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 4070

2023

Why buy it

✅+793.1% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Costs $100 less on MSRP ($599 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅Delivers 942.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.9 vs 4.3 G3D/$ ($599 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
✅500% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 2 GB).

Trade-offs

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

Radeon HD 6990

2011

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (3,014 vs 26,919).
❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2011-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
16.7% HIGHER MSRP
$699 MSRPvs$599 MSRP

GeForce RTX 4070

2023

Radeon HD 6990

2011

Why buy it

✅+793.1% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Costs $100 less on MSRP ($599 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅Delivers 942.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.9 vs 4.3 G3D/$ ($599 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
✅500% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 2 GB).

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (3,014 vs 26,919).
❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2011-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
16.7% HIGHER MSRP
$699 MSRPvs$599 MSRP

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 4070 better than Radeon HD 6990?

Yes. GeForce RTX 4070 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 26,919 vs 3,014 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 4070 is a 2023 card with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation, while Radeon HD 6990 is a 2011 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 4070 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2023 generation instead of 2011, 793.1% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 12 GB instead of 2 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 4070 is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce RTX 4070 is about $100 cheaper on MSRP at $599 MSRP versus $699 MSRP, and you are getting 793.1% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 942.2%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is Radeon HD 6990 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon HD 6990 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 $699 MSRP, even if GeForce RTX 4070 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.

GeForce RTX 4070 Benchmark Check

Radeon HD 6990 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 4070	Radeon HD 6990
1080p
low	183 FPS	80 FPS
medium	167 FPS	66 FPS
high	151 FPS	52 FPS
ultra	131 FPS	34 FPS
1440p
low	150 FPS	67 FPS
medium	124 FPS	56 FPS
high	110 FPS	40 FPS
ultra	101 FPS	25 FPS
4K
low	92 FPS	25 FPS
medium	78 FPS	23 FPS
high	65 FPS	15 FPS
ultra	58 FPS	13 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 4070 Open Radeon HD 6990

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 4070	Radeon HD 6990
1080p
low	544 FPS	122 FPS
medium	454 FPS	93 FPS
high	353 FPS	73 FPS
ultra	299 FPS	47 FPS
1440p
low	351 FPS	71 FPS
medium	288 FPS	49 FPS
high	235 FPS	36 FPS
ultra	197 FPS	25 FPS
4K
low	172 FPS	26 FPS
medium	144 FPS	18 FPS
high	125 FPS	14 FPS
ultra	101 FPS	10 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 4070 Open Radeon HD 6990

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 4070	Radeon HD 6990
1080p
low	884 FPS	136 FPS
medium	713 FPS	109 FPS
high	643 FPS	90 FPS
ultra	569 FPS	68 FPS
1440p
low	684 FPS	102 FPS
medium	549 FPS	81 FPS
high	483 FPS	68 FPS
ultra	424 FPS	51 FPS
4K
low	467 FPS	68 FPS
medium	373 FPS	54 FPS
high	326 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	277 FPS	34 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 4070 Open Radeon HD 6990

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 4070	Radeon HD 6990
1080p
low	751 FPS	136 FPS
medium	612 FPS	109 FPS
high	536 FPS	90 FPS
ultra	497 FPS	68 FPS
1440p
low	615 FPS	102 FPS
medium	500 FPS	81 FPS
high	433 FPS	68 FPS
ultra	395 FPS	51 FPS
4K
low	384 FPS	68 FPS
medium	324 FPS	54 FPS
high	301 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	272 FPS	31 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 4070 Open Radeon HD 6990

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 4070 and Radeon HD 6990

GeForce RTX 4070

The GeForce RTX 4070 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 12 2023. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 1920 MHz to 2475 MHz. It has 5888 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 46 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 26,919 points. Launch price was $599.

Radeon HD 6990

The Radeon HD 6990 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 8 2011. It features the TeraScale 3 architecture. The core clock speed is 830 MHz. It has 1536 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 375W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,014 points. Launch price was $699.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 4070 scores 26,919 versus the Radeon HD 6990's 3,014 — the GeForce RTX 4070 leads by 793.1%. The GeForce RTX 4070 is built on Ada Lovelace while the Radeon HD 6990 uses TeraScale 3, both on 5 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 5,888 (GeForce RTX 4070) vs 1,536 (Radeon HD 6990). Raw compute: 29.15 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 4070) vs 2.55 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 6990).

Feature	GeForce RTX 4070	Radeon HD 6990
G3D Mark Score	26,919+793%	3,014
Architecture	Ada Lovelace	TeraScale 3
Process Node	5 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	5888+283%	1536 ×2
Compute (TFLOPS)	29.15 TFLOPS+1043%	2.55 TFLOPS ×2
ROPs	64+100%	32 ×2
TMUs	184+92%	96 ×2
L1 Cache	5.8 MB+1426%	0.38 MB
L2 Cache	36 MB+7100%	0.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the GeForce RTX 4070 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 6990 lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.The GeForce RTX 4070 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon HD 6990 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4070	Radeon HD 6990
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 4070 comes with 12 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 6990 has 2 GB. The GeForce RTX 4070 offers 500% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 192-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 36 MB (GeForce RTX 4070) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 6990) — the GeForce RTX 4070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4070	Radeon HD 6990
VRAM Capacity	12 GB+500%	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6X	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	504 GB/s	Unknown
Bus Width	192-bit+50%	128-bit
L2 Cache	36 MB+7100%	0.5 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.2 (GeForce RTX 4070) vs 11.2 (Radeon HD 6990). Vulkan: 1.3 vs None. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 5.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4070	Radeon HD 6990
DirectX	12.2+9%	11.2
Vulkan	1.3	None
OpenGL	4.6+5%	4.4
Max Displays	4	5+25%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: 8th Gen NVENC (2x) (GeForce RTX 4070) vs None (Radeon HD 6990). Decoder: 5th Gen NVDEC vs UVD 3.0. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 4070) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 (Radeon HD 6990).

Feature	GeForce RTX 4070	Radeon HD 6990
Encoder	8th Gen NVENC (2x)	None
Decoder	5th Gen NVDEC	UVD 3.0
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 4070 draws 200W versus the Radeon HD 6990's 375W — a 60.9% difference. The GeForce RTX 4070 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 650W (GeForce RTX 4070) vs 750W (Radeon HD 6990). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 2x 8-pin. Card length: 304mm vs 310mm, occupying 3 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 85.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4070	Radeon HD 6990
TDP	200W-47%	375W
Recommended PSU	650W-13%	750W
Power Connector	8-pin	2x 8-pin
Length	304mm	310mm
Height	137mm	115mm
Slots	3	2-33%
Temp (Load)	80°C-6%	85
Perf/Watt	134.6+1583%	8.0

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 4070 launched at $599 MSRP, while the Radeon HD 6990 launched at $699. The GeForce RTX 4070 costs 14.3% less ($100 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 44.9 (GeForce RTX 4070) vs 4.3 (Radeon HD 6990) — the GeForce RTX 4070 offers 944.2% better value. The GeForce RTX 4070 is the newer GPU (2023 vs 2011).