GeForce GTX Titan vs Radeon R9 290X / 390X

CPU

GPU

GeForce GTX Titan

2013Core: 837 MHzBoost: 876 MHz

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Radeon R9 290X / 390X

2015Boost: 1050 MHz

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GeForce GTX Titan vs Radeon R9 290X / 390X Performance Spectrum

GeForce GTX Titan

6 GB 250

8,181

0.0%

GeForce MX550

GeForce GTX 760 Ti OEM

GeForce GTX 1050 Ti

GeForce GTX 1650 (móvel)

GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU

RTX 3000 Ada Generation Laptop GPU

GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPU

RTX 4000 Ada Generation

Radeon R9 290X / 390X

4 GB 275

8,380

+2.4%

Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB

Radeon RX 7800 XT

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 Titan vs Radeon R9 290X / 390X 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 Titan vs Radeon R9 290X / 390X: 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 Titan

2013

Why buy it

✅6.4% 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).

Trade-offs

❌2013 hardware with 6 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌
82% HIGHER MSRP
$999 MSRPvs$549 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 8.2 vs 15.3 G3D/$ ($999 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).

Radeon R9 290X / 390X

2015

Why buy it

✅Costs $450 less on MSRP ($549 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
✅Delivers 86.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 15.3 vs 8.2 G3D/$ ($549 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX Titan 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.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce GTX Titan is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 6.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon R9 290X / 390X instead at 8,380 vs 8,181, 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?

GeForce GTX Titan is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 6 GB vs 4 GB of VRAM. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon R9 290X / 390X makes the most sense to buy today. It is $450 cheaper on MSRP at $549 vs $999, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 86.4% (15.3 vs 8.2), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R9 290X / 390X is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX Titan has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX Titan vs Radeon R9 290X / 390X Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX Titan

The GeForce GTX Titan is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in February 19 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 837 MHz to 876 MHz. It has 2688 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,181 points. Launch price was $999.

Radeon R9 290X / 390X

The Radeon R9 290X / 390X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 18 2015. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1050 MHz. It has 2816 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 275W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,380 points. Launch price was $429.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX Titan scores 8,181 and the Radeon R9 290X / 390X reaches 8,380 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX Titan is built on Kepler while the Radeon R9 290X / 390X uses GCN 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,688 (GeForce GTX Titan) vs 2,816 (Radeon R9 290X / 390X). Raw compute: 4.709 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX Titan) vs 5.914 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290X / 390X). Boost clocks: 876 MHz vs 1050 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX Titan	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
G3D Mark Score	8,181	8,380+2%
Architecture	Kepler	GCN 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2688	2816+5%
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.709 TFLOPS	5.914 TFLOPS+26%
Boost Clock	876 MHz	1050 MHz+20%
ROPs	48	64+33%
TMUs	224+27%	176
L1 Cache	224 KB	704 KB+214%
L2 Cache	1.5 MB+50%	1 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX Titan gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R9 290X / 390X leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX Titan	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
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 Titan has 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 290X / 390X carries 4 GB. GeForce GTX Titan 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 Titan) vs 320 GB/s (Radeon R9 290X / 390X) — a 11.1% advantage for the Radeon R9 290X / 390X. Memory bus width is 384-bit on the GeForce GTX Titan and 512-bit on the Radeon R9 290X / 390X. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX Titan) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 290X / 390X) — the GeForce GTX Titan has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX Titan	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
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 (GeForce GTX Titan) vs 12.0 (Radeon R9 290X / 390X). Vulkan: 1.0 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.

Feature	GeForce GTX Titan	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
DirectX	12	12.0
Vulkan	1.0	1.1+10%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	6+50%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st gen (GeForce GTX Titan) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290X / 390X). Decoder: NVDEC 1st gen vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce GTX Titan) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290X / 390X).

Feature	GeForce GTX Titan	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
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 Titan draws 250W versus the Radeon R9 290X / 390X's 275W — a 9.5% difference. The GeForce GTX Titan is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce GTX Titan) vs 750W (Radeon R9 290X / 390X). 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°C vs 95°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX Titan	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
TDP	250W-9%	275W
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°C-16%	95°C
Perf/Watt	32.7+7%	30.5

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX Titan came in at $999, while the Radeon R9 290X / 390X launched at $549. On MSRP, Radeon R9 290X / 390X was 45% cheaper ($450 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 8.2 (GeForce GTX Titan) vs 15.3 (Radeon R9 290X / 390X) — the Radeon R9 290X / 390X offers 86.6% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R9 290X / 390X (2015 vs 2013).

Feature	GeForce GTX Titan	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
MSRP	$999	$549-45%
Performance per Dollar	8.2	15.3+87%
Codename	GK110	Grenada
Release	February 19 2013	June 18 2015
Ranking	#311	#287

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