GeForce RTX 4060
Radeon R9 290X
GeForce RTX 4060 vs Radeon R9 290X 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 R9 290X 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 R9 290X: 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
- ✅94.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Costs $250 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
- ✅Delivers 326% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 65.4 vs 15.3 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs $549 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).
Trade-offs
- ❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.
Radeon R9 290X
2013Why buy it
- ✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 4060 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.
- ❌83.6% HIGHER MSRP$549 MSRPvs$299 MSRP
Quick Answers
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GeForce RTX 4060 vs Radeon R9 290X 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 R9 290X
The Radeon R9 290X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 24 2013. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 947 MHz. It has 2816 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 350W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,426 points. Launch price was $549.
Graphics Performance
In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 4060 scores 19,548 versus the Radeon R9 290X's 8,426 — the GeForce RTX 4060 leads by 132%. The GeForce RTX 4060 is built on Ada Lovelace while the Radeon R9 290X uses GCN 2.0, both on 5 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 3,072 (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 2,816 (Radeon R9 290X). Raw compute: 15.11 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 5.632 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290X). Boost clocks: 2460 MHz vs 947 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 4060 | Radeon R9 290X |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 19,548+132% | 8,426 |
| Architecture | Ada Lovelace | GCN 2.0 |
| Process Node | 5 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 3072+9% | 2816 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 15.11 TFLOPS+168% | 5.632 TFLOPS |
| Boost Clock | 2460 MHz+160% | 947 MHz |
| ROPs | 48 | 64+33% |
| TMUs | 96 | 176+83% |
| L1 Cache | 3 MB+335% | 0.69 MB |
| L2 Cache | 24 MB+2300% | 1 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 R9 290X 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 R9 290X leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 4060 | Radeon R9 290X |
|---|---|---|
| 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 R9 290X carries 4 GB. GeForce RTX 4060 gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 272 GB/s (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 320 GB/s (Radeon R9 290X) — a 17.6% advantage for the Radeon R9 290X. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce RTX 4060 and 512-bit on the Radeon R9 290X. L2 Cache: 24 MB (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 290X) — the GeForce RTX 4060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 4060 | Radeon R9 290X |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 8 GB+100% | 4 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 272 GB/s | 320 GB/s+18% |
| Bus Width | 128-bit | 512-bit+300% |
| L2 Cache | 24 MB+2300% | 1 MB |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 12.0 (Radeon R9 290X). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 4060 | Radeon R9 290X |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 Ultimate | 12.0 |
| Vulkan | 1.3+18% | 1.1 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Max Displays | 4 | 6+50% |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: NVENC 8th gen (GeForce RTX 4060) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290X). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1 (GeForce RTX 4060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290X).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 4060 | Radeon R9 290X |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC 8th gen | VCE 2.0 |
| Decoder | NVDEC 5th gen | UVD 4.2 |
| Codecs | H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1 | MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce RTX 4060 draws 115W versus the Radeon R9 290X's 350W — a 101.1% difference. The GeForce RTX 4060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 750W (Radeon R9 290X). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 240mm vs 275mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 73°C vs 95°C.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 4060 | Radeon R9 290X |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 115W-67% | 350W |
| Recommended PSU | 550W-27% | 750W |
| Power Connector | 8-pin | 6-pin + 8-pin |
| Length | 240mm | 275mm |
| Height | 111mm | 109mm |
| Slots | 2 | 2 |
| Temp (Load) | 73°C-23% | 95°C |
| Perf/Watt | 170.0+605% | 24.1 |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce RTX 4060 came in at $299, while the Radeon R9 290X launched at $549. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 4060 was 45.5% cheaper ($250 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 65.4 (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 15.3 (Radeon R9 290X) — the GeForce RTX 4060 offers 327.5% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 4060 (2023 vs 2013).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 4060 | Radeon R9 290X |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $299-46% | $549 |
| Performance per Dollar | 65.4+327% | 15.3 |
| Codename | AD107 | Hawaii |
| Release | May 18 2023 | October 24 2013 |
| Ranking | #84 | #342 |
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