GeForce G200 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 G200 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 G200 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 G200

2017

Why buy it

✅1.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Draws 30W instead of 190W, a 160W reduction.
✅More future proof: Pascal (2016−2021) on 14nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌2017 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
398.3% HIGHER MSRP
$299 MSRPvs$60 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0.5 vs 2.4 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs $60 MSRP).
❌16700% longer card at 168mm vs 1mm.

Radeon HD 4290

2009

Why buy it

✅Costs $239 less on MSRP ($60 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Delivers 416.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 2.4 vs 0.5 G3D/$ ($60 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Measures 1mm instead of 168mm, a 167mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce G200 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.
❌533.3% higher power demand at 190W vs 30W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce G200 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 1.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon HD 4290 instead at 141 vs 136, 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 G200 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 14nm process instead of 55nm and a newer 2017 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 $239 cheaper on MSRP at $60 vs $299, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 416.7% (2.4 vs 0.5), 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 G200 has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce G200 vs Radeon HD 4290 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce G200

The GeForce G200 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 17 2017. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1228 MHz to 1468 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 136 points. Launch price was $79.

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 G200 scores 136 and the Radeon HD 4290 reaches 141 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce G200 is built on Pascal while the Radeon HD 4290 uses TeraScale, both on 14 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce G200) vs 800 (Radeon HD 4290). Raw compute: 1.127 TFLOPS (GeForce G200) vs 1.36 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 4290).

Feature	GeForce G200	Radeon HD 4290
G3D Mark Score	136	141+4%
Architecture	Pascal	TeraScale
Process Node	14 nm	55 nm
Shading Units	384	800+108%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.127 TFLOPS	1.36 TFLOPS+21%
ROPs	16	16
TMUs	24	40+67%
L1 Cache	144 KB	160 KB+11%
L2 Cache	512 KB+100%	256 KB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce G200 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 G200	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 G200 and 64-bit on the Radeon HD 4290. L2 Cache: 512 KB (GeForce G200) vs 256 KB (Radeon HD 4290) — the GeForce G200 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce G200	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	512 KB+100%	256 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10.1 (GeForce G200) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 4290). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce G200	Radeon HD 4290
DirectX	10.1	10.1
Max Displays	2	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (GeForce G200) vs UVD 2 (Radeon HD 4290). Decoder: PureVideo HD (VP4) vs UVD 2.

Feature	GeForce G200	Radeon HD 4290
Encoder	None	UVD 2
Decoder	PureVideo HD (VP4)	UVD 2
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2	—

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce G200 draws 30W versus the Radeon HD 4290's 190W — a 145.5% difference. The GeForce G200 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce G200) vs 350W (Radeon HD 4290). Power connectors: Legacy vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 168mm vs 1mm, occupying 1 vs 0 slots.

Feature	GeForce G200	Radeon HD 4290
TDP	30W-84%	190W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	Legacy	1x 6-pin
Length	168mm	1mm
Height	111mm	—
Slots	1	0-100%
Temp (Load)	75	—
Perf/Watt	4.5+543%	0.7

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce G200 came in at $299, while the Radeon HD 4290 launched at $60. On MSRP, Radeon HD 4290 was 79.9% cheaper ($239 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 0.5 (GeForce G200) vs 2.4 (Radeon HD 4290) — the Radeon HD 4290 offers 380% better value. The newer card here is GeForce G200 (2017 vs 2009).

Feature	GeForce G200	Radeon HD 4290
MSRP	$299	$60-80%
Performance per Dollar	0.5	2.4+380%
Codename	GP108	RV790
Release	May 17 2017	April 2 2009
Ranking	#641	#762

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