GeForce 310 vs Radeon HD 6290M

NVIDIA

GeForce 310

2015Core: 928 MHzBoost: 941 MHz
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 6290M

2011Core: 680 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce 310 vs Radeon HD 6290M Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

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 6290M 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 6290M: 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

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 3.2 vs 0 G3D/$ ($45 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • Draws 33W instead of 75W, a 42W reduction.
  • More future proof: Maxwell (2014−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 6290M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2015 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon HD 6290M

2011

Why buy it

  • 2.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

  • 2011 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 3.2 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $45 MSRP).
  • 127.3% higher power demand at 75W vs 33W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD 6290M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 2.1% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce 310 instead at 143 vs 140, 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 310 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2015 generation instead of 2011. 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 today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. Radeon HD 6290M still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce 310 vs Radeon HD 6290M Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

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.

AMD

Radeon HD 6290M

The Radeon HD 6290M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 4 2011. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 680 MHz. It has 960 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 140 points.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce 310 scores 143 and the Radeon HD 6290M reaches 140 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 310 is built on Maxwell while the Radeon HD 6290M uses TeraScale 2, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce 310) vs 960 (Radeon HD 6290M). Raw compute: 0.7227 TFLOPS (GeForce 310) vs 1.306 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6290M).

FeatureGeForce 310Radeon HD 6290M
G3D Mark Score
143+2%
140
Architecture
Maxwell
TeraScale 2
Process Node
28 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
384
960+150%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.7227 TFLOPS
1.306 TFLOPS+81%
ROPs
8
32+300%
TMUs
24
48+100%
L1 Cache
192 KB
192 KB
L2 Cache
1 MB+100%
0.5 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 310 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 6290M leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce 310Radeon HD 6290M
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 310 and System on the Radeon HD 6290M. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce 310) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 6290M) — the GeForce 310 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce 310Radeon HD 6290M
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
Shared
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
System
Bus Width
128-bit
System
L2 Cache
1 MB+100%
0.5 MB
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 310 draws 33W versus the Radeon HD 6290M's 75W — a 77.8% difference. The GeForce 310 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 310) vs 350W (Radeon HD 6290M). Power connectors: Legacy vs 1x 6-pin.

FeatureGeForce 310Radeon HD 6290M
TDP
33W-56%
75W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
Legacy
1x 6-pin
Length
168mm
Height
69mm
Slots
1
Temp (Load)
80°C
Perf/Watt
4.3+126%
1.9
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce 310 (2015 vs 2011).

FeatureGeForce 310Radeon HD 6290M
MSRP
$45
Codename
GM108
Blackcomb
Release
March 13 2015
January 4 2011
Ranking
#810
#654

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