GeForce GTX 780
Radeon R9 290 / 390
GeForce GTX 780 vs Radeon R9 290 / 390 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 780 vs Radeon R9 290 / 390 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 780 vs Radeon R9 290 / 390: 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 780
2013Why buy it
- ✅7.3% 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).
- ✅Draws 250W instead of 300W, a 50W reduction.
Trade-offs
- ❌2013 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
- ❌51.7% HIGHER MSRP$499 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 15.9 vs 24.8 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
Radeon R9 290 / 390
2015Why buy it
- ✅Costs $170 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
- ✅Delivers 55.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 24.8 vs 15.9 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 780 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌2015 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
- ❌20% higher power demand at 300W vs 250W.
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 780 vs Radeon R9 290 / 390 Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
GeForce GTX 780
The GeForce GTX 780 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 23 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 863 MHz to 900 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,957 points. Launch price was $649.
Radeon R9 290 / 390
The Radeon R9 290 / 390 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 18 2015. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,150 points. Launch price was $329.
Graphics Performance
The GeForce GTX 780 scores 7,957 and the Radeon R9 290 / 390 reaches 8,150 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 780 is built on Kepler while the Radeon R9 290 / 390 uses GCN 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,304 (GeForce GTX 780) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 290 / 390). Raw compute: 4.156 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 780) vs 5.12 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290 / 390). Boost clocks: 900 MHz vs 1000 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 780 | Radeon R9 290 / 390 |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 7,957 | 8,150+2% |
| Architecture | Kepler | GCN 2.0 |
| Process Node | 28 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 2304 | 2560+11% |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 4.156 TFLOPS | 5.12 TFLOPS+23% |
| Boost Clock | 900 MHz | 1000 MHz+11% |
| ROPs | 48 | 64+33% |
| TMUs | 192+20% | 160 |
| L1 Cache | 192 KB | 640 KB+233% |
| L2 Cache | 1.5 MB+50% | 1 MB |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce GTX 780 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R9 290 / 390 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 780 | Radeon R9 290 / 390 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 780 has 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 290 / 390 carries 4 GB. GeForce GTX 780 gives you 50% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 288 GB/s (GeForce GTX 780) vs 320 GB/s (Radeon R9 290 / 390) — a 11.1% advantage for the Radeon R9 290 / 390. Memory bus width is 384-bit on the GeForce GTX 780 and 512-bit on the Radeon R9 290 / 390. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 780) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 290 / 390) — the GeForce GTX 780 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 780 | Radeon R9 290 / 390 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 6 GB+50% | 4 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 288 GB/s | 320 GB/s+11% |
| Bus Width | 384-bit | 512-bit+33% |
| L2 Cache | 1.5 MB+50% | 1 MB |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce GTX 780) vs 12.0 (Radeon R9 290 / 390). Vulkan: 1.0 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 780 | Radeon R9 290 / 390 |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 (11_0) | 12.0 |
| Vulkan | 1.0 | 1.2+20% |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Max Displays | 4 | 6+50% |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st Gen (GeForce GTX 780) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290 / 390). Decoder: NVDEC 1st Gen vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce GTX 780) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290 / 390).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 780 | Radeon R9 290 / 390 |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC 1st Gen | VCE 2.0 |
| Decoder | NVDEC 1st Gen | UVD 4.2 |
| Codecs | H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 | MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce GTX 780 draws 250W versus the Radeon R9 290 / 390's 300W — a 18.2% difference. The GeForce GTX 780 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce GTX 780) vs 750W (Radeon R9 290 / 390). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 275mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 80 vs 95°C.
| Feature | GeForce GTX 780 | Radeon R9 290 / 390 |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 250W-17% | 300W |
| Recommended PSU | 600W-20% | 750W |
| Power Connector | 6-pin + 8-pin | 6-pin + 8-pin |
| Length | 267mm | 275mm |
| Height | 111mm | 109mm |
| Slots | 2 | 2 |
| Temp (Load) | 80-16% | 95°C |
| Perf/Watt | 31.8+17% | 27.2 |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce GTX 780 came in at $499, while the Radeon R9 290 / 390 launched at $329. On MSRP, Radeon R9 290 / 390 was 34.1% cheaper ($170 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 15.9 (GeForce GTX 780) vs 24.8 (Radeon R9 290 / 390) — the Radeon R9 290 / 390 offers 56% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R9 290 / 390 (2015 vs 2013).
| Feature | GeForce GTX 780 | Radeon R9 290 / 390 |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $499 | $329-34% |
| Performance per Dollar | 15.9 | 24.8+56% |
| Codename | GK110 | Grenada |
| Release | May 23 2013 | June 18 2015 |
| Ranking | #320 | #296 |
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 780 and Radeon R9 290 / 390
