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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce RTX 2060

2019

Why buy it

✅55.5% more average FPS across 46 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $50 less on MSRP ($349 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Delivers 97.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 20.5 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Radeon R9 290

2013

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 2060 across 46 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
14.3% HIGHER MSRP
$399 MSRPvs$349 MSRP

GeForce RTX 2060

2019

Radeon R9 290

2013

Why buy it

✅55.5% more average FPS across 46 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $50 less on MSRP ($349 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Delivers 97.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 20.5 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 2060 across 46 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
14.3% HIGHER MSRP
$399 MSRPvs$349 MSRP

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 2060 better than Radeon R9 290?

Yes. GeForce RTX 2060 is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 2060 averages 55.5% more FPS across 46 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 14,114 vs 8,184 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 2060 is a 2019 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Radeon R9 290 is a 2013 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce RTX 2060 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2019 generation instead of 2013, 72.5% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 6 GB instead of 4 GB, and the stronger feature stack with DLSS Super Resolution instead of FSR upscaling. That leaves it with more room for heavier textures, tougher ray tracing loads, and higher-end 1440p or 4K gaming over the next few years.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

GeForce RTX 2060 is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce RTX 2060 is about $50 cheaper on MSRP at $349 MSRP versus $399 MSRP, and you are getting 55.5% more estimated average FPS across 46 tracked games in our benchmark data and 72.5% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 97.2%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is Radeon R9 290 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon R9 290 is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around $399 MSRP, even if GeForce RTX 2060 is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

GeForce RTX 2060 Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 290 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 2060	Radeon R9 290
1080p
low	108 FPS	83 FPS
medium	98 FPS	71 FPS
high	82 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	69 FPS	39 FPS
1440p
low	95 FPS	72 FPS
medium	83 FPS	64 FPS
high	69 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	60 FPS	30 FPS
4K
low	47 FPS	26 FPS
medium	43 FPS	25 FPS
high	31 FPS	17 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	14 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 2060 Open Radeon R9 290

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 2060	Radeon R9 290
1080p
low	290 FPS	185 FPS
medium	247 FPS	156 FPS
high	197 FPS	129 FPS
ultra	155 FPS	100 FPS
1440p
low	192 FPS	132 FPS
medium	164 FPS	103 FPS
high	131 FPS	83 FPS
ultra	104 FPS	64 FPS
4K
low	108 FPS	60 FPS
medium	91 FPS	49 FPS
high	75 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	57 FPS	36 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 2060 Open Radeon R9 290

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 2060	Radeon R9 290
1080p
low	635 FPS	368 FPS
medium	508 FPS	295 FPS
high	423 FPS	246 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	184 FPS
1440p
low	476 FPS	276 FPS
medium	381 FPS	221 FPS
high	318 FPS	184 FPS
ultra	238 FPS	138 FPS
4K
low	318 FPS	184 FPS
medium	254 FPS	147 FPS
high	212 FPS	123 FPS
ultra	159 FPS	92 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 2060 Open Radeon R9 290

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 2060	Radeon R9 290
1080p
low	428 FPS	152 FPS
medium	354 FPS	123 FPS
high	286 FPS	105 FPS
ultra	244 FPS	87 FPS
1440p
low	357 FPS	110 FPS
medium	302 FPS	90 FPS
high	235 FPS	78 FPS
ultra	193 FPS	62 FPS
4K
low	204 FPS	64 FPS
medium	166 FPS	49 FPS
high	154 FPS	39 FPS
ultra	119 FPS	28 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 2060 Open Radeon R9 290

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 2060 and Radeon R9 290

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 R9 290

The Radeon R9 290 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 5 2013. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 947 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 275W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,184 points. Launch price was $399.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 2060 scores 14,114 versus the Radeon R9 290's 8,184 — the GeForce RTX 2060 leads by 72.5%. The GeForce RTX 2060 is built on Turing while the Radeon R9 290 uses GCN 2.0, both on 12 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,920 (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 290). Raw compute: 6.451 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 4.849 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290).

Feature	GeForce RTX 2060	Radeon R9 290
G3D Mark Score	14,114+72%	8,184
Architecture	Turing	GCN 2.0
Process Node	12 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1920	2560+33%
Compute (TFLOPS)	6.451 TFLOPS+33%	4.849 TFLOPS
ROPs	48	64+33%
TMUs	120	160+33%
L1 Cache	1.9 MB+202%	0.63 MB
L2 Cache	3 MB+200%	1 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 2060 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon R9 290 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce RTX 2060	Radeon R9 290
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 comes with 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 290 has 4 GB. The GeForce RTX 2060 offers 50% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 336 GB/s (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 320 GB/s (Radeon R9 290) — a 5% advantage for the GeForce RTX 2060. Bus width: 192-bit vs 512-bit. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 290) — the GeForce RTX 2060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 2060	Radeon R9 290
VRAM Capacity	6 GB+50%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	336 GB/s+5%	320 GB/s
Bus Width	192-bit	512-bit+167%
L2 Cache	3 MB+200%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 12.0 (Radeon R9 290). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.

Feature	GeForce RTX 2060	Radeon R9 290
DirectX	12 Ultimate (12_2)	12.0
Vulkan	1.3+8%	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	6+50%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Turing) (GeForce RTX 2060) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290). Decoder: NVDEC (Turing) vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,VP9,VP8,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce RTX 2060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290).

Feature	GeForce RTX 2060	Radeon R9 290
Encoder	NVENC (Turing)	VCE 2.0
Decoder	NVDEC (Turing)	UVD 4.2
Codecs	H.264,H.265,VP9,VP8,MPEG-2,VC-1	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 2060 draws 160W versus the Radeon R9 290's 275W — a 52.9% difference. The GeForce RTX 2060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 750W (Radeon R9 290). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 229mm vs 275mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 72 vs 95°C.

Feature	GeForce RTX 2060	Radeon R9 290
TDP	160W-42%	275W
Recommended PSU	500W-33%	750W
Power Connector	8-pin	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	229mm	275mm
Height	113mm	109mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	72-24%	95°C
Perf/Watt	88.2+196%	29.8

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 2060 launched at $349 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 290 launched at $399. The GeForce RTX 2060 costs 12.5% less ($50 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 20.5 (Radeon R9 290) — the GeForce RTX 2060 offers 97.1% better value. The GeForce RTX 2060 is the newer GPU (2019 vs 2013).