GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)
Radeon R9 290
GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) vs Radeon R9 290 Performance Spectrum
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 GTX 1060 (Mobile) vs Radeon R9 290 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.
Path of Exile 2
Counter-Strike 2
League of Legends
Valorant
Among Us
Apex Legends
ARC Raiders
Baldur's Gate 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) vs Radeon R9 290: 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 1060 (Mobile)
2023Why buy it
- ✅41.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
- ✅Better long-term bet: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
- ✅Draws 115W instead of 275W, a 160W reduction.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 20.5 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
Radeon R9 290
2013Why buy it
- ✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 20.5 vs 0 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌2013 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
- ❌139.1% higher power demand at 275W vs 115W.
Quick Answers
Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) vs Radeon R9 290 Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)
The GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 3 2023. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 1545 MHz to 1890 MHz. It has 3072 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 115W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 24 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,160 points.
Radeon R9 290
The Radeon R9 290 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 5 2013. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 947 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 275W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,184 points. Launch price was $399.
Graphics Performance
The GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) scores 8,160 and the Radeon R9 290 reaches 8,184 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) is built on Ada Lovelace while the Radeon R9 290 uses GCN 2.0, both on 5 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 3,072 (GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 290). Raw compute: 11.61 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)) vs 4.849 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) | Radeon R9 290 |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 8,160 | 8,184 |
| Architecture | Ada Lovelace | GCN 2.0 |
| Process Node | 5 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 3072+20% | 2560 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 11.61 TFLOPS+139% | 4.849 TFLOPS |
| ROPs | 48 | 64+33% |
| TMUs | 96 | 160+67% |
| L1 Cache | 3 MB+376% | 0.63 MB |
| L2 Cache | 32 MB+3100% | 1 MB |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R9 290 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) | Radeon R9 290 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 GTX 1060 (Mobile) has 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 290 carries 4 GB. GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) gives you 50% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 192 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)) vs 320 GB/s (Radeon R9 290) — a 66.7% advantage for the Radeon R9 290. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) and 512-bit on the Radeon R9 290. L2 Cache: 32 MB (GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 290) — the GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) | Radeon R9 290 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 6 GB+50% | 4 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 192 GB/s | 320 GB/s+67% |
| Bus Width | 192-bit | 512-bit+167% |
| L2 Cache | 32 MB+3100% | 1 MB |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)) vs 12.0 (Radeon R9 290). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) | Radeon R9 290 |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 | 12.0 |
| Vulkan | 1.3+8% | 1.2 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Max Displays | 4 | 6+50% |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: NVENC 6th Gen (GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290). Decoder: NVDEC 3rd Gen vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265 (GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) | Radeon R9 290 |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC 6th Gen | VCE 2.0 |
| Decoder | NVDEC 3rd Gen | UVD 4.2 |
| Codecs | H.264,H.265 | MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) draws 115W versus the Radeon R9 290's 275W — a 82.1% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)) vs 750W (Radeon R9 290). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 275mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 70 vs 95°C.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) | Radeon R9 290 |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 115W-58% | 275W |
| Recommended PSU | 500W-33% | 750W |
| Power Connector | PCIe-powered | 6-pin + 8-pin |
| Length | 0mm | 275mm |
| Height | 0mm | 109mm |
| Slots | 0-100% | 2 |
| Temp (Load) | 70-26% | 95°C |
| Perf/Watt | 71.0+138% | 29.8 |
Value Analysis
The newer card here is GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) (2023 vs 2013).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) | Radeon R9 290 |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | — | $399 |
| Codename | AD107 | Hawaii |
| Release | January 3 2023 | November 5 2013 |
| Ranking | #102 | #316 |
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.
Top Performing GPUs
The most powerful gpus ranked by G3D Mark benchmark scores.
You May Also Compare
Similar GPU comparisons based on GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) and Radeon R9 290
