Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design vs Radeon R9 290

NVIDIA

Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design

2019Core: 600 MHzBoost: 1215 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon R9 290

2013Core: 947 MHz
Similar parts
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Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design vs Radeon R9 290 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.

Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design vs Radeon R9 290 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.

Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design vs Radeon R9 290: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design

2019

Why buy it

  • 26.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • 50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 4 GB).
  • Better long-term bet: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
  • Draws 60W instead of 275W, a 215W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 20.5 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

Radeon R9 290

2013

Why buy it

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 20.5 vs 0 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
  • 2013 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • 358.3% higher power demand at 275W vs 60W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 26.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon R9 290 instead at 8,184 vs 8,119, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 6 GB vs 4 GB of VRAM, a 12nm process instead of 28nm, 36 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2019 generation instead of 2013. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon R9 290 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R9 290 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design has the stronger long-term case.

Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design vs Radeon R9 290 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design

The Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 27 2019. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 600 MHz to 1215 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 60W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. It features 36 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,119 points.

AMD

Radeon R9 290

The Radeon R9 290 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 5 2013. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 947 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 275W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,184 points. Launch price was $399.

Graphics Performance

The Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design scores 8,119 and the Radeon R9 290 reaches 8,184 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design is built on Turing while the Radeon R9 290 uses GCN 2.0, both on 12 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,304 (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 290). Raw compute: 5.599 TFLOPS (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design) vs 4.849 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290).

FeatureQuadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q DesignRadeon R9 290
G3D Mark Score
8,119
8,184
Architecture
Turing
GCN 2.0
Process Node
12 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
2304
2560+11%
Compute (TFLOPS)
5.599 TFLOPS+15%
4.849 TFLOPS
ROPs
64
64
TMUs
144
160+11%
L1 Cache
2.3 MB+265%
0.63 MB
L2 Cache
4 MB+300%
1 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R9 290 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureQuadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q DesignRadeon R9 290
Upscaling Tech
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design has 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 290 carries 4 GB. Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design gives you 50% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design and 512-bit on the Radeon R9 290. L2 Cache: 4 MB (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 290) — the Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureQuadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q DesignRadeon R9 290
VRAM Capacity
6 GB+50%
4 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR5
Bus Width
256-bit
512-bit+100%
L2 Cache
4 MB+300%
1 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design) vs 12.0 (Radeon R9 290). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.

FeatureQuadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q DesignRadeon R9 290
DirectX
12 Ultimate
12.0
Vulkan
1.3+8%
1.2
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
6+50%
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th Gen (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290). Decoder: NVDEC 4th Gen vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.265,H.264 (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290).

FeatureQuadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q DesignRadeon R9 290
Encoder
NVENC 7th Gen
VCE 2.0
Decoder
NVDEC 4th Gen
UVD 4.2
Codecs
H.265,H.264
MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design draws 60W versus the Radeon R9 290's 275W — a 128.4% difference. The Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design) vs 750W (Radeon R9 290). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 275mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: Unknown vs 95°C.

FeatureQuadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q DesignRadeon R9 290
TDP
60W-78%
275W
Recommended PSU
500W-33%
750W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
6-pin + 8-pin
Length
0mm
275mm
Height
0mm
109mm
Slots
0-100%
2
Temp (Load)
Unknown-100%
95°C
Perf/Watt
135.3+354%
29.8
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design (2019 vs 2013).

FeatureQuadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q DesignRadeon R9 290
MSRP
$399
Codename
TU106
Hawaii
Release
May 27 2019
November 5 2013
Ranking
#313
#316

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