Radeon HD 4200 vs Radeon HD 6290

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 HD 4200 vs Radeon HD 6290 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 HD 4200 vs Radeon HD 6290: 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 HD 4200

2009

Why buy it

✅43.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Draws 190W instead of 375W, a 185W reduction.

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.

Radeon HD 6290

2011

Why buy it

✅More future proof: TeraScale 3 (2010−2013) on 40nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 4200 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2011 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌97.4% higher power demand at 375W vs 190W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 4200 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 43.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 6.7% in PassMark G3D (112 vs 105), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon HD 4200 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 4200 makes the most sense to buy today. It is priced the same on MSRP at $50 vs $50, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 6.7% (2.2 vs 2.1), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Radeon HD 4200 vs Radeon HD 6290 Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 4200

The Radeon HD 4200 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: 112 points. Launch price was $249.

Radeon HD 6290

The Radeon HD 6290 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: 105 points. Launch price was $699.

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Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the Radeon HD 4200 scores 112 versus the Radeon HD 6290's 105 — the Radeon HD 4200 leads by 6.7%. The Radeon HD 4200 is built on TeraScale while the Radeon HD 6290 uses TeraScale 3, both on 55 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 800 (Radeon HD 4200) vs 1,536 (Radeon HD 6290). Raw compute: 1.36 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 4200) vs 2.55 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 6290).

Feature	Radeon HD 4200	Radeon HD 6290
G3D Mark Score	112+7%	105
Architecture	TeraScale	TeraScale 3
Process Node	55 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	800	1536 ×2+92%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.36 TFLOPS	2.55 TFLOPS ×2+87%
ROPs	16	32 ×2+100%
TMUs	40	96 ×2+140%
L1 Cache	160 KB	384 KB+140%
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 4200	Radeon HD 6290
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)

Both cards ship with 512 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the Radeon HD 4200 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 6290. L2 Cache: 256 KB (Radeon HD 4200) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 6290) — the Radeon HD 6290 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 4200	Radeon HD 6290
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	0.5 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	64-bit	128-bit+100%
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10.1 (Radeon HD 4200) vs 11.2 (Radeon HD 6290). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	Radeon HD 4200	Radeon HD 6290
DirectX	10.1	11.2+11%
Max Displays	2	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Decoder: UVD 2 vs UVD 3.

Feature	Radeon HD 4200	Radeon HD 6290
Encoder	UVD 2	—
Decoder	UVD 2	UVD 3
Codecs	—	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 4200 draws 190W versus the Radeon HD 6290's 375W — a 65.5% difference. The Radeon HD 4200 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 4200) vs 350W (Radeon HD 6290). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin.

Feature	Radeon HD 4200	Radeon HD 6290
TDP	190W-49%	375W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	1mm	—
Slots	0	—
Temp (Load)	—	65°C
Perf/Watt	0.6+100%	0.3

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Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 4200 came in at $50, while the Radeon HD 6290 launched at $50. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.2 (Radeon HD 4200) vs 2.1 (Radeon HD 6290) — the Radeon HD 4200 offers 4.8% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 6290 (2011 vs 2009).

Feature	Radeon HD 4200	Radeon HD 6290
MSRP	$50	$50
Performance per Dollar	2.2+5%	2.1
Codename	RV790	Antilles
Release	April 2 2009	March 8 2011
Ranking	#762	#583

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