GeForce RTX 3060
Radeon R9 290
GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon R9 290 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 vs Radeon R9 290 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 vs Radeon R9 290: 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
2021Why buy it
- ✅90.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Costs $70 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
- ✅Delivers 151.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 51.7 vs 20.5 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
- ✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
- ✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 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
2013Why buy it
- ✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
- ❌2013 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
- ❌21.3% HIGHER MSRP$399 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
Quick Answers
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GeForce RTX 3060 vs Radeon R9 290 Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
GeForce RTX 3060
The GeForce RTX 3060 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 12 2021. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1320 MHz to 1777 MHz. It has 3584 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 170W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 28 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 16,995 points. Launch price was $329.
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 3060 scores 16,995 versus the Radeon R9 290's 8,184 — the GeForce RTX 3060 leads by 107.7%. The GeForce RTX 3060 is built on Ampere while the Radeon R9 290 uses GCN 2.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 3,584 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 290). Raw compute: 12.74 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 4.849 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon R9 290 |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 16,995+108% | 8,184 |
| Architecture | Ampere | GCN 2.0 |
| Process Node | 8 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 3584+40% | 2560 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 12.74 TFLOPS+163% | 4.849 TFLOPS |
| ROPs | 48 | 64+33% |
| TMUs | 112 | 160+43% |
| L1 Cache | 3.5 MB+456% | 0.63 MB |
| L2 Cache | 3 MB+200% | 1 MB |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce RTX 3060 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R9 290 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | 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 3060 has 12 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 290 carries 4 GB. GeForce RTX 3060 gives you 200% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 360 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 320 GB/s (Radeon R9 290) — a 12.5% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3060. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 3060 and 512-bit on the Radeon R9 290. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 290) — the GeForce RTX 3060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon R9 290 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 12 GB+200% | 4 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 360 GB/s+13% | 320 GB/s |
| Bus Width | 192-bit | 512-bit+167% |
| L2 Cache | 3 MB+200% | 1 MB |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3060) 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 3060 | 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 7th Gen (GeForce RTX 3060) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290). Decoder: NVDEC 5th Gen vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon R9 290 |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC 7th Gen | VCE 2.0 |
| Decoder | NVDEC 5th Gen | UVD 4.2 |
| Codecs | AV1,H.265,H.264,VP9 | MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce RTX 3060 draws 170W versus the Radeon R9 290's 275W — a 47.2% difference. The GeForce RTX 3060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 750W (Radeon R9 290). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 275mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 95°C.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon R9 290 |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 170W-38% | 275W |
| Recommended PSU | 550W-27% | 750W |
| Power Connector | 8-pin | 6-pin + 8-pin |
| Length | 242mm | 275mm |
| Height | 112mm | 109mm |
| Slots | 2 | 2 |
| Temp (Load) | 75-21% | 95°C |
| Perf/Watt | 100.0+236% | 29.8 |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce RTX 3060 came in at $329, while the Radeon R9 290 launched at $399. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 3060 was 17.5% cheaper ($70 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 51.7 (GeForce RTX 3060) vs 20.5 (Radeon R9 290) — the GeForce RTX 3060 offers 152.2% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3060 (2021 vs 2013).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3060 | Radeon R9 290 |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $329-18% | $399 |
| Performance per Dollar | 51.7+152% | 20.5 |
| Codename | GA106 | Hawaii |
| Release | January 12 2021 | November 5 2013 |
| Ranking | #114 | #316 |
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