GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 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 3060 Ti 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 3060 Ti 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 3060 Ti
2020Why buy it
- ✅296.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Costs $401 less on MSRP ($399 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
- ✅Delivers 578.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.9 vs 7.5 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
- ✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
- ✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
Trade-offs
- ❌24100% longer card at 242mm vs 1mm.
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
2014Why buy it
- ✅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 4 GB vs 8 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.
- ❌100.5% HIGHER MSRP$800 MSRPvs$399 MSRP
Quick Answers
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GeForce RTX 3060 Ti vs Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire 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 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 3060 Ti scores 20,312 versus the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire's 6,000 — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti leads by 238.5%. The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is built on Ampere while the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire uses GCN, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 4,864 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire). Boost clocks: 1665 MHz vs 900 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 20,312+239% | 6,000 |
| Architecture | Ampere | GCN |
| Process Node | 8 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 4864+90% | 2560 |
| Boost Clock | 1665 MHz+85% | 900 MHz |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 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 3060 Ti | 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 3060 Ti has 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire carries 4 GB. GeForce RTX 3060 Ti gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 448 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 307.2 GB/s (Dual) (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire) — a 45.8% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti and 512-bit (Dual) on the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 8 GB+100% | 4 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 448 GB/s+46% | 307.2 GB/s (Dual) |
| Bus Width | 256-bit | 512-bit (Dual)+100% |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 12 (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 0.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 |
| Max Displays | 4 | 0 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: NVENC (Ampere) (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire). Decoder: NVDEC (Ampere) vs UVD 3.1.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC (Ampere) | VCE 1.0 |
| Decoder | NVDEC (Ampere) | UVD 3.1 |
| Codecs | H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1 | — |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce RTX 3060 Ti draws 200W versus the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire's 200W — a 0% difference. The Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire). Power connectors: 8-pin vs Mobile. Card length: 242mm vs 1mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 200W | 200W |
| Recommended PSU | 600W | 350W-42% |
| Power Connector | 8-pin | Mobile |
| Length | 242mm | 1mm |
| Height | 112mm | — |
| Slots | 2 | 0-100% |
| Temp (Load) | 75 | — |
| Perf/Watt | 101.6+239% | 30.0 |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti came in at $399, while the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire launched at $800. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 3060 Ti was 50.1% cheaper ($401 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 50.9 (GeForce RTX 3060 Ti) vs 7.5 (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire) — the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti offers 578.7% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (2020 vs 2014).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $399-50% | $800 |
| Performance per Dollar | 50.9+579% | 7.5 |
| Codename | GA104 | Neptune CF |
| Release | December 1 2020 | March 1 2014 |
| Ranking | #73 | #348 |
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