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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce GTX 1650

2019

Why buy it

✅+31.1% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Costs $651 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
✅Delivers 604.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 52.8 vs 7.5 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire is already legacy-tier future-proofing.
✅Draws 75W instead of 200W, a 125W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.
❌22800% longer card at 229mm vs 1mm.

Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire

2014

Why buy it

✅Measures 1mm instead of 229mm, a 228mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (6,000 vs 7,869).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
436.9% HIGHER MSRP
$800 MSRPvs$149 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 7.5 vs 52.8 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).
❌166.7% higher power demand at 200W vs 75W.

GeForce GTX 1650

2019

Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire

2014

Why buy it

✅+31.1% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Costs $651 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
✅Delivers 604.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 52.8 vs 7.5 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire is already legacy-tier future-proofing.
✅Draws 75W instead of 200W, a 125W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Measures 1mm instead of 229mm, a 228mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.
❌22800% longer card at 229mm vs 1mm.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (6,000 vs 7,869).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
436.9% HIGHER MSRP
$800 MSRPvs$149 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 7.5 vs 52.8 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).
❌166.7% higher power demand at 200W vs 75W.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1650 better than Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1650 is the better GPU overall here. You are getting 31.1% higher PassMark G3D performance. It also comes from 2019 instead of 2014, which helps its case as the more complete modern gaming card.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce GTX 1650 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2019 generation instead of 2014, 31.1% more raw performance headroom, the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling, and a 12nm process instead of 28nm. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

GeForce GTX 1650 is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce GTX 1650 is about $651 cheaper on MSRP at $149 MSRP versus $800 MSRP, and you are getting 31.1% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 604.2%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around $800 MSRP, even if GeForce GTX 1650 is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

GeForce GTX 1650 Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1650	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
1080p
low	94 FPS	38 FPS
medium	83 FPS	32 FPS
high	70 FPS	22 FPS
ultra	58 FPS	14 FPS
1440p
low	87 FPS	31 FPS
medium	74 FPS	24 FPS
high	60 FPS	15 FPS
ultra	50 FPS	9 FPS
4K
low	41 FPS	11 FPS
medium	39 FPS	9 FPS
high	27 FPS	6 FPS
ultra	24 FPS	5 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1650 Open Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1650	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
1080p
low	136 FPS	103 FPS
medium	113 FPS	74 FPS
high	94 FPS	53 FPS
ultra	71 FPS	35 FPS
1440p
low	79 FPS	56 FPS
medium	62 FPS	34 FPS
high	44 FPS	23 FPS
ultra	35 FPS	17 FPS
4K
low	36 FPS	20 FPS
medium	27 FPS	13 FPS
high	21 FPS	10 FPS
ultra	15 FPS	8 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1650 Open Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1650	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
1080p
low	323 FPS	270 FPS
medium	283 FPS	216 FPS
high	205 FPS	180 FPS
ultra	169 FPS	135 FPS
1440p
low	225 FPS	202 FPS
medium	202 FPS	162 FPS
high	151 FPS	135 FPS
ultra	117 FPS	101 FPS
4K
low	130 FPS	135 FPS
medium	117 FPS	108 FPS
high	79 FPS	90 FPS
ultra	50 FPS	68 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1650 Open Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1650	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
1080p
low	261 FPS	118 FPS
medium	211 FPS	92 FPS
high	191 FPS	63 FPS
ultra	166 FPS	42 FPS
1440p
low	201 FPS	72 FPS
medium	158 FPS	52 FPS
high	135 FPS	39 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	27 FPS
4K
low	99 FPS	38 FPS
medium	74 FPS	27 FPS
high	65 FPS	20 FPS
ultra	51 FPS	14 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1650 Open Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1650 and Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire

GeForce GTX 1650

The GeForce GTX 1650 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 23 2019. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1485 MHz to 1665 MHz. It has 896 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,869 points. Launch price was $149.

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.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1650 scores 7,869 versus the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire's 6,000 — the GeForce GTX 1650 leads by 31.1%. The GeForce GTX 1650 is built on Turing while the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire uses GCN, both on 12 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 896 (GeForce GTX 1650) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire). Boost clocks: 1665 MHz vs 900 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1650	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
G3D Mark Score	7,869+31%	6,000
Architecture	Turing	GCN
Process Node	12 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	896	2560+186%
Boost Clock	1665 MHz+85%	900 MHz

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 1650 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1650	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 feature 4 GB of GDDR5. Memory bandwidth: 128 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1650) vs 307.2 GB/s (Dual) (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire) — a 140% advantage for the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire. Bus width: 128-bit vs 512-bit (Dual).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1650	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	128 GB/s	307.2 GB/s (Dual)+140%
Bus Width	128-bit	512-bit (Dual)+300%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1650) vs 12 (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire). Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 0.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1650	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
DirectX	12	12
Max Displays	3	0

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 5th gen (Volta) (GeForce GTX 1650) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire). Decoder: NVDEC 4th gen vs UVD 3.1.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1650	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
Encoder	NVENC 5th gen (Volta)	VCE 1.0
Decoder	NVDEC 4th gen	UVD 3.1
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9	—

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1650 draws 75W versus the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire's 200W — a 90.9% difference. The GeForce GTX 1650 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (GeForce GTX 1650) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire). Power connectors: None vs Mobile. Card length: 229mm vs 1mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1650	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
TDP	75W-63%	200W
Recommended PSU	300W-14%	350W
Power Connector	None	Mobile
Length	229mm	1mm
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	70°C	—
Perf/Watt	104.9+250%	30.0

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1650 launched at $149 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire launched at $800. The GeForce GTX 1650 costs 81.4% less ($651 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 52.8 (GeForce GTX 1650) vs 7.5 (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire) — the GeForce GTX 1650 offers 604% better value. The GeForce GTX 1650 is the newer GPU (2019 vs 2014).