GeForce 8400M GS vs Radeon HD 6290

CPU

GPU

GeForce 8400M GS

2014Core: 1029 MHzBoost: 1124 MHz

Similar parts

·······

Buy on Amazon

Radeon HD 6290

2011Core: 830 MHz

Similar parts

·······

Buy on Amazon

GeForce 8400M GS vs Radeon HD 6290 Performance Spectrum

GeForce 8400M GS

0.125 GB 33

104

0.0%

GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile

GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU

Radeon HD 6290

0.5 GB 375

105

+1.0%

Mobility Radeon HD 2300

MOBILITY RADEON X700

Mobility Radeon 4100

Mobility Radeon HD 3470

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 8400M GS vs Radeon HD 6290 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 8400M GS vs Radeon HD 6290: 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 8400M GS

2014

Why buy it

✅Draws 33W instead of 375W, a 342W reduction.
✅More future proof: Maxwell (2014−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 6290 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 128 MB vs 512 MB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2014 hardware with 128 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon HD 6290

2011

Why buy it

✅2.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (512 MB vs 128 MB).

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.
❌1036.4% higher power demand at 375W vs 33W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 6290 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 2.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1% in PassMark G3D (105 vs 104), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce 8400M GS is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2014 generation instead of 2011. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 6290 makes the most sense to buy today. It is priced the same on MSRP at $50 vs $50, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 1% (2.1 vs 2.1), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 6290 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce 8400M GS has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce 8400M GS vs Radeon HD 6290 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce 8400M GS

The GeForce 8400M GS is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 12 2014. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 1029 MHz to 1124 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 33W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 104 points.

Radeon HD 6290

The Radeon HD 6290 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 8 2011. It features the TeraScale 3 architecture. The core clock speed is 830 MHz. It has 1536 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 375W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 105 points. Launch price was $699.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce 8400M GS scores 104 and the Radeon HD 6290 reaches 105 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 8400M GS is built on Maxwell while the Radeon HD 6290 uses TeraScale 3, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce 8400M GS) vs 1,536 (Radeon HD 6290). Raw compute: 0.8632 TFLOPS (GeForce 8400M GS) vs 2.55 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 6290).

Feature	GeForce 8400M GS	Radeon HD 6290
G3D Mark Score	104	105
Architecture	Maxwell	TeraScale 3
Process Node	28 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	384	1536 ×2+300%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.8632 TFLOPS	2.55 TFLOPS ×2+195%
ROPs	8	32 ×2+300%
TMUs	16	96 ×2+500%
L1 Cache	192 KB	384 KB+100%
L2 Cache	1 MB+100%	0.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 8400M GS gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 6290 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce 8400M GS	Radeon HD 6290
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 8400M GS has 128 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 6290 carries 512 MB. Radeon HD 6290 gives you 300% 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 8400M GS and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 6290. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce 8400M GS) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 6290) — the GeForce 8400M GS has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce 8400M GS	Radeon HD 6290
VRAM Capacity	0.125 GB	0.5 GB+300%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	1 MB+100%	0.5 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10_0 (GeForce 8400M GS) vs 11.2 (Radeon HD 6290). OpenGL: 3.3 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce 8400M GS	Radeon HD 6290
DirectX	10_0	11.2+12%
OpenGL	3.3	4.4+33%
Max Displays	2	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Decoder: PureVideo vs UVD 3. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,WMV9 (GeForce 8400M GS) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 6290).

Feature	GeForce 8400M GS	Radeon HD 6290
Encoder	PureVideo	—
Decoder	PureVideo	UVD 3
Codecs	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,WMV9	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 8400M GS draws 33W versus the Radeon HD 6290's 375W — a 167.6% difference. The GeForce 8400M GS is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 8400M GS) vs 350W (Radeon HD 6290). Power connectors: Legacy vs 1x 6-pin. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 65°C.

Feature	GeForce 8400M GS	Radeon HD 6290
TDP	33W-91%	375W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	Legacy	1x 6-pin
Slots	0	—
Temp (Load)	80°C	65°C-19%
Perf/Watt	3.2+967%	0.3

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 8400M GS came in at $50, while the Radeon HD 6290 launched at $50. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.1 (GeForce 8400M GS) vs 2.1 (Radeon HD 6290) — the Radeon HD 6290 offers 0% better value. The newer card here is GeForce 8400M GS (2014 vs 2011).

Feature	GeForce 8400M GS	Radeon HD 6290
MSRP	$50	$50
Performance per Dollar	2.1	2.1
Codename	GM108	Antilles
Release	March 12 2014	March 8 2011
Ranking	#854	#583

Search GeForce 8400M GS on Amazon

Search Radeon HD 6290 on Amazon

Affiliate Disclosure

ChipVERSUS is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through our links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support our work in providing comprehensive PC building guides and tools.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.