Radeon 890M vs Radeon R9 290X

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.

Radeon 890M 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.

Radeon 890M 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.

Radeon 890M

2024

Why buy it

✅Better long-term bet: RDNA 3.5 (2024−2025) on 4nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
✅Draws 15W instead of 350W, a 335W reduction.
✅More future proof: RDNA 3.5 (2024−2025) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 290X across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 15.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $549 MSRP).

Radeon R9 290X

2013

Why buy it

✅20.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 15.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($549 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌2013 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌2233.3% higher power demand at 350W vs 15W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon R9 290X is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 20.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 3.1% in PassMark G3D (8,426 vs 8,175), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon 890M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 4nm process instead of 28nm, 16 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2024 generation instead of 2013. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon R9 290X 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 290X is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon 890M has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon 890M vs Radeon R9 290X Technical Specifications

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

Radeon 890M

The Radeon 890M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in July 15 2024. It features the RDNA 3.5 architecture. The core clock ranges from 400 MHz to 2900 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 15W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. It features 16 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,175 points.

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.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon 890M scores 8,175 and the Radeon R9 290X reaches 8,426 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon 890M is built on RDNA 3.5 while the Radeon R9 290X uses GCN 2.0, both on 4 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,024 (Radeon 890M) vs 2,816 (Radeon R9 290X). Raw compute: 5.939 TFLOPS (Radeon 890M) vs 5.632 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290X). Boost clocks: 2900 MHz vs 947 MHz.

Feature	Radeon 890M	Radeon R9 290X
G3D Mark Score	8,175	8,426+3%
Architecture	RDNA 3.5	GCN 2.0
Process Node	4 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1024	2816+175%
Compute (TFLOPS)	5.939 TFLOPS+5%	5.632 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	2900 MHz+206%	947 MHz
ROPs	32	64+100%
TMUs	64	176+175%
L1 Cache	256 KB	704 KB+175%
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling + RSR	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon 890M	Radeon R9 290X
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)

Both cards ship with 4 GB of video memory. Memory bus width is System on the Radeon 890M and 512-bit on the Radeon R9 290X. L2 Cache: 2 MB (Radeon 890M) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 290X) — the Radeon 890M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon 890M	Radeon R9 290X
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	Shared	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	System	320 GB/s
Bus Width	System	512-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.2 (Radeon 890M) 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	Radeon 890M	Radeon R9 290X
DirectX	12.2+2%	12.0
Vulkan	1.3+18%	1.1
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	6+50%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCN 3.0 (Radeon 890M) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290X). Decoder: VCN 3.0 vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Decode) (Radeon 890M) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290X).

Feature	Radeon 890M	Radeon R9 290X
Encoder	VCN 3.0	VCE 2.0
Decoder	VCN 3.0	UVD 4.2
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Decode)	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon 890M draws 15W versus the Radeon R9 290X's 350W — a 183.6% difference. The Radeon 890M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon 890M) vs 750W (Radeon R9 290X). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 275mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots.

Feature	Radeon 890M	Radeon R9 290X
TDP	15W-96%	350W
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)	—	95°C
Perf/Watt	545.0+2161%	24.1

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon 890M (2024 vs 2013).

Feature	Radeon 890M	Radeon R9 290X
MSRP	—	$549
Codename	Strix Point	Hawaii
Release	July 15 2024	October 24 2013
Ranking	#312	#342

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