GeForce Go 6800 vs Radeon HD 6290

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 Go 6800 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 Go 6800 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 Go 6800

2012

Why buy it

✅Draws 195W instead of 375W, a 180W reduction.
✅More future proof: Kepler (2012−2018) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 128 MB vs 512 MB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2012 hardware with 128 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 2.1 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $50 MSRP).

Radeon HD 6290

2011

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 2.1 vs 0 G3D/$ ($50 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅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.
❌92.3% higher power demand at 375W vs 195W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce Go 6800 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 1% in PassMark G3D (106 vs 105), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.

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

GeForce Go 6800 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2012 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 today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. 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 Go 6800 has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce Go 6800 vs Radeon HD 6290 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce Go 6800

The GeForce Go 6800 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 22 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 1006 MHz to 1058 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 195W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 106 points. Launch price was $499.

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 Go 6800 scores 106 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 Go 6800 is built on Kepler while the Radeon HD 6290 uses TeraScale 3, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 1,536 (GeForce Go 6800) vs 1,536 (Radeon HD 6290). Raw compute: 3.25 TFLOPS (GeForce Go 6800) vs 2.55 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 6290).

Feature	GeForce Go 6800	Radeon HD 6290
G3D Mark Score	106	105
Architecture	Kepler	TeraScale 3
Process Node	28 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	1536	1536 ×2
Compute (TFLOPS)	3.25 TFLOPS+27%	2.55 TFLOPS ×2
ROPs	32	32 ×2
TMUs	128+33%	96 ×2
L1 Cache	128 KB	384 KB+200%
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce Go 6800 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 Go 6800	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 Go 6800 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 Go 6800 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 6290.

Feature	GeForce Go 6800	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	512 KB	512 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10.0 (GeForce Go 6800) vs 11.2 (Radeon HD 6290). OpenGL: 2.1 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 1 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce Go 6800	Radeon HD 6290
DirectX	10.0	11.2+12%
OpenGL	2.1	4.4+110%
Max Displays	1	2+100%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Decoder: PureVideo HD VP2 vs UVD 3. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (GeForce Go 6800) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 6290).

Feature	GeForce Go 6800	Radeon HD 6290
Encoder	No	—
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP2	UVD 3
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce Go 6800 draws 195W versus the Radeon HD 6290's 375W — a 63.2% difference. The GeForce Go 6800 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce Go 6800) vs 350W (Radeon HD 6290). Power connectors: Legacy vs 1x 6-pin. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 65°C.

Feature	GeForce Go 6800	Radeon HD 6290
TDP	195W-48%	375W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	Legacy	1x 6-pin
Length	0mm	—
Height	0mm	—
Slots	0	—
Temp (Load)	75°C	65°C-13%
Perf/Watt	0.5+67%	0.3

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce Go 6800 (2012 vs 2011).

Feature	GeForce Go 6800	Radeon HD 6290
MSRP	—	$50
Codename	GK104	Antilles
Release	March 22 2012	March 8 2011
Ranking	#410	#583

Search GeForce Go 6800 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.