GeForce RTX 4060 Ti vs Radeon HD 8990

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 4060 Ti

2023Core: 2310 MHzBoost: 2535 MHz

Popular choices:

VS
AMD

Radeon HD 8990

2013Core: 950 MHzBoost: 1000 MHz

Popular choices:

RTX 4060 Ti

Performance Spectrum - GPU

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.

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 4060 Ti

2023

Why buy it

  • +334.4% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • Costs $600 less on MSRP ($399 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
  • Delivers 987.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 56.8 vs 5.2 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
  • 166.7% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 3 GB).

Trade-offs

  • Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Radeon HD 8990

2013

Why buy it

  • Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (5,214 vs 22,651).
  • Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
  • Very weak future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
  • 150.4% HIGHER MSRP
    $999 MSRPvs$399 MSRP

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 4060 Ti better than Radeon HD 8990?
Yes. GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 22,651 vs 5,214 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is a 2023 card with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation, while Radeon HD 8990 is a 2013 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 4060 Ti is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2023 generation instead of 2013, 334.4% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 3 GB, and better frame-generation support with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023) 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 4060 Ti is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is about $600 cheaper on MSRP at $399 MSRP versus $999 MSRP, and you are getting 334.4% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 987.7%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.
Is Radeon HD 8990 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?
Yes. Radeon HD 8990 is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around $999 MSRP, even if GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

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.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

PresetGeForce RTX 4060 TiRadeon HD 8990
1080p
low177 FPS100 FPS
medium162 FPS82 FPS
high142 FPS64 FPS
ultra124 FPS38 FPS
1440p
low143 FPS83 FPS
medium118 FPS70 FPS
high101 FPS48 FPS
ultra93 FPS28 FPS
4K
low93 FPS27 FPS
medium79 FPS26 FPS
high66 FPS16 FPS
ultra59 FPS14 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce RTX 4060 TiRadeon HD 8990
1080p
low425 FPS143 FPS
medium359 FPS118 FPS
high292 FPS97 FPS
ultra237 FPS71 FPS
1440p
low270 FPS88 FPS
medium229 FPS66 FPS
high186 FPS49 FPS
ultra154 FPS37 FPS
4K
low117 FPS37 FPS
medium95 FPS28 FPS
high77 FPS21 FPS
ultra60 FPS16 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce RTX 4060 TiRadeon HD 8990
1080p
low855 FPS235 FPS
medium693 FPS188 FPS
high609 FPS156 FPS
ultra510 FPS117 FPS
1440p
low660 FPS176 FPS
medium527 FPS141 FPS
high452 FPS117 FPS
ultra382 FPS88 FPS
4K
low447 FPS117 FPS
medium355 FPS94 FPS
high308 FPS78 FPS
ultra255 FPS59 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce RTX 4060 TiRadeon HD 8990
1080p
low775 FPS145 FPS
medium639 FPS116 FPS
high558 FPS100 FPS
ultra492 FPS83 FPS
1440p
low613 FPS107 FPS
medium503 FPS87 FPS
high435 FPS75 FPS
ultra378 FPS58 FPS
4K
low375 FPS63 FPS
medium322 FPS48 FPS
high298 FPS38 FPS
ultra255 FPS26 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 4060 Ti and Radeon HD 8990

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 4060 Ti

The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 18 2023. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 2310 MHz to 2535 MHz. It has 4352 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 160W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 34 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 22,651 points. Launch price was $399.

AMD

Radeon HD 8990

The Radeon HD 8990 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 24 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 950 MHz to 1000 MHz. It has 2048 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 375W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,214 points. Launch price was $999.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti scores 22,651 versus the Radeon HD 8990's 5,214 — the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti leads by 334.4%. The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is built on Ada Lovelace while the Radeon HD 8990 uses GCN 1.0, both on 5 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 4,352 (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) vs 2,048 (Radeon HD 8990). Raw compute: 22.06 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) vs 4.096 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 8990). Boost clocks: 2535 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

FeatureGeForce RTX 4060 TiRadeon HD 8990
G3D Mark Score
22,651+334%
5,214
Architecture
Ada Lovelace
GCN 1.0
Process Node
5 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
4352+113%
2048 ×2
Compute (TFLOPS)
22.06 TFLOPS+439%
4.096 TFLOPS ×2
Boost Clock
2535 MHz+154%
1000 MHz
ROPs
48+50%
32 ×2
TMUs
136+6%
128 ×2
L1 Cache
4.3 MB+760%
0.5 MB
L2 Cache
32 MB+4167%
0.75 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is support for DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation. This allows it to generate entire frames using AI/Algorithms, essentially doubling the frame rate in CPU-bound scenarios or heavy ray-tracing titles. The Radeon HD 8990 lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon HD 8990 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

FeatureGeForce RTX 4060 TiRadeon HD 8990
Upscaling Tech
DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
Yes (DLSS 3.5)
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti comes with 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 8990 has 3 GB. The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti offers 166.7% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 288 GB/s (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) vs 288 GB/s x2 (Radeon HD 8990) — a 900.7% advantage for the Radeon HD 8990. Bus width: 128-bit vs 384-bit x2. L2 Cache: 32 MB (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) vs 0.75 MB (Radeon HD 8990) — the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 4060 TiRadeon HD 8990
VRAM Capacity
8 GB+167%
3 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
288 GB/s
288 GB/s x2
Bus Width
128-bit
384-bit x2+200%
L2 Cache
32 MB+4167%
0.75 MB
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti draws 160W versus the Radeon HD 8990's 375W — a 80.4% difference. The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) vs 750W (Radeon HD 8990). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 2x 8-pin.

FeatureGeForce RTX 4060 TiRadeon HD 8990
TDP
160W-57%
375W
Recommended PSU
550W-27%
750W
Power Connector
8-pin
2x 8-pin
Length
240mm
Height
111mm
Slots
2
Temp (Load)
70°C
Perf/Watt
141.6+919%
13.9
💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti launched at $399 MSRP, while the Radeon HD 8990 launched at $999. The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti costs 60.1% less ($600 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 56.8 (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) vs 5.2 (Radeon HD 8990) — the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti offers 992.3% better value. The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is the newer GPU (2023 vs 2013).

FeatureGeForce RTX 4060 TiRadeon HD 8990
MSRP
$399-60%
$999
Performance per Dollar
56.8+992%
5.2
Codename
AD106
Malta
Release
May 18 2023
April 24 2013
Ranking
#59
#412