CMP 40HX vs Radeon R9 290X

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.

CMP 40HX vs Radeon R9 290X FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

CMP 40HX vs Radeon R9 290X: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

CMP 40HX

2021

Why buy it

✅Better long-term bet: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
✅Draws 185W instead of 350W, a 165W reduction.
✅Measures 229mm instead of 275mm, a 46mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌
27.3% HIGHER MSRP
$699 MSRPvs$549 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 12.5 vs 15.3 G3D/$ ($699 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).

Radeon R9 290X

2013

Why buy it

✅Costs $150 less on MSRP ($549 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅Delivers 22.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 15.3 vs 12.5 G3D/$ ($549 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌2013 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌89.2% higher power demand at 350W vs 185W.
❌20.1% longer card at 275mm vs 229mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

CMP 40HX is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 3.8% in PassMark G3D (8,749 vs 8,426), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

CMP 40HX is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 12nm process instead of 28nm, 36 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2021 generation instead of 2013. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon R9 290X makes the most sense to buy today. It is $150 cheaper on MSRP at $549 vs $699, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 22.6% (15.3 vs 12.5), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R9 290X is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, CMP 40HX has the stronger long-term case.

CMP 40HX vs Radeon R9 290X Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

CMP 40HX

The CMP 40HX is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in February 25 2021. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1470 MHz to 1650 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 185W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. It features 36 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,749 points. Launch price was $699.

Radeon R9 290X

The Radeon R9 290X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 24 2013. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 947 MHz. It has 2816 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 350W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,426 points. Launch price was $549.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The CMP 40HX scores 8,749 and the Radeon R9 290X reaches 8,426 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The CMP 40HX is built on Turing while the Radeon R9 290X uses GCN 2.0, both on 12 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,304 (CMP 40HX) vs 2,816 (Radeon R9 290X). Raw compute: 7.603 TFLOPS (CMP 40HX) vs 5.632 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290X). Boost clocks: 1650 MHz vs 947 MHz.

Feature	CMP 40HX	Radeon R9 290X
G3D Mark Score	8,749+4%	8,426
Architecture	Turing	GCN 2.0
Process Node	12 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2304	2816+22%
Compute (TFLOPS)	7.603 TFLOPS+35%	5.632 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1650 MHz+74%	947 MHz
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	144	176+22%
L1 Cache	2.3 MB+233%	0.69 MB
L2 Cache	4 MB+300%	1 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	CMP 40HX	Radeon R9 290X
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	Standard	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 4 GB of video memory. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the CMP 40HX and 512-bit on the Radeon R9 290X. L2 Cache: 4 MB (CMP 40HX) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 290X) — the CMP 40HX has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	CMP 40HX	Radeon R9 290X
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Bus Width	128-bit	512-bit+300%
L2 Cache	4 MB+300%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (CMP 40HX) vs 12.0 (Radeon R9 290X). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 0 vs 6.

Feature	CMP 40HX	Radeon R9 290X
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12.0
Vulkan	1.2+9%	1.1
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	0	6

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (CMP 40HX) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290X). Decoder: No vs UVD 4.2.

Feature	CMP 40HX	Radeon R9 290X
Encoder	No	VCE 2.0
Decoder	No	UVD 4.2
Codecs		MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The CMP 40HX draws 185W versus the Radeon R9 290X's 350W — a 61.7% difference. The CMP 40HX is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (CMP 40HX) vs 750W (Radeon R9 290X). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 229mm vs 275mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 95°C.

Feature	CMP 40HX	Radeon R9 290X
TDP	185W-47%	350W
Recommended PSU	500W-33%	750W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	229mm	275mm
Height	111mm	109mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	80°C-16%	95°C
Perf/Watt	47.3+96%	24.1

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the CMP 40HX came in at $699, while the Radeon R9 290X launched at $549. On MSRP, Radeon R9 290X was 21.5% cheaper ($150 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 12.5 (CMP 40HX) vs 15.3 (Radeon R9 290X) — the Radeon R9 290X offers 22.4% better value. The newer card here is CMP 40HX (2021 vs 2013).

Feature	CMP 40HX	Radeon R9 290X
MSRP	$699	$549-21%
Performance per Dollar	12.5	15.3+22%
Codename	TU106	Hawaii
Release	February 25 2021	October 24 2013
Ranking	#302	#342

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