GeForce 505 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 505 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 505 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 505

2022

Why buy it

✅4.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Radeon HD 4290 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so GeForce 505 is the less risky modern option long term.
✅Draws 25W instead of 190W, a 165W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Older hardware, 512 MB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.
❌
65% HIGHER MSRP
$99 MSRPvs$60 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.5 vs 2.4 G3D/$ ($99 MSRP vs $60 MSRP).
❌16700% longer card at 168mm vs 1mm.

Radeon HD 4290

2009

Why buy it

✅Costs $39 less on MSRP ($60 MSRP vs $99 MSRP).
✅Delivers 61.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 2.4 vs 1.5 G3D/$ ($60 MSRP vs $99 MSRP).
✅Measures 1mm instead of 168mm, a 167mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce 505 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.
❌660% higher power demand at 190W vs 25W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce 505 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 and by 2.1% in PassMark G3D (144 vs 141), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce 505 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 8nm process instead of 55nm, 16 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2022 generation instead of 2009. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 4290 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $39 cheaper on MSRP at $60 vs $99, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 61.6% (2.4 vs 1.5), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 4290 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce 505 has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce 505 vs Radeon HD 4290 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce 505

The GeForce 505 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in Maio 2022. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 832 MHz to 1155 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 25W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 16 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 144 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 505 scores 144 and the Radeon HD 4290 reaches 141 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 505 is built on Ampere while the Radeon HD 4290 uses TeraScale, both on 8 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 2,048 (GeForce 505) vs 800 (Radeon HD 4290). Raw compute: 4.731 TFLOPS (GeForce 505) vs 1.36 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 4290).

Feature	GeForce 505	Radeon HD 4290
G3D Mark Score	144+2%	141
Architecture	Ampere	TeraScale
Process Node	8 nm	55 nm
Shading Units	2048+156%	800
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.731 TFLOPS+248%	1.36 TFLOPS
ROPs	40+150%	16
TMUs	64+60%	40
L1 Cache	2 MB+1150%	0.16 MB
L2 Cache	2 MB+700%	0.25 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 505 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 505	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 505 and 64-bit on the Radeon HD 4290. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce 505) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon HD 4290) — the GeForce 505 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce 505	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	2 MB+700%	0.25 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10.1 (GeForce 505) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 4290). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce 505	Radeon HD 4290
DirectX	10.1	10.1
Max Displays	2	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (GeForce 505) vs UVD 2 (Radeon HD 4290). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP4 vs UVD 2.

Feature	GeForce 505	Radeon HD 4290
Encoder	No	UVD 2
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP4	UVD 2
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2	—

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 505 draws 25W versus the Radeon HD 4290's 190W — a 153.5% difference. The GeForce 505 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 505) vs 350W (Radeon HD 4290). Power connectors: Legacy vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 168mm vs 1mm, occupying 1 vs 0 slots.

Feature	GeForce 505	Radeon HD 4290
TDP	25W-87%	190W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	Legacy	1x 6-pin
Length	168mm	1mm
Height	64mm	—
Slots	1	0-100%
Temp (Load)	70°C	—
Perf/Watt	5.8+729%	0.7

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 505 came in at $99, while the Radeon HD 4290 launched at $60. On MSRP, Radeon HD 4290 was 39.4% cheaper ($39 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.5 (GeForce 505) vs 2.4 (Radeon HD 4290) — the Radeon HD 4290 offers 60% better value. The newer card here is GeForce 505 (2022 vs 2009).

Feature	GeForce 505	Radeon HD 4290
MSRP	$99	$60-39%
Performance per Dollar	1.5	2.4+60%
Codename	GA107	RV790
Release	Maio 2022	April 2 2009
Ranking	#407	#762

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