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 3050 6GB

2024

Why buy it

✅19.8% more average FPS across 28 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $230 less on MSRP ($169 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Delivers 210.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 63.6 vs 20.5 G3D/$ ($169 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 3050 6GB across 28 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.
❌
136.1% HIGHER MSRP
$399 MSRPvs$169 MSRP

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB

2024

Radeon R9 290

2013

Why buy it

✅19.8% more average FPS across 28 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $230 less on MSRP ($169 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Delivers 210.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 63.6 vs 20.5 G3D/$ ($169 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 3050 6GB across 28 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.
❌
136.1% HIGHER MSRP
$399 MSRPvs$169 MSRP

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3050 6GB better than Radeon R9 290?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 3050 6GB averages 19.8% more FPS across 28 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 10,749 vs 8,184 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is a 2024 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 3050 6GB is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2024 generation instead of 2013, 31.3% 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 3050 6GB is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is about $230 cheaper on MSRP at $169 MSRP versus $399 MSRP, and you are getting 19.8% more estimated average FPS across 28 tracked games in our benchmark data and 31.3% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 210.1%. 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 3050 6GB 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 3050 6GB Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 290 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 6GB	Radeon R9 290
1080p
low	109 FPS	83 FPS
medium	92 FPS	71 FPS
high	77 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	45 FPS	39 FPS
1440p
low	95 FPS	72 FPS
medium	81 FPS	64 FPS
high	59 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	34 FPS	30 FPS
4K
low	30 FPS	26 FPS
medium	28 FPS	25 FPS
high	19 FPS	17 FPS
ultra	16 FPS	14 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 6GB Open Radeon R9 290

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 6GB	Radeon R9 290
1080p
low	174 FPS	185 FPS
medium	149 FPS	156 FPS
high	118 FPS	129 FPS
ultra	87 FPS	100 FPS
1440p
low	129 FPS	132 FPS
medium	106 FPS	103 FPS
high	83 FPS	83 FPS
ultra	62 FPS	64 FPS
4K
low	74 FPS	60 FPS
medium	62 FPS	49 FPS
high	48 FPS	44 FPS
ultra	34 FPS	36 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 6GB Open Radeon R9 290

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 6GB	Radeon R9 290
1080p
low	484 FPS	368 FPS
medium	387 FPS	295 FPS
high	322 FPS	246 FPS
ultra	242 FPS	184 FPS
1440p
low	363 FPS	276 FPS
medium	290 FPS	221 FPS
high	242 FPS	184 FPS
ultra	181 FPS	138 FPS
4K
low	242 FPS	184 FPS
medium	193 FPS	147 FPS
high	161 FPS	123 FPS
ultra	121 FPS	92 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 6GB Open Radeon R9 290

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 6GB	Radeon R9 290
1080p
low	243 FPS	152 FPS
medium	210 FPS	123 FPS
high	171 FPS	105 FPS
ultra	144 FPS	87 FPS
1440p
low	185 FPS	110 FPS
medium	166 FPS	90 FPS
high	131 FPS	78 FPS
ultra	109 FPS	62 FPS
4K
low	104 FPS	64 FPS
medium	87 FPS	49 FPS
high	69 FPS	39 FPS
ultra	55 FPS	28 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 6GB Open Radeon R9 290

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3050 6GB and Radeon R9 290

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB

The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in February 2 2024. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1042 MHz to 1470 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 70W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 18 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 10,749 points. Launch price was $179.

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 3050 6GB scores 10,749 versus the Radeon R9 290's 8,184 — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB leads by 31.3%. The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is built on Ampere while the Radeon R9 290 uses GCN 2.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,304 (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 290). Raw compute: 6.774 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 4.849 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 6GB	Radeon R9 290
G3D Mark Score	10,749+31%	8,184
Architecture	Ampere	GCN 2.0
Process Node	8 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2304	2560+11%
Compute (TFLOPS)	6.774 TFLOPS+40%	4.849 TFLOPS
ROPs	32	64+100%
TMUs	72	160+122%
L1 Cache	2.3 MB+265%	0.63 MB
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB 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 3050 6GB	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 3050 6GB comes with 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 290 has 4 GB. The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB offers 50% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 168 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 320 GB/s (Radeon R9 290) — a 90.5% advantage for the Radeon R9 290. Bus width: 96-bit vs 512-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 290) — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 6GB	Radeon R9 290
VRAM Capacity	6 GB+50%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	168 GB/s	320 GB/s+90%
Bus Width	96-bit	512-bit+433%
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) 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 3050 6GB	Radeon R9 290
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12.0
Vulkan	1.3+8%	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	6+50%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (5th Gen) (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290). Decoder: NVDEC (7th Gen) vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode Only) (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 6GB	Radeon R9 290
Encoder	NVENC (5th Gen)	VCE 2.0
Decoder	NVDEC (7th Gen)	UVD 4.2
Codecs	H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode Only)	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB draws 70W versus the Radeon R9 290's 275W — a 118.8% difference. The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 750W (Radeon R9 290). Power connectors: None vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 160mm vs 275mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 95°C.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 6GB	Radeon R9 290
TDP	70W-75%	275W
Recommended PSU	300W-60%	750W
Power Connector	None	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	160mm	275mm
Height	—	109mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	75°C-21%	95°C
Perf/Watt	153.6+415%	29.8

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB launched at $169 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 290 launched at $399. The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB costs 57.6% less ($230 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 63.6 (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 20.5 (Radeon R9 290) — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB offers 210.2% better value. The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is the newer GPU (2024 vs 2013).