Radeon HD 4270 vs Radeon HD 7290

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 4270 vs Radeon HD 7290 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 4270 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.

Radeon HD 4270

2008

Why buy it

✅Draws 150W instead of 375W, a 225W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7290 across 33 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2008 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
150% HIGHER MSRP
$50 MSRPvs$20 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.2 vs 5.6 G3D/$ ($50 MSRP vs $20 MSRP).

Radeon HD 7290

2013

Why buy it

✅52.3% more average FPS across 33 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $30 less on MSRP ($20 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).
✅Delivers 154.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.6 vs 2.2 G3D/$ ($20 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).

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.
❌150% higher power demand at 375W vs 150W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 7290 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 52.3% in average FPS across 33 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1.8% in PassMark G3D (112 vs 110), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon HD 4270 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 $30 cheaper on MSRP at $20 vs $50, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 154.5% (5.6 vs 2.2), 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, Radeon HD 4270 has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 4270 vs Radeon HD 7290 Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 4270

The Radeon HD 4270 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 25 2008. It features the TeraScale architecture. The core clock speed is 750 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 110 points. Launch price was $299.

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

The Radeon HD 4270 scores 110 and the Radeon HD 7290 reaches 112 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 4270 is built on TeraScale while the Radeon HD 7290 uses GCN 1.0, both on 55 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 800 (Radeon HD 4270) vs 2,048 (Radeon HD 7290). Raw compute: 1.2 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 4270) vs 4.096 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 7290).

Feature	Radeon HD 4270	Radeon HD 7290
G3D Mark Score	110	112+2%
Architecture	TeraScale	GCN 1.0
Process Node	55 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	800	2048 ×2+156%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.2 TFLOPS	4.096 TFLOPS ×2+241%
ROPs	16	32 ×2+100%
TMUs	40	128 ×2+220%
L1 Cache	160 KB	512 KB+220%
L2 Cache	256 KB	768 KB+200%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 4270	Radeon 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)

Both cards ship with 512 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the Radeon HD 4270 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 7290. L2 Cache: 256 KB (Radeon HD 4270) vs 768 KB (Radeon HD 7290) — the Radeon HD 7290 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 4270	Radeon HD 7290
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	768 KB+200%

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 4270 draws 150W versus the Radeon HD 7290's 375W — a 85.7% difference. The Radeon HD 4270 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 4270) vs 350W (Radeon HD 7290). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin.

Feature	Radeon HD 4270	Radeon HD 7290
TDP	150W-60%	375W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	1x 6-pin
Temp (Load)	70°C	—
Perf/Watt	0.7+133%	0.3

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 4270 came in at $50, while the Radeon HD 7290 launched at $20. On MSRP, Radeon HD 7290 was 60% cheaper ($30 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.2 (Radeon HD 4270) vs 5.6 (Radeon HD 7290) — the Radeon HD 7290 offers 154.5% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 7290 (2013 vs 2008).

Feature	Radeon HD 4270	Radeon HD 7290
MSRP	$50	$20-60%
Performance per Dollar	2.2	5.6+155%
Codename	RV770	Malta
Release	June 25 2008	April 24 2013
Ranking	#784	#412

Search Radeon HD 4270 on Amazon

Search Radeon HD 7290 on Amazon

Affiliate Disclosure

ChipVERSUS is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through our links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support our work in providing comprehensive PC building guides and tools.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.