GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile) vs Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire

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 GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile) vs Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire 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 GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile) vs Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire: 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 GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)

2020

Why buy it

✅51.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire is already legacy-tier future-proofing, so GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile) is the less risky modern option long term.
✅Draws 50W instead of 200W, a 150W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 7.5 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $800 MSRP).

Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire

2014

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 7.5 vs 0 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile) across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌300% higher power demand at 200W vs 50W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile) 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. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire instead at 6,000 vs 5,918, 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 GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile) is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 12nm process instead of 28nm and a newer 2020 generation instead of 2014. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire 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 R9 M290X Crossfire is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile) has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile) vs Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)

The GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile) is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 23 2020. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1350 MHz to 1485 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,918 points.

Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire

The Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 1 2014. It features the GCN architecture. The core clock ranges from 850 MHz to 900 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,000 points.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile) scores 5,918 and the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire reaches 6,000 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile) is built on Turing while the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire uses GCN, both on 12 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,024 (GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire). Boost clocks: 1485 MHz vs 900 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
G3D Mark Score	5,918	6,000+1%
Architecture	Turing	GCN
Process Node	12 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1024	2560+150%
Boost Clock	1485 MHz+65%	900 MHz

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile) gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
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 4 GB of GDDR5. Memory bandwidth: 112 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)) vs 307.2 GB/s (Dual) (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire) — a 174.3% advantage for the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile) and 512-bit (Dual) on the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	112 GB/s	307.2 GB/s (Dual)+174%
Bus Width	128-bit	512-bit (Dual)+300%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (12_1) (GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)) vs 12 (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 0.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
DirectX	12 (12_1)	12
Max Displays	4	0

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Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (6th Gen) (GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire). Decoder: NVDEC (3rd Gen) vs UVD 3.1.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
Encoder	NVENC (6th Gen)	VCE 1.0
Decoder	NVDEC (3rd Gen)	UVD 3.1
Codecs	H.264,H.265 (HEVC),VP9	—

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile) draws 50W versus the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire's 200W — a 120% difference. The GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile) is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs Mobile.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
TDP	50W-75%	200W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	Mobile
Length	—	1mm
Slots	0	0
Temp (Load)	75°C	—
Perf/Watt	118.4+295%	30.0

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile) (2020 vs 2014).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (Mobile)	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
MSRP	—	$800
Codename	TU116	Neptune CF
Release	April 23 2020	March 1 2014
Ranking	#324	#348

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