GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon R9 290

CPU

GPU

GeForce GTX 1060

2016Core: 1607 MHzBoost: 1733 MHz

GTX family

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Radeon R9 290

2013Core: 947 MHz

Similar parts

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GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon R9 290 Performance Spectrum

GeForce GTX 1060

6 GB 180

10,064

+23.0%

GeForce GTX 680

GeForce GTX 970XM FORCE

GeForce RTX 2050 Mobile

GeForce GTX TITAN Z

GeForce GTX 980 Ti

GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile

GeForce RTX 2080 Ti

GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile

Radeon R9 290

4 GB 275

8,184

0.0%

Radeon HD 7870

Radeon 760M

Radeon R9 380X

Radeon RX 470 (móvel)

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 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.

GeForce GTX 1060 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

2016

Why buy it

✅40.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $150 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Delivers 97.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 20.5 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
✅Draws 180W instead of 275W, a 95W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌2016 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.

Radeon R9 290

2013

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1060 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.
❌
60.2% HIGHER MSRP
$399 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 20.5 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce GTX 1060 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 40.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 23% in PassMark G3D (10,064 vs 8,184), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce GTX 1060 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 6 GB vs 4 GB of VRAM, a 16nm process instead of 28nm, and a newer 2016 generation instead of 2013. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce GTX 1060 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $150 cheaper on MSRP at $249 vs $399, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 97.1% (40.4 vs 20.5), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce GTX 1060 vs Radeon R9 290 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 1060

The GeForce GTX 1060 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 27 2016. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1607 MHz to 1733 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 180W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 10,064 points. Launch price was $599.

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

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1060 scores 10,064 versus the Radeon R9 290's 8,184 — the GeForce GTX 1060 leads by 23%. The GeForce GTX 1060 is built on Pascal while the Radeon R9 290 uses GCN 2.0, both on 16 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 290). Raw compute: 8.873 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 4.849 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 290
G3D Mark Score	10,064+23%	8,184
Architecture	Pascal	GCN 2.0
Process Node	16 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2560	2560
Compute (TFLOPS)	8.873 TFLOPS+83%	4.849 TFLOPS
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	160	160
L1 Cache	960 KB+50%	640 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 1060 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	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

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 1060 has 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 290 carries 4 GB. GeForce GTX 1060 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) 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 and 512-bit on the Radeon R9 290. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 290) — the GeForce GTX 1060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	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	2 MB+100%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 12.0 (Radeon R9 290). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 290
DirectX	12	12.0
Vulkan	1.3+8%	1.2
OpenGL	4.5	4.6+2%
Max Displays	4	6+50%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Pascal) (GeForce GTX 1060) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 1060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 290
Encoder	NVENC (Pascal)	VCE 2.0
Decoder	NVDEC (Pascal)	UVD 4.2
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1060 draws 180W versus the Radeon R9 290's 275W — a 41.8% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 400W (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 750W (Radeon R9 290). Power connectors: 6-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 173mm vs 275mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 290
TDP	180W-35%	275W
Recommended PSU	400W-47%	750W
Power Connector	6-pin	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	173mm	275mm
Height	111mm	109mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	—	95°C
Perf/Watt	55.9+88%	29.8

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 1060 came in at $249, while the Radeon R9 290 launched at $399. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 1060 was 37.6% cheaper ($150 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce GTX 1060) vs 20.5 (Radeon R9 290) — the GeForce GTX 1060 offers 97.1% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 1060 (2016 vs 2013).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1060	Radeon R9 290
MSRP	$249-38%	$399
Performance per Dollar	40.4+97%	20.5
Codename	GP104	Hawaii
Release	May 27 2016	November 5 2013
Ranking	#137	#316

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