GeForce RTX 3070 vs Radeon R9 M290X

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 3070

2020

Why buy it

✅+589% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 452.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 8.0 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌120% higher power demand at 220W vs 100W.

Radeon R9 M290X

2014

Why buy it

✅Costs $99 less on MSRP ($400 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
✅Draws 100W instead of 220W, a 120W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (3,218 vs 22,172).
❌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.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 8.0 vs 44.4 G3D/$ ($400 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3070

2020

Radeon R9 M290X

2014

Why buy it

✅+589% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 452.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 8.0 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅Costs $99 less on MSRP ($400 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
✅Draws 100W instead of 220W, a 120W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌120% higher power demand at 220W vs 100W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (3,218 vs 22,172).
❌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.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 8.0 vs 44.4 G3D/$ ($400 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3070 better than Radeon R9 M290X?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3070 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 22,172 vs 3,218 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3070 is a 2020 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Radeon R9 M290X is a 2014 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 3070 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2020 generation instead of 2014, 589.0% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 8 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 3070 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce RTX 3070 is about 24.8% more expensive on MSRP at $499 MSRP versus $400 MSRP, and you are getting 589.0% higher G3D Mark. Radeon R9 M290X really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is Radeon R9 M290X still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon R9 M290X is 2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM, 3,218 in G3D Mark, and FSR upscaling. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

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 3070 Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 M290X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon R9 M290X
1080p
low	158 FPS	78 FPS
medium	140 FPS	67 FPS
high	123 FPS	53 FPS
ultra	104 FPS	35 FPS
1440p
low	134 FPS	69 FPS
medium	109 FPS	59 FPS
high	96 FPS	42 FPS
ultra	86 FPS	27 FPS
4K
low	80 FPS	24 FPS
medium	67 FPS	23 FPS
high	52 FPS	15 FPS
ultra	45 FPS	13 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3070 Open Radeon R9 M290X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon R9 M290X
1080p
low	470 FPS	112 FPS
medium	405 FPS	84 FPS
high	327 FPS	64 FPS
ultra	277 FPS	40 FPS
1440p
low	294 FPS	64 FPS
medium	246 FPS	43 FPS
high	213 FPS	32 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	22 FPS
4K
low	141 FPS	24 FPS
medium	120 FPS	16 FPS
high	105 FPS	13 FPS
ultra	83 FPS	9 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3070 Open Radeon R9 M290X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon R9 M290X
1080p
low	885 FPS	145 FPS
medium	712 FPS	116 FPS
high	619 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	499 FPS	72 FPS
1440p
low	692 FPS	109 FPS
medium	557 FPS	87 FPS
high	473 FPS	72 FPS
ultra	374 FPS	54 FPS
4K
low	479 FPS	72 FPS
medium	388 FPS	58 FPS
high	330 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	249 FPS	36 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3070 Open Radeon R9 M290X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon R9 M290X
1080p
low	600 FPS	142 FPS
medium	527 FPS	113 FPS
high	433 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	385 FPS	72 FPS
1440p
low	489 FPS	103 FPS
medium	433 FPS	84 FPS
high	339 FPS	72 FPS
ultra	297 FPS	54 FPS
4K
low	292 FPS	60 FPS
medium	270 FPS	46 FPS
high	238 FPS	36 FPS
ultra	200 FPS	25 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3070 Open Radeon R9 M290X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3070 and Radeon R9 M290X

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 M290X

The Radeon R9 M290X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 9 2014. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 850 MHz to 900 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,218 points.

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Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3070 scores 22,172 versus the Radeon R9 M290X's 3,218 — the GeForce RTX 3070 leads by 589%. The GeForce RTX 3070 is built on Ampere while the Radeon R9 M290X uses GCN 1.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 5,888 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 1,280 (Radeon R9 M290X). Raw compute: 20.31 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 2.304 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 M290X). Boost clocks: 1725 MHz vs 900 MHz.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon R9 M290X
G3D Mark Score	22,172+589%	3,218
Architecture	Ampere	GCN 1.0
Process Node	8 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	5888+360%	1280
Compute (TFLOPS)	20.31 TFLOPS+782%	2.304 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1725 MHz+92%	900 MHz
ROPs	96+200%	32
TMUs	184+130%	80
L1 Cache	5.8 MB+1771%	0.31 MB
L2 Cache	4 MB+700%	0.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3070 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon R9 M290X relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon R9 M290X
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 comes with 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 M290X has 4 GB. The GeForce RTX 3070 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 256-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon R9 M290X) — the GeForce RTX 3070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon R9 M290X
VRAM Capacity	8 GB+100%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	448 GB/s	Unknown
Bus Width	256-bit+100%	128-bit
L2 Cache	4 MB+700%	0.5 MB

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3070 draws 220W versus the Radeon R9 M290X's 100W — a 75% difference. The Radeon R9 M290X is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 650W (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M290X). Power connectors: 8-pin vs Mobile.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon R9 M290X
TDP	220W	100W-55%
Recommended PSU	650W	350W-46%
Power Connector	8-pin	Mobile
Length	242mm	—
Height	112mm	—
Slots	2	—
Temp (Load)	75°C	—
Perf/Watt	100.8+213%	32.2

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 3070 launched at $499 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 M290X launched at $400. The Radeon R9 M290X costs 19.8% less ($99 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 44.4 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 8.0 (Radeon R9 M290X) — the GeForce RTX 3070 offers 455% better value. The GeForce RTX 3070 is the newer GPU (2020 vs 2014).