GeForce RTX 2060
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
GeForce RTX 2060 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 RTX 2060 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.
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 RTX 2060 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 RTX 2060
2019Why buy it
- ✅179.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Costs $451 less on MSRP ($349 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
- ✅Delivers 439.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 7.5 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs $800 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
- ❌22800% longer card at 229mm vs 1mm.
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
2014Why buy it
- ✅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 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
- ❌2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
- ❌129.2% HIGHER MSRP$800 MSRPvs$349 MSRP
Quick Answers
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GeForce RTX 2060 vs Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire 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 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
In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 2060 scores 14,114 versus the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire's 6,000 — the GeForce RTX 2060 leads by 135.2%. The GeForce RTX 2060 is built on Turing while the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire uses GCN, both on 12 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,920 (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire). Boost clocks: 1680 MHz vs 900 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 2060 | Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 14,114+135% | 6,000 |
| Architecture | Turing | GCN |
| Process Node | 12 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 1920 | 2560+33% |
| Boost Clock | 1680 MHz+87% | 900 MHz |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce RTX 2060 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.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 2060 | Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire |
|---|---|---|
| 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 R9 M290X Crossfire carries 4 GB. GeForce RTX 2060 gives you 50% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 336 GB/s (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 307.2 GB/s (Dual) (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire) — a 9.4% advantage for the GeForce RTX 2060. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 2060 and 512-bit (Dual) on the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 2060 | Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 6 GB+50% | 4 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 336 GB/s+9% | 307.2 GB/s (Dual) |
| Bus Width | 192-bit | 512-bit (Dual)+167% |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 12 (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 0.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 2060 | Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 |
| Max Displays | 4 | 0 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: NVENC (Turing) (GeForce RTX 2060) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire). Decoder: NVDEC (Turing) vs UVD 3.1.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 2060 | Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC (Turing) | VCE 1.0 |
| Decoder | NVDEC (Turing) | UVD 3.1 |
| Codecs | H.264,H.265,VP9,VP8,MPEG-2,VC-1 | — |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce RTX 2060 draws 160W versus the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire's 200W — a 22.2% difference. The GeForce RTX 2060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire). Power connectors: 8-pin vs Mobile. Card length: 229mm vs 1mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 2060 | Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 160W-20% | 200W |
| Recommended PSU | 500W | 350W-30% |
| Power Connector | 8-pin | Mobile |
| Length | 229mm | 1mm |
| Height | 113mm | — |
| Slots | 2 | 0-100% |
| Temp (Load) | 72 | — |
| Perf/Watt | 88.2+194% | 30.0 |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce RTX 2060 came in at $349, while the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire launched at $800. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 2060 was 56.4% cheaper ($451 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 7.5 (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire) — the GeForce RTX 2060 offers 438.7% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 2060 (2019 vs 2014).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 2060 | Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $349-56% | $800 |
| Performance per Dollar | 40.4+439% | 7.5 |
| Codename | TU106 | Neptune CF |
| Release | January 7 2019 | March 1 2014 |
| Ranking | #168 | #348 |
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