GeForce RTX 4060 Ti vs Radeon R9 290

CPU

GPU

GeForce RTX 4060 Ti

2023Core: 2310 MHzBoost: 2535 MHz

RTX family

·······

Buy on Amazon

Radeon R9 290

2013Core: 947 MHz

Similar parts

·······

Buy on Amazon

GeForce RTX 4060 Ti vs Radeon R9 290 Performance Spectrum

GeForce RTX 4060 Ti

8 GB 160

22,651

+176.8%

GeForce GTX TITAN X

RTX 2000 Ada Generation Embedded GPU

GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU

TITAN RTX

GeForce RTX 3080

GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile

8,184

0.0%

Radeon HD 7870

Radeon 760M

Radeon R9 380X

Radeon RX 470 (móvel)

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 4060 Ti 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.

GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 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 4060 Ti

2023

Why buy it

✅141.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 176.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 56.8 vs 20.5 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
✅Better long-term bet: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm 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

2013

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 4060 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 equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
❌2013 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 20.5 vs 56.8 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 141.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 176.8% in PassMark G3D (22,651 vs 8,184), so the answer here is pretty clean.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 8 GB vs 4 GB of VRAM, native frame generation with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023), while Radeon R9 290 has no comparable frame-generation support, a 5nm process instead of 28nm, and 34 vs 0 ray-tracing units. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce RTX 4060 Ti makes the most sense to buy today. It is priced the same on MSRP at $399 vs $399, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 176.8% (56.8 vs 20.5), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce RTX 4060 Ti vs Radeon R9 290 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

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.

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 4060 Ti scores 22,651 versus the Radeon R9 290's 8,184 — the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti leads by 176.8%. The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is built on Ada Lovelace while the Radeon R9 290 uses GCN 2.0, both on 5 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 4,352 (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 290). Raw compute: 22.06 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) vs 4.849 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290).

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060 Ti	Radeon R9 290
G3D Mark Score	22,651+177%	8,184
Architecture	Ada Lovelace	GCN 2.0
Process Node	5 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	4352+70%	2560
Compute (TFLOPS)	22.06 TFLOPS+355%	4.849 TFLOPS
ROPs	48	64+33%
TMUs	136	160+18%
L1 Cache	4.3 MB+583%	0.63 MB
L2 Cache	32 MB+3100%	1 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is support for DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The Radeon R9 290 does not have comparable native support in the same tier.The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 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 4060 Ti	Radeon R9 290
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 has 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 290 carries 4 GB. GeForce RTX 4060 Ti gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 288 GB/s (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) vs 320 GB/s (Radeon R9 290) — a 11.1% advantage for the Radeon R9 290. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti and 512-bit on the Radeon R9 290. L2 Cache: 32 MB (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 290) — the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060 Ti	Radeon R9 290
VRAM Capacity	8 GB+100%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	288 GB/s	320 GB/s+11%
Bus Width	128-bit	512-bit+300%
L2 Cache	32 MB+3100%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.2 (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) 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 4060 Ti	Radeon R9 290
DirectX	12.2+2%	12.0
Vulkan	1.3+8%	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	6+50%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: 8th Gen NVENC (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290). Decoder: 5th Gen NVDEC vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290).

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060 Ti	Radeon R9 290
Encoder	8th Gen NVENC	VCE 2.0
Decoder	5th Gen NVDEC	UVD 4.2
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti draws 160W versus the Radeon R9 290's 275W — a 52.9% difference. The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) vs 750W (Radeon R9 290). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 240mm vs 275mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 70°C vs 95°C.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060 Ti	Radeon R9 290
TDP	160W-42%	275W
Recommended PSU	550W-27%	750W
Power Connector	8-pin	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	240mm	275mm
Height	111mm	109mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	70°C-26%	95°C
Perf/Watt	141.6+375%	29.8

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti came in at $399, while the Radeon R9 290 launched at $399. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 56.8 (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) vs 20.5 (Radeon R9 290) — the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti offers 177.1% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 4060 Ti (2023 vs 2013).

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060 Ti	Radeon R9 290
MSRP	$399	$399
Performance per Dollar	56.8+177%	20.5
Codename	AD106	Hawaii
Release	May 18 2023	November 5 2013
Ranking	#59	#316

Search GeForce RTX 4060 Ti on Amazon

Search Radeon R9 290 on Amazon

Affiliate Disclosure

ChipVERSUS is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through our links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support our work in providing comprehensive PC building guides and tools.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.