GeForce 9650M GT vs Radeon HD 4290

CPU

GPU

GeForce 9650M GT

2015Core: 928 MHzBoost: 1020 MHz

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Radeon HD 4290

2009Core: 850 MHz

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GeForce 9650M GT vs Radeon HD 4290 Performance Spectrum

GeForce 9650M GT

1 GB 75

137

0.0%

GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile

GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU

Radeon HD 4290

0.5 GB 190

141

+2.9%

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 9650M 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 9650M 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 9650M GT

2015

Why buy it

✅2.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 512 MB).
✅Draws 75W instead of 190W, a 115W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌2015 hardware with 1 GB 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 $100 MSRP).
✅Delivers 71.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 2.4 vs 1.4 G3D/$ ($60 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce 9650M GT across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2009 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌153.3% higher power demand at 190W vs 75W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce 9650M GT is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 2.1% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon HD 4290 instead at 141 vs 137, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.

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

GeForce 9650M GT is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 1 GB vs 512 MB of VRAM, a 28nm process instead of 55nm, and a newer 2015 generation instead of 2009. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.

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 71.5% (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 9650M GT has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce 9650M GT vs Radeon HD 4290 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce 9650M GT

The GeForce 9650M GT 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: 137 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 9650M GT scores 137 and the Radeon HD 4290 reaches 141 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 9650M GT is built on Maxwell while the Radeon HD 4290 uses TeraScale, both on 28 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 640 (GeForce 9650M GT) vs 800 (Radeon HD 4290). Raw compute: 1.306 TFLOPS (GeForce 9650M GT) vs 1.36 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 4290).

Feature	GeForce 9650M GT	Radeon HD 4290
G3D Mark Score	137	141+3%
Architecture	Maxwell	TeraScale
Process Node	28 nm	55 nm
Shading Units	640	800+25%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.306 TFLOPS	1.36 TFLOPS+4%
ROPs	16	16
TMUs	40	40
L1 Cache	320 KB+100%	160 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB+700%	0.25 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 9650M 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 9650M 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 9650M GT has 1 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 4290 carries 512 MB. GeForce 9650M GT 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 9650M GT and 64-bit on the Radeon HD 4290. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce 9650M GT) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon HD 4290) — the GeForce 9650M GT has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce 9650M GT	Radeon HD 4290
VRAM Capacity	1 GB+100%	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: 11.1 (10_0) (GeForce 9650M GT) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 4290). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce 9650M GT	Radeon HD 4290
DirectX	11.1 (10_0)+10%	10.1
Max Displays	2	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No NVENC (G96) (GeForce 9650M GT) vs UVD 2 (Radeon HD 4290). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP3 vs UVD 2.

Feature	GeForce 9650M GT	Radeon HD 4290
Encoder	No NVENC (G96)	UVD 2
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP3	UVD 2
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,WMV9	—

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 9650M GT draws 75W versus the Radeon HD 4290's 190W — a 86.8% difference. The GeForce 9650M GT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 9650M GT) vs 350W (Radeon HD 4290). Power connectors: Legacy vs 1x 6-pin.

Feature	GeForce 9650M GT	Radeon HD 4290
TDP	75W-61%	190W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	Legacy	1x 6-pin
Length	—	1mm
Slots	0	0
Temp (Load)	80°C	—
Perf/Watt	1.8+157%	0.7

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 9650M GT 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 9650M GT) vs 2.4 (Radeon HD 4290) — the Radeon HD 4290 offers 71.4% better value. The newer card here is GeForce 9650M GT (2015 vs 2009).

Feature	GeForce 9650M GT	Radeon HD 4290
MSRP	$100	$60-40%
Performance per Dollar	1.4	2.4+71%
Codename	GM107	RV790
Release	October 27 2015	April 2 2009
Ranking	#671	#762

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