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.

FirePro D300

2014

Why buy it

✅Costs $499 less on MSRP ($500 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
✅Delivers 106.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 11.4 vs 5.5 G3D/$ ($500 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Draws 150W instead of 300W, a 150W reduction.
✅Measures 242mm instead of 279mm, a 37mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

GeForce GTX 690

2012

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
99.8% HIGHER MSRP
$999 MSRPvs$500 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.5 vs 11.4 G3D/$ ($999 MSRP vs $500 MSRP).
❌100% higher power demand at 300W vs 150W.

FirePro D300

2014

GeForce GTX 690

2012

Why buy it

✅Costs $499 less on MSRP ($500 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
✅Delivers 106.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 11.4 vs 5.5 G3D/$ ($500 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Draws 150W instead of 300W, a 150W reduction.
✅Measures 242mm instead of 279mm, a 37mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2012-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
99.8% HIGHER MSRP
$999 MSRPvs$500 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.5 vs 11.4 G3D/$ ($999 MSRP vs $500 MSRP).
❌100% higher power demand at 300W vs 150W.

Quick Answers

So, is FirePro D300 better than GeForce GTX 690?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 5,722 vs 5,536 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer FirePro D300 is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, no meaningful modern upscaling stack, plus much lower power draw (150W vs 300W).

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

FirePro D300 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2014 generation instead of 2012 and more VRAM at 4 GB instead of 2 GB. That extra memory headroom makes it the safer pick for newer games, heavier textures, and higher settings over time.

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

FirePro D300 can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $500 MSRP. FirePro D300 is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. FirePro D300 is about $499 cheaper on MSRP at $500 MSRP versus $999 MSRP, and you are getting 3.4% higher G3D Mark. Moving to $500 MSRP gets you newer hardware, lower power draw (150W vs 300W), and no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

Is GeForce GTX 690 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. GeForce GTX 690 is still a strong gaming card in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. Price is really the swing factor here. If you find it at or below $999 MSRP, it remains a very sensible buy. FirePro D300 is still the safer recommendation for most fresh builds because it offers a cleaner overall package with newer hardware and no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

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.

FirePro D300 Benchmark Check

GeForce GTX 690 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	FirePro D300	GeForce GTX 690
1080p
low	103 FPS	99 FPS
medium	88 FPS	81 FPS
high	71 FPS	62 FPS
ultra	42 FPS	37 FPS
1440p
low	90 FPS	83 FPS
medium	77 FPS	69 FPS
high	56 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	27 FPS
4K
low	28 FPS	27 FPS
medium	27 FPS	25 FPS
high	18 FPS	16 FPS
ultra	15 FPS	14 FPS

Open FirePro D300 Open GeForce GTX 690

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	FirePro D300	GeForce GTX 690
1080p
low	158 FPS	126 FPS
medium	118 FPS	94 FPS
high	85 FPS	72 FPS
ultra	57 FPS	48 FPS
1440p
low	106 FPS	69 FPS
medium	74 FPS	47 FPS
high	56 FPS	35 FPS
ultra	40 FPS	24 FPS
4K
low	52 FPS	24 FPS
medium	37 FPS	16 FPS
high	30 FPS	13 FPS
ultra	20 FPS	9 FPS

Open FirePro D300 Open GeForce GTX 690

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	FirePro D300	GeForce GTX 690
1080p
low	257 FPS	249 FPS
medium	206 FPS	199 FPS
high	172 FPS	166 FPS
ultra	129 FPS	125 FPS
1440p
low	193 FPS	187 FPS
medium	154 FPS	149 FPS
high	129 FPS	125 FPS
ultra	97 FPS	93 FPS
4K
low	129 FPS	125 FPS
medium	103 FPS	100 FPS
high	86 FPS	83 FPS
ultra	64 FPS	62 FPS

Open FirePro D300 Open GeForce GTX 690

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	FirePro D300	GeForce GTX 690
1080p
low	180 FPS	154 FPS
medium	146 FPS	125 FPS
high	128 FPS	112 FPS
ultra	99 FPS	87 FPS
1440p
low	126 FPS	113 FPS
medium	104 FPS	93 FPS
high	92 FPS	84 FPS
ultra	67 FPS	60 FPS
4K
low	73 FPS	66 FPS
medium	56 FPS	52 FPS
high	45 FPS	42 FPS
ultra	31 FPS	28 FPS

Open FirePro D300 Open GeForce GTX 690

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of FirePro D300 and GeForce GTX 690

FirePro D300

The FirePro D300 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 18 2014. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,722 points.

GeForce GTX 690

The GeForce GTX 690 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 3 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 915 MHz to 1019 MHz. It has 3072 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,536 points. Launch price was $999.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The FirePro D300 scores 5,722 and the GeForce GTX 690 reaches 5,536 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FirePro D300 is built on GCN 1.0 while the GeForce GTX 690 uses Kepler, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,280 (FirePro D300) vs 3,072 (GeForce GTX 690). Raw compute: 2.176 TFLOPS (FirePro D300) vs 3.13 TFLOPS ×2 (GeForce GTX 690).

Feature	FirePro D300	GeForce GTX 690
G3D Mark Score	5,722+3%	5,536
Architecture	GCN 1.0	Kepler
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1280	3072 ×2+140%
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.176 TFLOPS	3.13 TFLOPS ×2+44%
ROPs	32	32 ×2
TMUs	80	128 ×2+60%
L1 Cache	320 KB+150%	128 KB
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 690 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The FirePro D300 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	FirePro D300	GeForce GTX 690
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	Standard	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The FirePro D300 comes with 4 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce GTX 690 has 2 GB. The FirePro D300 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 128-bit vs 256-bit x2.

Feature	FirePro D300	GeForce GTX 690
VRAM Capacity	4 GB+100%	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Bus Width	128-bit	256-bit x2+100%
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (FirePro D300) vs 12_0 (GeForce GTX 690). Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.

Feature	FirePro D300	GeForce GTX 690
DirectX	12	12_0
Max Displays	6+50%	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 1.0 (FirePro D300) vs NVENC 1st Gen (GeForce GTX 690). Decoder: UVD 4.0 vs VP5.

Feature	FirePro D300	GeForce GTX 690
Encoder	VCE 1.0	NVENC 1st Gen
Decoder	UVD 4.0	VP5
Codecs	H.264,MPEG-4,MPEG-2,VC-1	—

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro D300 draws 150W versus the GeForce GTX 690's 300W — a 66.7% difference. The FirePro D300 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro D300) vs 650W (GeForce GTX 690). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 2x 8-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 279mm, occupying 1 vs 2 slots.

Feature	FirePro D300	GeForce GTX 690
TDP	150W-50%	300W
Recommended PSU	350W-46%	650W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	2x 8-pin
Length	242mm	279mm
Height	111mm	—
Slots	1-50%	2
Temp (Load)	80°C	—
Perf/Watt	38.1+106%	18.5

💰

Value Analysis

The FirePro D300 launched at $500 MSRP, while the GeForce GTX 690 launched at $999. The FirePro D300 costs 49.9% less ($499 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 11.4 (FirePro D300) vs 5.5 (GeForce GTX 690) — the FirePro D300 offers 107.3% better value. The FirePro D300 is the newer GPU (2014 vs 2012).