GeForce 205 vs Radeon HD 7290M

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.

GeForce 205 vs Radeon HD 7290M 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.

GeForce 205 vs Radeon HD 7290M: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

GeForce 205

2019

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 2.5 vs 0 G3D/$ ($50 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Radeon HD 7290M is already obsolete for modern gaming, so GeForce 205 is the less risky modern option long term.
✅Draws 10W instead of 100W, a 90W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7290M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2019 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.

Radeon HD 7290M

2012

Why buy it

✅4.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌2012 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 2.5 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $50 MSRP).
❌900% higher power demand at 100W vs 10W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 7290M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 4.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce 205 instead at 126 vs 123, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.

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

GeForce 205 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 14nm process instead of 28nm and a newer 2019 generation instead of 2012. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce 205 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. Radeon HD 7290M still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce 205 vs Radeon HD 7290M Technical Specifications

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

GeForce 205

The GeForce 205 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in February 20 2019. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 937 MHz to 1038 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 10W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 126 points.

Radeon HD 7290M

The Radeon HD 7290M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 24 2012. 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 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 123 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce 205 scores 126 and the Radeon HD 7290M reaches 123 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 205 is built on Pascal while the Radeon HD 7290M uses GCN 1.0, both on 14 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce 205) vs 1,280 (Radeon HD 7290M). Raw compute: 0.7972 TFLOPS (GeForce 205) vs 2.176 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7290M).

Feature	GeForce 205	Radeon HD 7290M
G3D Mark Score	126+2%	123
Architecture	Pascal	GCN 1.0
Process Node	14 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	384	1280+233%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.7972 TFLOPS	2.176 TFLOPS+173%
ROPs	16	32+100%
TMUs	24	80+233%
L1 Cache	144 KB	320 KB+122%
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 205 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 7290M leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce 205	Radeon HD 7290M
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 512 MB of video memory. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce 205 and System on the Radeon HD 7290M.

Feature	GeForce 205	Radeon HD 7290M
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	0.5 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	Shared
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	System
Bus Width	128-bit	System
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10.1 (GeForce 205) vs 11.2 (11_0) (Radeon HD 7290M). OpenGL: 3.3 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce 205	Radeon HD 7290M
DirectX	10.1	11.2 (11_0)+11%
OpenGL	3.3	4.4+33%
Max Displays	2	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (GeForce 205) vs UVD 3 (Radeon HD 7290M). Decoder: PureVideo HD (VP4) vs UVD 3. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce 205) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,DivX,Xvid (Radeon HD 7290M).

Feature	GeForce 205	Radeon HD 7290M
Encoder	None	UVD 3
Decoder	PureVideo HD (VP4)	UVD 3
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,DivX,Xvid

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 205 draws 10W versus the Radeon HD 7290M's 100W — a 163.6% difference. The GeForce 205 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 205) vs 350W (Radeon HD 7290M). Power connectors: Legacy vs 1x 6-pin. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 75°C.

Feature	GeForce 205	Radeon HD 7290M
TDP	10W-90%	100W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	Legacy	1x 6-pin
Length	168mm	—
Height	69mm	—
Slots	1	0-100%
Temp (Load)	75	75°C
Perf/Watt	12.6+950%	1.2

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce 205 (2019 vs 2012).

Feature	GeForce 205	Radeon HD 7290M
MSRP	$50	—
Codename	GP108B	Wimbledon
Release	February 20 2019	April 24 2012
Ranking	#643	#531

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