GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
Radeon HD 4290
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti vs Radeon HD 4290 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 3060 Ti 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.
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 3060 Ti 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 3060 Ti
2020Why buy it
- ✅5836.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Delivers 2066.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.9 vs 2.4 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $60 MSRP).
- ✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
- ✅1500% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 512 MB).
- ✅Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
Trade-offs
- ❌24100% longer card at 242mm vs 1mm.
Radeon HD 4290
2009Why buy it
- ✅Costs $339 less on MSRP ($60 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
- ✅Measures 1mm instead of 242mm, a 241mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 Ti across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
- ❌2009 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.4 vs 50.9 G3D/$ ($60 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
Quick Answers
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GeForce RTX 3060 Ti vs Radeon HD 4290 Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in December 1 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1410 MHz to 1665 MHz. It has 4864 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 38 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 20,312 points. Launch price was $399.
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 3060 Ti scores 20,312 versus the Radeon HD 4290's 141 — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti leads by 14305.7%. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is built on Ampere while the Radeon HD 4290 uses TeraScale, both on 8 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 4,864 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 800 (Radeon HD 4290). Raw compute: 16.2 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 1.36 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 4290).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | Radeon HD 4290 |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 20,312+14306% | 141 |
| Architecture | Ampere | TeraScale |
| Process Node | 8 nm | 55 nm |
| Shading Units | 4864+508% | 800 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 16.2 TFLOPS+1091% | 1.36 TFLOPS |
| ROPs | 80+400% | 16 |
| TMUs | 152+280% | 40 |
| L1 Cache | 4.8 MB+2900% | 0.16 MB |
| L2 Cache | 4 MB+1500% | 0.25 MB |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 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 3060 Ti | 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 3060 Ti has 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 4290 carries 512 MB. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti gives you 1500% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti and 64-bit on the Radeon HD 4290. L2 Cache: 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon HD 4290) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | Radeon HD 4290 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 8 GB+1500% | 0.5 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 448 GB/s | Unknown |
| Bus Width | 256-bit+300% | 64-bit |
| L2 Cache | 4 MB+1500% | 0.25 MB |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 4290). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 2.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | Radeon HD 4290 |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 Ultimate (12_2)+19% | 10.1 |
| Max Displays | 4+100% | 2 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: NVENC (Ampere) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs UVD 2 (Radeon HD 4290). Decoder: NVDEC (Ampere) vs UVD 2.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | Radeon HD 4290 |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC (Ampere) | UVD 2 |
| Decoder | NVDEC (Ampere) | UVD 2 |
| Codecs | H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1 | — |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti draws 200W versus the Radeon HD 4290's 190W — a 5.1% difference. The Radeon HD 4290 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 350W (Radeon HD 4290). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 1mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | Radeon HD 4290 |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 200W | 190W-5% |
| Recommended PSU | 600W | 350W-42% |
| Power Connector | 8-pin | 1x 6-pin |
| Length | 242mm | 1mm |
| Height | 112mm | — |
| Slots | 2 | 0-100% |
| Temp (Load) | 75 | — |
| Perf/Watt | 101.6+14414% | 0.7 |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti came in at $399, while the Radeon HD 4290 launched at $60. On MSRP, Radeon HD 4290 was 85% cheaper ($339 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 50.9 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 2.4 (Radeon HD 4290) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti offers 2020.8% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (2020 vs 2009).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | Radeon HD 4290 |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $399 | $60-85% |
| Performance per Dollar | 50.9+2021% | 2.4 |
| Codename | GA104 | RV790 |
| Release | December 1 2020 | April 2 2009 |
| Ranking | #73 | #762 |
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