GeForce 9200M GE 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 9200M GE 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 9200M GE 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 9200M GE

2016

Why buy it

✅Draws 16W instead of 190W, a 174W reduction.
✅More future proof: Maxwell (2014−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌2016 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
66.7% HIGHER MSRP
$100 MSRPvs$60 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.4 vs 2.4 G3D/$ ($100 MSRP vs $60 MSRP).

Radeon HD 4290

2009

Why buy it

✅Costs $40 less on MSRP ($60 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).
✅Delivers 63.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 2.4 vs 1.4 G3D/$ ($60 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌2009 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌1087.5% higher power demand at 190W vs 16W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce 9200M GE is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 2.1% in PassMark G3D (144 vs 141), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.

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

GeForce 9200M GE is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 55nm and a newer 2016 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 $40 cheaper on MSRP at $60 vs $100, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 63.2% (2.4 vs 1.4), 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 9200M GE has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce 9200M GE vs Radeon HD 4290 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce 9200M GE

The GeForce 9200M GE is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 25 2016. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 965 MHz to 993 MHz. It has 256 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 16W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. 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.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce 9200M GE 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 9200M GE is built on Maxwell while the Radeon HD 4290 uses TeraScale, both on 28 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 256 (GeForce 9200M GE) vs 800 (Radeon HD 4290). Raw compute: 0.5084 TFLOPS (GeForce 9200M GE) vs 1.36 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 4290).

Feature	GeForce 9200M GE	Radeon HD 4290
G3D Mark Score	144+2%	141
Architecture	Maxwell	TeraScale
Process Node	28 nm	55 nm
Shading Units	256	800+213%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.5084 TFLOPS	1.36 TFLOPS+168%
ROPs	8	16+100%
TMUs	24	40+67%
L1 Cache	128 KB	160 KB+25%
L2 Cache	1 MB+300%	0.25 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 9200M GE 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 9200M GE	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 9200M GE and 64-bit on the Radeon HD 4290. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce 9200M GE) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon HD 4290) — the GeForce 9200M GE has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce 9200M GE	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: 10.0 (GeForce 9200M GE) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 4290). Maximum simultaneous displays: 1 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce 9200M GE	Radeon HD 4290
DirectX	10.0	10.1
Max Displays	1	2+100%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (GeForce 9200M GE) vs UVD 2 (Radeon HD 4290). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP3 vs UVD 2.

Feature	GeForce 9200M GE	Radeon HD 4290
Encoder	No	UVD 2
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP3	UVD 2
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1	—

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 9200M GE draws 16W versus the Radeon HD 4290's 190W — a 168.9% difference. The GeForce 9200M GE is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 9200M GE) vs 350W (Radeon HD 4290). Power connectors: Legacy vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 1mm, occupying 0 vs 0 slots.

Feature	GeForce 9200M GE	Radeon HD 4290
TDP	16W-92%	190W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	Legacy	1x 6-pin
Length	0mm	1mm
Height	0mm	—
Slots	0	0
Temp (Load)	75°C	—
Perf/Watt	9.0+1186%	0.7

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 9200M GE came in at $100, while the Radeon HD 4290 launched at $60. On MSRP, Radeon HD 4290 was 40% cheaper ($40 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.4 (GeForce 9200M GE) vs 2.4 (Radeon HD 4290) — the Radeon HD 4290 offers 71.4% better value. The newer card here is GeForce 9200M GE (2016 vs 2009).

Feature	GeForce 9200M GE	Radeon HD 4290
MSRP	$100	$60-40%
Performance per Dollar	1.4	2.4+71%
Codename	GM108	RV790
Release	March 25 2016	April 2 2009
Ranking	#864	#762

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