GeForce 6600 GT vs Radeon HD 4290

CPU

GPU

GeForce 6600 GT

2012Core: 915 MHzBoost: 980 MHz

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Radeon HD 4290

2009Core: 850 MHz

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GeForce 6600 GT vs Radeon HD 4290 Performance Spectrum

GeForce 6600 GT

0.25 GB 150

143

+1.4%

GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile

GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU

Radeon HD 4290

0.5 GB 190

141

0.0%

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 6600 GT 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 6600 GT 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 6600 GT

2012

Why buy it

✅4.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Draws 150W instead of 190W, a 40W reduction.
✅More future proof: Kepler (2012−2018) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 256 MB vs 512 MB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2012 hardware with 256 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
231.7% HIGHER MSRP
$199 MSRPvs$60 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0.7 vs 2.4 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $60 MSRP).
❌18200% longer card at 183mm vs 1mm.

Radeon HD 4290

2009

Why buy it

✅Costs $139 less on MSRP ($60 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
✅Delivers 227% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 2.4 vs 0.7 G3D/$ ($60 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (512 MB vs 256 MB).
✅Measures 1mm instead of 183mm, a 182mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce 6600 GT 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.
❌26.7% higher power demand at 190W vs 150W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce 6600 GT 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 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 6600 GT is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 55nm and a newer 2012 generation instead of 2009. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 4290 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $139 cheaper on MSRP at $60 vs $199, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 227% (2.4 vs 0.7), 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 6600 GT has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce 6600 GT vs Radeon HD 4290 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce 6600 GT

The GeForce 6600 GT is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in August 16 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 915 MHz to 980 MHz. It has 1344 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 143 points. Launch price was $299.

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 6600 GT 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 6600 GT is built on Kepler while the Radeon HD 4290 uses TeraScale, both on 28 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 1,344 (GeForce 6600 GT) vs 800 (Radeon HD 4290). Raw compute: 2.634 TFLOPS (GeForce 6600 GT) vs 1.36 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 4290).

Feature	GeForce 6600 GT	Radeon HD 4290
G3D Mark Score	143+1%	141
Architecture	Kepler	TeraScale
Process Node	28 nm	55 nm
Shading Units	1344+68%	800
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.634 TFLOPS+94%	1.36 TFLOPS
ROPs	24+50%	16
TMUs	112+180%	40
L1 Cache	112 KB	160 KB+43%
L2 Cache	384 KB+50%	256 KB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 6600 GT 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 6600 GT	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)

The GeForce 6600 GT has 256 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 4290 carries 512 MB. Radeon HD 4290 gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce 6600 GT and 64-bit on the Radeon HD 4290. L2 Cache: 384 KB (GeForce 6600 GT) vs 256 KB (Radeon HD 4290) — the GeForce 6600 GT has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce 6600 GT	Radeon HD 4290
VRAM Capacity	0.25 GB	0.5 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit+100%	64-bit
L2 Cache	384 KB+50%	256 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 9.0c (GeForce 6600 GT) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 4290). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce 6600 GT	Radeon HD 4290
DirectX	9.0c	10.1+12%
Max Displays	2	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (GeForce 6600 GT) vs UVD 2 (Radeon HD 4290). Decoder: PureVideo vs UVD 2.

Feature	GeForce 6600 GT	Radeon HD 4290
Encoder	No	UVD 2
Decoder	PureVideo	UVD 2
Codecs	MPEG-2	—

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 6600 GT draws 150W versus the Radeon HD 4290's 190W — a 23.5% difference. The GeForce 6600 GT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 6600 GT) vs 350W (Radeon HD 4290). Power connectors: Legacy vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 183mm vs 1mm, occupying 1 vs 0 slots.

Feature	GeForce 6600 GT	Radeon HD 4290
TDP	150W-21%	190W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	Legacy	1x 6-pin
Length	183mm	1mm
Height	111mm	—
Slots	1	0-100%
Temp (Load)	75°C	—
Perf/Watt	1.0+43%	0.7

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 6600 GT came in at $199, while the Radeon HD 4290 launched at $60. On MSRP, Radeon HD 4290 was 69.8% cheaper ($139 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 0.7 (GeForce 6600 GT) vs 2.4 (Radeon HD 4290) — the Radeon HD 4290 offers 242.9% better value. The newer card here is GeForce 6600 GT (2012 vs 2009).

Feature	GeForce 6600 GT	Radeon HD 4290
MSRP	$199	$60-70%
Performance per Dollar	0.7	2.4+243%
Codename	GK104	RV790
Release	August 16 2012	April 2 2009
Ranking	#472	#762

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