GeForce 9450 vs Radeon HD 7290

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 9450 vs Radeon HD 7290 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 9450 vs Radeon HD 7290: 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 9450

2015

Why buy it

✅Draws 75W instead of 375W, a 300W reduction.
✅More future proof: Maxwell (2014−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7290 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.
❌
400% HIGHER MSRP
$100 MSRPvs$20 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.1 vs 5.6 G3D/$ ($100 MSRP vs $20 MSRP).

Radeon HD 7290

2013

Why buy it

✅51.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $80 less on MSRP ($20 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).
✅Delivers 433.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.6 vs 1.1 G3D/$ ($20 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌2013 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌400% higher power demand at 375W vs 75W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 7290 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 51.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 6.7% in PassMark G3D (112 vs 105), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce 9450 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a newer 2015 generation instead of 2013. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 7290 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $80 cheaper on MSRP at $20 vs $100, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 433.3% (5.6 vs 1.1), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 7290 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce 9450 has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce 9450 vs Radeon HD 7290 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce 9450

The GeForce 9450 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in October 27 2015. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 928 MHz to 1020 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 105 points.

Radeon HD 7290

The Radeon HD 7290 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 24 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 950 MHz to 1000 MHz. It has 2048 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 375W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 112 points. Launch price was $999.

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Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce 9450 scores 105 versus the Radeon HD 7290's 112 — the Radeon HD 7290 leads by 6.7%. The GeForce 9450 is built on Maxwell while the Radeon HD 7290 uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 640 (GeForce 9450) vs 2,048 (Radeon HD 7290). Raw compute: 1.306 TFLOPS (GeForce 9450) vs 4.096 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 7290). Boost clocks: 1020 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	GeForce 9450	Radeon HD 7290
G3D Mark Score	105	112+7%
Architecture	Maxwell	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	640	2048 ×2+220%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.306 TFLOPS	4.096 TFLOPS ×2+214%
Boost Clock	1020 MHz+2%	1000 MHz
ROPs	16	32 ×2+100%
TMUs	40	128 ×2+220%
L1 Cache	320 KB	512 KB+60%
L2 Cache	2 MB+167%	0.75 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 9450 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 7290 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce 9450	Radeon HD 7290
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 9450 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 7290. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce 9450) vs 0.75 MB (Radeon HD 7290) — the GeForce 9450 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce 9450	Radeon HD 7290
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	0.5 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB+167%	0.75 MB

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 9450 draws 75W versus the Radeon HD 7290's 375W — a 133.3% difference. The GeForce 9450 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 9450) vs 350W (Radeon HD 7290). Power connectors: Legacy vs 1x 6-pin.

Feature	GeForce 9450	Radeon HD 7290
TDP	75W-80%	375W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	Legacy	1x 6-pin
Length	168mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	1	—
Temp (Load)	75°C	—
Perf/Watt	1.4+367%	0.3

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 9450 came in at $100, while the Radeon HD 7290 launched at $20. On MSRP, Radeon HD 7290 was 80% cheaper ($80 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.1 (GeForce 9450) vs 5.6 (Radeon HD 7290) — the Radeon HD 7290 offers 409.1% better value. The newer card here is GeForce 9450 (2015 vs 2013).

Feature	GeForce 9450	Radeon HD 7290
MSRP	$100	$20-80%
Performance per Dollar	1.1	5.6+409%
Codename	GM107	Malta
Release	October 27 2015	April 24 2013
Ranking	#671	#412

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