GeForce RTX 3070
Radeon R9 290
GeForce RTX 3070 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 3070 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 3070 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 3070
2020Why buy it
- ✅138.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Delivers 116.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 20.5 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
- ✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
- ✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
- ✅Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
Trade-offs
- ❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.
Radeon R9 290
2013Why buy it
- ✅Costs $100 less on MSRP ($399 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3070 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
- ❌2013 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 20.5 vs 44.4 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
Quick Answers
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GeForce RTX 3070 vs Radeon R9 290 Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
GeForce RTX 3070
The GeForce RTX 3070 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 1 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1500 MHz to 1725 MHz. It has 5888 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 220W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 46 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 22,172 points. Launch price was $499.
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 3070 scores 22,172 versus the Radeon R9 290's 8,184 — the GeForce RTX 3070 leads by 170.9%. The GeForce RTX 3070 is built on Ampere while the Radeon R9 290 uses GCN 2.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 5,888 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 290). Raw compute: 20.31 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 4.849 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3070 | Radeon R9 290 |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 22,172+171% | 8,184 |
| Architecture | Ampere | GCN 2.0 |
| Process Node | 8 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 5888+130% | 2560 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 20.31 TFLOPS+319% | 4.849 TFLOPS |
| ROPs | 96+50% | 64 |
| TMUs | 184+15% | 160 |
| L1 Cache | 5.8 MB+821% | 0.63 MB |
| L2 Cache | 4 MB+300% | 1 MB |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce RTX 3070 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 3070 | 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 3070 has 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 290 carries 4 GB. GeForce RTX 3070 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 3070) vs 320 GB/s (Radeon R9 290) — a 40% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3070. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce RTX 3070 and 512-bit on the Radeon R9 290. L2 Cache: 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 290) — the GeForce RTX 3070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3070 | Radeon R9 290 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 8 GB+100% | 4 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 448 GB/s+40% | 320 GB/s |
| Bus Width | 256-bit | 512-bit+100% |
| L2 Cache | 4 MB+300% | 1 MB |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 12.0 (Radeon R9 290). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3070 | Radeon R9 290 |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 Ultimate | 12.0 |
| Vulkan | 1.4+17% | 1.2 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Max Displays | 4 | 6+50% |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3070) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3070 | Radeon R9 290 |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC 7th gen | VCE 2.0 |
| Decoder | NVDEC 5th gen | UVD 4.2 |
| Codecs | H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 | MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce RTX 3070 draws 220W versus the Radeon R9 290's 275W — a 22.2% difference. The GeForce RTX 3070 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 650W (GeForce RTX 3070) 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°C vs 95°C.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3070 | Radeon R9 290 |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 220W-20% | 275W |
| Recommended PSU | 650W-13% | 750W |
| Power Connector | 8-pin | 6-pin + 8-pin |
| Length | 242mm | 275mm |
| Height | 112mm | 109mm |
| Slots | 2 | 2 |
| Temp (Load) | 75°C-21% | 95°C |
| Perf/Watt | 100.8+238% | 29.8 |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce RTX 3070 came in at $499, while the Radeon R9 290 launched at $399. On MSRP, Radeon R9 290 was 20% cheaper ($100 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 44.4 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 20.5 (Radeon R9 290) — the GeForce RTX 3070 offers 116.6% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3070 (2020 vs 2013).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3070 | Radeon R9 290 |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $499 | $399-20% |
| Performance per Dollar | 44.4+117% | 20.5 |
| Codename | GA104 | Hawaii |
| Release | September 1 2020 | November 5 2013 |
| Ranking | #63 | #316 |
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