GeForce RTX 2060 vs Radeon HD 4290

CPU

GPU

GeForce RTX 2060

2019Core: 1365 MHzBoost: 1680 MHz

RTX family

·······

Buy on Amazon

Radeon HD 4290

2009Core: 850 MHz

Similar parts

·······

Buy on Amazon

GeForce RTX 2060 vs Radeon HD 4290 Performance Spectrum

GeForce RTX 2060

6 GB 160

14,114

+9909.9%

GeForce GTX 1650

GeForce GTX TITAN Black

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB

GeForce RTX 3050 8GB

GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile

RTX 4000 SFF Ada Generation

RTX 4000 Ada Generation

GeForce RTX 3080 Ti

Radeon HD 4290

0.5 GB 190

141

0.0%

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 RTX 2060 vs Radeon HD 4290 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 RTX 2060 vs Radeon HD 4290: 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 RTX 2060

2019

Why buy it

✅4086.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 1620.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 2.4 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs $60 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅1100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 512 MB).
✅Better long-term bet: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌22800% longer card at 229mm vs 1mm.

Radeon HD 4290

2009

Why buy it

✅Costs $289 less on MSRP ($60 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
✅Measures 1mm instead of 229mm, a 228mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 2060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
❌2009 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.4 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($60 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce RTX 2060 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 4086.7% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 9909.9% in PassMark G3D (14,114 vs 141), so the answer here is pretty clean.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce RTX 2060 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 6 GB vs 512 MB of VRAM, a 12nm process instead of 55nm, 30 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2019 generation instead of 2009. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce RTX 2060 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $289 more expensive on MSRP at $349 vs $60, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 1620.9% (40.4 vs 2.4), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce RTX 2060 vs Radeon HD 4290 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce RTX 2060

The GeForce RTX 2060 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 7 2019. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1365 MHz to 1680 MHz. It has 1920 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 160W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. It features 30 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 14,114 points. Launch price was $349.

Radeon HD 4290

The Radeon HD 4290 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 2 2009. It features the TeraScale architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 190W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 141 points. Launch price was $249.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 2060 scores 14,114 versus the Radeon HD 4290's 141 — the GeForce RTX 2060 leads by 9909.9%. The GeForce RTX 2060 is built on Turing while the Radeon HD 4290 uses TeraScale, both on 12 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 1,920 (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 800 (Radeon HD 4290). Raw compute: 6.451 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 1.36 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 4290).

Feature	GeForce RTX 2060	Radeon HD 4290
G3D Mark Score	14,114+9910%	141
Architecture	Turing	TeraScale
Process Node	12 nm	55 nm
Shading Units	1920+140%	800
Compute (TFLOPS)	6.451 TFLOPS+374%	1.36 TFLOPS
ROPs	48+200%	16
TMUs	120+200%	40
L1 Cache	1.9 MB+1088%	0.16 MB
L2 Cache	3 MB+1100%	0.25 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 2060 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 4290 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce RTX 2060	Radeon HD 4290
Upscaling Tech	DLSS 2 Super Resolution	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 RTX 2060 has 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 4290 carries 512 MB. GeForce RTX 2060 gives you 1100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 2060 and 64-bit on the Radeon HD 4290. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon HD 4290) — the GeForce RTX 2060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 2060	Radeon HD 4290
VRAM Capacity	6 GB+1100%	0.5 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	336 GB/s	Unknown
Bus Width	192-bit+200%	64-bit
L2 Cache	3 MB+1100%	0.25 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 4290). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce RTX 2060	Radeon HD 4290
DirectX	12 Ultimate (12_2)+19%	10.1
Max Displays	4+100%	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Turing) (GeForce RTX 2060) vs UVD 2 (Radeon HD 4290). Decoder: NVDEC (Turing) vs UVD 2.

Feature	GeForce RTX 2060	Radeon HD 4290
Encoder	NVENC (Turing)	UVD 2
Decoder	NVDEC (Turing)	UVD 2
Codecs	H.264,H.265,VP9,VP8,MPEG-2,VC-1	—

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 2060 draws 160W versus the Radeon HD 4290's 190W — a 17.1% difference. The GeForce RTX 2060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 350W (Radeon HD 4290). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 229mm vs 1mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.

Feature	GeForce RTX 2060	Radeon HD 4290
TDP	160W-16%	190W
Recommended PSU	500W	350W-30%
Power Connector	8-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	229mm	1mm
Height	113mm	—
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	72	—
Perf/Watt	88.2+12500%	0.7

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 2060 came in at $349, while the Radeon HD 4290 launched at $60. On MSRP, Radeon HD 4290 was 82.8% cheaper ($289 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 2.4 (Radeon HD 4290) — the GeForce RTX 2060 offers 1583.3% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 2060 (2019 vs 2009).

Feature	GeForce RTX 2060	Radeon HD 4290
MSRP	$349	$60-83%
Performance per Dollar	40.4+1583%	2.4
Codename	TU106	RV790
Release	January 7 2019	April 2 2009
Ranking	#168	#762

Search GeForce RTX 2060 on Amazon

Search Radeon HD 4290 on Amazon

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.