GeForce 310 vs Radeon HD 4290

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 310 vs Radeon HD 4290 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 310 vs Radeon HD 4290: 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 310

2015

Why buy it

✅1.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $15 less on MSRP ($45 MSRP vs $60 MSRP).
✅Delivers 35.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 3.2 vs 2.4 G3D/$ ($45 MSRP vs $60 MSRP).
✅Draws 33W instead of 190W, a 157W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌2015 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌16700% longer card at 168mm vs 1mm.

Radeon HD 4290

2009

Why buy it

✅Measures 1mm instead of 168mm, a 167mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce 310 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2009 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
33.3% HIGHER MSRP
$60 MSRPvs$45 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.4 vs 3.2 G3D/$ ($60 MSRP vs $45 MSRP).
❌475.8% higher power demand at 190W vs 33W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce 310 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 1.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1.4% in PassMark G3D (143 vs 141), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce 310 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 55nm and a newer 2015 generation instead of 2009. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce 310 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $15 cheaper on MSRP at $45 vs $60, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 35.2% (3.2 vs 2.4), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce 310 vs Radeon HD 4290 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce 310

The GeForce 310 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 13 2015. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 928 MHz to 941 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 33W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 143 points.

Radeon HD 4290

The Radeon HD 4290 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 2 2009. It features the TeraScale architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 190W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 141 points. Launch price was $249.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce 310 scores 143 and the Radeon HD 4290 reaches 141 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 310 is built on Maxwell while the Radeon HD 4290 uses TeraScale, both on 28 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce 310) vs 800 (Radeon HD 4290). Raw compute: 0.7227 TFLOPS (GeForce 310) vs 1.36 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 4290).

Feature	GeForce 310	Radeon HD 4290
G3D Mark Score	143+1%	141
Architecture	Maxwell	TeraScale
Process Node	28 nm	55 nm
Shading Units	384	800+108%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.7227 TFLOPS	1.36 TFLOPS+88%
ROPs	8	16+100%
TMUs	24	40+67%
L1 Cache	192 KB+20%	160 KB
L2 Cache	1 MB+300%	0.25 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 310 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 4290 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce 310	Radeon HD 4290
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 GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce 310 and 64-bit on the Radeon HD 4290. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce 310) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon HD 4290) — the GeForce 310 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce 310	Radeon HD 4290
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	0.5 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit+100%	64-bit
L2 Cache	1 MB+300%	0.25 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10.1 (GeForce 310) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 4290). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce 310	Radeon HD 4290
DirectX	10.1	10.1
Max Displays	2	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (GeForce 310) vs UVD 2 (Radeon HD 4290). Decoder: PureVideo VP4 vs UVD 2.

Feature	GeForce 310	Radeon HD 4290
Encoder	None	UVD 2
Decoder	PureVideo VP4	UVD 2
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 Part 2	—

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 310 draws 33W versus the Radeon HD 4290's 190W — a 140.8% difference. The GeForce 310 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 310) vs 350W (Radeon HD 4290). Power connectors: Legacy vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 168mm vs 1mm, occupying 1 vs 0 slots.

Feature	GeForce 310	Radeon HD 4290
TDP	33W-83%	190W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	Legacy	1x 6-pin
Length	168mm	1mm
Height	69mm	—
Slots	1	0-100%
Temp (Load)	80°C	—
Perf/Watt	4.3+514%	0.7

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 310 came in at $45, while the Radeon HD 4290 launched at $60. On MSRP, GeForce 310 was 25% cheaper ($15 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 3.2 (GeForce 310) vs 2.4 (Radeon HD 4290) — the GeForce 310 offers 33.3% better value. The newer card here is GeForce 310 (2015 vs 2009).

Feature	GeForce 310	Radeon HD 4290
MSRP	$45-25%	$60
Performance per Dollar	3.2+33%	2.4
Codename	GM108	RV790
Release	March 13 2015	April 2 2009
Ranking	#810	#762

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