GeForce GTX 770 vs Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 770

2013Core: 1046 MHzBoost: 1085 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire

2014Core: 850 MHzBoost: 900 MHz

GeForce GTX 770 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 770 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 770 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 770

2013

Why buy it

  • 26.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $401 less on MSRP ($399 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
  • Delivers 99.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 14.9 vs 7.5 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • 2013 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 15% higher power demand at 230W vs 200W.
  • 26600% longer card at 267mm vs 1mm.

Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire

2014

Why buy it

  • GeForce GTX 770 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire is the less risky modern option long term.
  • Draws 200W instead of 230W, a 30W reduction.
  • Measures 1mm instead of 267mm, a 266mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 770 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • 100.5% HIGHER MSRP
    $800 MSRPvs$399 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 7.5 vs 14.9 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce GTX 770 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 26.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire instead at 6,000 vs 5,961, 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?
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer upscaling stack, FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack and a newer 2014 generation instead of 2013. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce GTX 770 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $401 cheaper on MSRP at $399 vs $800, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 99.2% (14.9 vs 7.5), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, GeForce GTX 770 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 770 vs Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 770

The GeForce GTX 770 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 30 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 1046 MHz to 1085 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 230W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,961 points. Launch price was $399.

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

The GeForce GTX 770 scores 5,961 and the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire reaches 6,000 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 770 is built on Kepler while the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire uses GCN, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,536 (GeForce GTX 770) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire). Boost clocks: 1085 MHz vs 900 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 770Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
G3D Mark Score
5,961
6,000
Architecture
Kepler
GCN
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
1536
2560+67%
Boost Clock
1085 MHz+21%
900 MHz

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 770 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 770Radeon 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: 224 GB/s (GeForce GTX 770) vs 307.2 GB/s (Dual) (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire) — a 37.1% advantage for the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce GTX 770 and 512-bit (Dual) on the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire.

FeatureGeForce GTX 770Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
VRAM Capacity
4 GB
4 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
224 GB/s
307.2 GB/s (Dual)+37%
Bus Width
256-bit
512-bit (Dual)+100%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.0 (GeForce GTX 770) vs 12 (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 0.

FeatureGeForce GTX 770Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
DirectX
12.0
12
Max Displays
4
0
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st gen (GeForce GTX 770) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire). Decoder: PureVideo VP5 vs UVD 3.1.

FeatureGeForce GTX 770Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
Encoder
NVENC 1st gen
VCE 1.0
Decoder
PureVideo VP5
UVD 3.1
Codecs
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 770 draws 230W versus the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire's 200W — a 14% difference. The Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce GTX 770) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs Mobile. Card length: 267mm vs 1mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 770Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
TDP
230W
200W-13%
Recommended PSU
600W
350W-42%
Power Connector
6-pin + 8-pin
Mobile
Length
267mm
1mm
Height
111mm
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
80°C
Perf/Watt
25.9
30.0+16%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 770 came in at $399, while the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire launched at $800. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 770 was 50.1% cheaper ($401 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 14.9 (GeForce GTX 770) vs 7.5 (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire) — the GeForce GTX 770 offers 98.7% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire (2014 vs 2013).

FeatureGeForce GTX 770Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
MSRP
$399-50%
$800
Performance per Dollar
14.9+99%
7.5
Codename
GK104
Neptune CF
Release
May 30 2013
March 1 2014
Ranking
#398
#348

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