Mobility Radeon X1700 vs Radeon HD 7290

AMD

Mobility Radeon X1700

2010Core: 700 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 7290

2013Core: 950 MHzBoost: 1000 MHz
Similar parts
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Mobility Radeon X1700 vs Radeon HD 7290 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.

Mobility Radeon X1700 vs Radeon HD 7290: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

Mobility Radeon X1700

2010

Why buy it

  • Draws 50W instead of 375W, a 325W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 256 MB vs 512 MB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2010 hardware with 256 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 145% HIGHER MSRP
    $49 MSRPvs$20 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.1 vs 5.6 G3D/$ ($49 MSRP vs $20 MSRP).

Radeon HD 7290

2013

Why buy it

  • Costs $29 less on MSRP ($20 MSRP vs $49 MSRP).
  • Delivers 161.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.6 vs 2.1 G3D/$ ($20 MSRP vs $49 MSRP).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (512 MB vs 256 MB).

Trade-offs

  • 2013 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 650% higher power demand at 375W vs 50W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD 7290 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 6.7% in PassMark G3D (112 vs 105), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Mobility Radeon X1700 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon HD 7290 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $29 cheaper on MSRP at $20 vs $49, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 161.3% (5.6 vs 2.1), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 7290 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Mobility Radeon X1700 has the stronger long-term case.

Mobility Radeon X1700 vs Radeon HD 7290 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

Mobility Radeon X1700

The Mobility Radeon X1700 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 7 2010. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 700 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 105 points.

AMD

Radeon HD 7290

The Radeon HD 7290 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: 112 points. Launch price was $999.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the Mobility Radeon X1700 scores 105 versus the Radeon HD 7290's 112 — the Radeon HD 7290 leads by 6.7%. The Mobility Radeon X1700 is built on TeraScale 2 while the Radeon HD 7290 uses GCN 1.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 800 (Mobility Radeon X1700) vs 2,048 (Radeon HD 7290). Raw compute: 1.12 TFLOPS (Mobility Radeon X1700) vs 4.096 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 7290).

FeatureMobility Radeon X1700Radeon HD 7290
G3D Mark Score
105
112+7%
Architecture
TeraScale 2
GCN 1.0
Process Node
40 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
800
2048 ×2+156%
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.12 TFLOPS
4.096 TFLOPS ×2+266%
ROPs
16
32 ×2+100%
TMUs
40
128 ×2+220%
L1 Cache
80 KB
512 KB+540%
L2 Cache
256 KB
768 KB+200%
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling
FSR upscaling

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureMobility Radeon X1700Radeon HD 7290
Upscaling Tech
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
AMD Anti-Lag
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The Mobility Radeon X1700 has 256 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 7290 carries 512 MB. Radeon HD 7290 gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the Mobility Radeon X1700 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 7290. L2 Cache: 256 KB (Mobility Radeon X1700) vs 768 KB (Radeon HD 7290) — the Radeon HD 7290 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureMobility Radeon X1700Radeon HD 7290
VRAM Capacity
0.25 GB
0.5 GB+100%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
L2 Cache
256 KB
768 KB+200%
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Mobility Radeon X1700 draws 50W versus the Radeon HD 7290's 375W — a 152.9% difference. The Mobility Radeon X1700 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Mobility Radeon X1700) vs 350W (Radeon HD 7290). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 1x 6-pin.

FeatureMobility Radeon X1700Radeon HD 7290
TDP
50W-87%
375W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
1x 6-pin
Temp (Load)
80°C
Perf/Watt
2.1+600%
0.3
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Mobility Radeon X1700 came in at $49, while the Radeon HD 7290 launched at $20. On MSRP, Radeon HD 7290 was 59.2% cheaper ($29 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.1 (Mobility Radeon X1700) vs 5.6 (Radeon HD 7290) — the Radeon HD 7290 offers 166.7% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 7290 (2013 vs 2010).

FeatureMobility Radeon X1700Radeon HD 7290
MSRP
$49
$20-59%
Performance per Dollar
2.1
5.6+167%
Codename
Broadway
Malta
Release
January 7 2010
April 24 2013
Ranking
#846
#412

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