GeForce RTX 4060
Radeon HD 4290
GeForce RTX 4060 vs Radeon HD 4290 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 4060 vs Radeon HD 4290 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 4060 vs Radeon HD 4290: 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
2023Why buy it
- ✅5104.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Delivers 2682% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 65.4 vs 2.4 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs $60 MSRP).
- ✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
- ✅1500% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 512 MB).
- ✅Better long-term bet: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
Trade-offs
- ❌23900% longer card at 240mm vs 1mm.
Radeon HD 4290
2009Why buy it
- ✅Costs $239 less on MSRP ($60 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
- ✅Measures 1mm instead of 240mm, a 239mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 4060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
- ❌2009 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.4 vs 65.4 G3D/$ ($60 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
Quick Answers
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GeForce RTX 4060 vs Radeon HD 4290 Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
GeForce RTX 4060
The GeForce RTX 4060 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 18 2023. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 1830 MHz to 2460 MHz. It has 3072 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 115W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 24 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 19,548 points. Launch price was $299.
Radeon HD 4290
The Radeon HD 4290 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 2 2009. It features the TeraScale architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 190W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 141 points. Launch price was $249.
Graphics Performance
In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 4060 scores 19,548 versus the Radeon HD 4290's 141 — the GeForce RTX 4060 leads by 13763.8%. The GeForce RTX 4060 is built on Ada Lovelace while the Radeon HD 4290 uses TeraScale, both on 5 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 3,072 (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 800 (Radeon HD 4290). Raw compute: 15.11 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 1.36 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 4290).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 4060 | Radeon HD 4290 |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 19,548+13764% | 141 |
| Architecture | Ada Lovelace | TeraScale |
| Process Node | 5 nm | 55 nm |
| Shading Units | 3072+284% | 800 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 15.11 TFLOPS+1011% | 1.36 TFLOPS |
| ROPs | 48+200% | 16 |
| TMUs | 96+140% | 40 |
| L1 Cache | 3 MB+1775% | 0.16 MB |
| L2 Cache | 24 MB+9500% | 0.25 MB |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The clearest feature edge for the GeForce RTX 4060 is support for DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The Radeon HD 4290 does not have comparable native support in the same tier.The GeForce RTX 4060 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 4290 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 4060 | Radeon HD 4290 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 has 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 4290 carries 512 MB. GeForce RTX 4060 gives you 1500% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce RTX 4060 and 64-bit on the Radeon HD 4290. L2 Cache: 24 MB (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon HD 4290) — the GeForce RTX 4060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 4060 | Radeon HD 4290 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 8 GB+1500% | 0.5 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 272 GB/s | Unknown |
| Bus Width | 128-bit+100% | 64-bit |
| L2 Cache | 24 MB+9500% | 0.25 MB |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 4290). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 2.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 4060 | Radeon HD 4290 |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 Ultimate+19% | 10.1 |
| Max Displays | 4+100% | 2 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: NVENC 8th gen (GeForce RTX 4060) vs UVD 2 (Radeon HD 4290). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs UVD 2.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 4060 | Radeon HD 4290 |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC 8th gen | UVD 2 |
| Decoder | NVDEC 5th gen | UVD 2 |
| Codecs | H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1 | — |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce RTX 4060 draws 115W versus the Radeon HD 4290's 190W — a 49.2% difference. The GeForce RTX 4060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 350W (Radeon HD 4290). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 240mm vs 1mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 4060 | Radeon HD 4290 |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 115W-39% | 190W |
| Recommended PSU | 550W | 350W-36% |
| Power Connector | 8-pin | 1x 6-pin |
| Length | 240mm | 1mm |
| Height | 111mm | — |
| Slots | 2 | 0-100% |
| Temp (Load) | 73°C | — |
| Perf/Watt | 170.0+24186% | 0.7 |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce RTX 4060 came in at $299, while the Radeon HD 4290 launched at $60. On MSRP, Radeon HD 4290 was 79.9% cheaper ($239 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 65.4 (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 2.4 (Radeon HD 4290) — the GeForce RTX 4060 offers 2625% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 4060 (2023 vs 2009).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 4060 | Radeon HD 4290 |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $299 | $60-80% |
| Performance per Dollar | 65.4+2625% | 2.4 |
| Codename | AD107 | RV790 |
| Release | May 18 2023 | April 2 2009 |
| Ranking | #84 | #762 |
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