GeForce GTX 1650 vs Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 1650

2019Core: 1485 MHzBoost: 1665 MHz
GTX family
·······
VS
AMD

Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire

2014Core: 850 MHzBoost: 900 MHz

GeForce GTX 1650 vs Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire 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 1650 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 1650 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 1650

2019

Why buy it

  • 62.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 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).
  • Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire is already legacy-tier future-proofing, so GeForce GTX 1650 is the less risky modern option long term.
  • Draws 75W instead of 200W, a 125W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.
  • 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 average FPS than GeForce GTX 1650 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory 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

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce GTX 1650 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 62.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 31.1% in PassMark G3D (7,869 vs 6,000), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce GTX 1650 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 12nm process instead of 28nm and a newer 2019 generation instead of 2014. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce GTX 1650 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $651 cheaper on MSRP at $149 vs $800, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 604.2% (52.8 vs 7.5), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce GTX 1650 vs Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

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.

AMD

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.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1650Radeon 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 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.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1650Radeon 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: 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. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce GTX 1650 and 512-bit (Dual) on the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1650Radeon 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.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1650Radeon 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.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1650Radeon 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.

FeatureGeForce GTX 1650Radeon 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

At launch, the GeForce GTX 1650 came in at $149, while the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire launched at $800. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 1650 was 81.4% cheaper ($651 less). 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 newer card here is GeForce GTX 1650 (2019 vs 2014).

FeatureGeForce GTX 1650Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
MSRP
$149-81%
$800
Performance per Dollar
52.8+604%
7.5
Codename
TU117
Neptune CF
Release
April 23 2019
March 1 2014
Ranking
#323
#348

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