Mobility Radeon X1900 vs Radeon HD 4290

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 X1900 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.

Mobility Radeon X1900 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.

Mobility Radeon X1900

2010

Why buy it

✅Costs $11 less on MSRP ($49 MSRP vs $60 MSRP).
✅Delivers 17.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 2.8 vs 2.4 G3D/$ ($49 MSRP vs $60 MSRP).
✅Draws 50W instead of 190W, a 140W 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.

Radeon HD 4290

2009

Why buy it

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (512 MB vs 256 MB).

Trade-offs

❌2009 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
22.4% HIGHER MSRP
$60 MSRPvs$49 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.4 vs 2.8 G3D/$ ($60 MSRP vs $49 MSRP).
❌280% higher power demand at 190W vs 50W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 4290 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 4.4% in PassMark G3D (141 vs 135), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.

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

Mobility Radeon X1900 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 40nm process instead of 55nm and a newer 2010 generation instead of 2009. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Mobility Radeon X1900 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $11 cheaper on MSRP at $49 vs $60, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 17.2% (2.8 vs 2.4), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon HD 4290 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

Mobility Radeon X1900 vs Radeon HD 4290 Technical Specifications

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

Mobility Radeon X1900

The Mobility Radeon X1900 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: 135 points.

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.

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Graphics Performance

The Mobility Radeon X1900 scores 135 and the Radeon HD 4290 reaches 141 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Mobility Radeon X1900 is built on TeraScale 2 while the Radeon HD 4290 uses TeraScale, both on 40 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 800 (Mobility Radeon X1900) vs 800 (Radeon HD 4290). Raw compute: 1.12 TFLOPS (Mobility Radeon X1900) vs 1.36 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 4290).

Feature	Mobility Radeon X1900	Radeon HD 4290
G3D Mark Score	135	141+4%
Architecture	TeraScale 2	TeraScale
Process Node	40 nm	55 nm
Shading Units	800	800
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.12 TFLOPS	1.36 TFLOPS+21%
ROPs	16	16
TMUs	40	40
L1 Cache	80 KB	160 KB+100%
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Mobility Radeon X1900	Radeon HD 4290
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

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The Mobility Radeon X1900 has 256 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 4290 carries 512 MB. Radeon HD 4290 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 X1900 and 64-bit on the Radeon HD 4290.

Feature	Mobility Radeon X1900	Radeon HD 4290
VRAM Capacity	0.25 GB	0.5 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit+100%	64-bit
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 9.0c (Mobility Radeon X1900) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 4290). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	Mobility Radeon X1900	Radeon HD 4290
DirectX	9.0c	10.1+12%
Max Displays	2	2

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Mobility Radeon X1900 draws 50W versus the Radeon HD 4290's 190W — a 116.7% difference. The Mobility Radeon X1900 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Mobility Radeon X1900) vs 350W (Radeon HD 4290). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 1x 6-pin.

Feature	Mobility Radeon X1900	Radeon HD 4290
TDP	50W-74%	190W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	1x 6-pin
Length	—	1mm
Slots	—	0
Temp (Load)	90°C	—
Perf/Watt	2.7+286%	0.7

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Mobility Radeon X1900 came in at $49, while the Radeon HD 4290 launched at $60. On MSRP, Mobility Radeon X1900 was 18.3% cheaper ($11 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.8 (Mobility Radeon X1900) vs 2.4 (Radeon HD 4290) — the Mobility Radeon X1900 offers 16.7% better value. The newer card here is Mobility Radeon X1900 (2010 vs 2009).

Feature	Mobility Radeon X1900	Radeon HD 4290
MSRP	$49-18%	$60
Performance per Dollar	2.8+17%	2.4
Codename	Broadway	RV790
Release	January 7 2010	April 2 2009
Ranking	#846	#762

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