1% HIGHER MSRP
$999 MSRPvs$299 MSRP

GeForce RTX 4060

2023

Radeon HD 8990

2013

Why buy it

✅+274.9% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Costs $700 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1152.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 65.4 vs 5.2 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
✅166.7% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 3 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 PassMark G3D performance (5,214 vs 19,548).
❌Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
234.1% HIGHER MSRP
$999 MSRPvs$299 MSRP

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 4060 better than Radeon HD 8990?

Yes. GeForce RTX 4060 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 19,548 vs 5,214 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 4060 is a 2023 card with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation, while Radeon HD 8990 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 4060 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2023 generation instead of 2013, 274.9% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 3 GB, and better frame-generation support with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023) 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 4060 is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce RTX 4060 is about $700 cheaper on MSRP at $299 MSRP versus $999 MSRP, and you are getting 274.9% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 1152.6%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is Radeon HD 8990 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon HD 8990 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 $999 MSRP, even if GeForce RTX 4060 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 4060 Benchmark Check

Radeon HD 8990 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon HD 8990
1080p
low	167 FPS	100 FPS
medium	152 FPS	82 FPS
high	134 FPS	64 FPS
ultra	115 FPS	38 FPS
1440p
low	137 FPS	83 FPS
medium	114 FPS	70 FPS
high	99 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	90 FPS	28 FPS
4K
low	86 FPS	27 FPS
medium	74 FPS	26 FPS
high	62 FPS	16 FPS
ultra	55 FPS	14 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 4060 Open Radeon HD 8990

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon HD 8990
1080p
low	392 FPS	143 FPS
medium	334 FPS	118 FPS
high	268 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	211 FPS	71 FPS
1440p
low	240 FPS	88 FPS
medium	209 FPS	66 FPS
high	169 FPS	49 FPS
ultra	137 FPS	37 FPS
4K
low	119 FPS	37 FPS
medium	98 FPS	28 FPS
high	82 FPS	21 FPS
ultra	63 FPS	16 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 4060 Open Radeon HD 8990

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon HD 8990
1080p
low	812 FPS	235 FPS
medium	642 FPS	188 FPS
high	551 FPS	156 FPS
ultra	440 FPS	117 FPS
1440p
low	535 FPS	176 FPS
medium	443 FPS	141 FPS
high	379 FPS	117 FPS
ultra	329 FPS	88 FPS
4K
low	365 FPS	117 FPS
medium	297 FPS	94 FPS
high	234 FPS	78 FPS
ultra	186 FPS	59 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 4060 Open Radeon HD 8990

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon HD 8990
1080p
low	746 FPS	179 FPS
medium	613 FPS	145 FPS
high	536 FPS	130 FPS
ultra	440 FPS	101 FPS
1440p
low	594 FPS	127 FPS
medium	486 FPS	105 FPS
high	421 FPS	94 FPS
ultra	330 FPS	69 FPS
4K
low	358 FPS	75 FPS
medium	308 FPS	58 FPS
high	285 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	220 FPS	31 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 4060 Open Radeon HD 8990

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 4060 and Radeon HD 8990

GeForce RTX 4060

The GeForce RTX 4060 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 18 2023. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 1830 MHz to 2460 MHz. It has 3072 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 115W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 24 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 19,548 points. Launch price was $299.

Radeon HD 8990

The Radeon HD 8990 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 24 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 950 MHz to 1000 MHz. It has 2048 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 375W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,214 points. Launch price was $999.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 4060 scores 19,548 versus the Radeon HD 8990's 5,214 — the GeForce RTX 4060 leads by 274.9%. The GeForce RTX 4060 is built on Ada Lovelace while the Radeon HD 8990 uses GCN 1.0, both on 5 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 3,072 (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 2,048 (Radeon HD 8990). Raw compute: 15.11 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 4.096 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 8990). Boost clocks: 2460 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon HD 8990
G3D Mark Score	19,548+275%	5,214
Architecture	Ada Lovelace	GCN 1.0
Process Node	5 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	3072+50%	2048 ×2
Compute (TFLOPS)	15.11 TFLOPS+269%	4.096 TFLOPS ×2
Boost Clock	2460 MHz+146%	1000 MHz
ROPs	48+50%	32 ×2
TMUs	96	128 ×2+33%
L1 Cache	3 MB+500%	0.5 MB
L2 Cache	24 MB+3100%	0.75 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the GeForce RTX 4060 is support for DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation. This allows it to generate entire frames using AI/Algorithms, essentially doubling the frame rate in CPU-bound scenarios or heavy ray-tracing titles. The Radeon HD 8990 lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.The GeForce RTX 4060 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon HD 8990 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon HD 8990
Upscaling Tech	DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	Yes (DLSS 3.5)	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 4060 comes with 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 8990 has 3 GB. The GeForce RTX 4060 offers 166.7% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 272 GB/s (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 288 GB/s x2 (Radeon HD 8990) — a 959.6% advantage for the Radeon HD 8990. Bus width: 128-bit vs 384-bit x2. L2 Cache: 24 MB (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 0.75 MB (Radeon HD 8990) — the GeForce RTX 4060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon HD 8990
VRAM Capacity	8 GB+167%	3 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	272 GB/s	288 GB/s x2+6%
Bus Width	128-bit	384-bit x2+200%
L2 Cache	24 MB+3100%	0.75 MB

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 4060 draws 115W versus the Radeon HD 8990's 375W — a 106.1% difference. The GeForce RTX 4060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 750W (Radeon HD 8990). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 2x 8-pin.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060	Radeon HD 8990
TDP	115W-69%	375W
Recommended PSU	550W-27%	750W
Power Connector	8-pin	2x 8-pin
Length	240mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	—
Temp (Load)	73°C	—
Perf/Watt	170.0+1123%	13.9

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 4060 launched at $299 MSRP, while the Radeon HD 8990 launched at $999. The GeForce RTX 4060 costs 70.1% less ($700 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 65.4 (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 5.2 (Radeon HD 8990) — the GeForce RTX 4060 offers 1157.7% better value. The GeForce RTX 4060 is the newer GPU (2023 vs 2013).