Radeon HD 4290 vs Radeon HD 4330

AMD

Radeon HD 4290

2009Core: 850 MHz
VS
AMD

Radeon HD 4330

2008Core: 575 MHz

Radeon HD 4290 vs Radeon HD 4330 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.

Radeon HD 4290 vs Radeon HD 4330 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 4290 vs Radeon HD 4330: 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 4290

2009

Why buy it

  • βœ…3.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • βœ…More future proof: TeraScale (2005βˆ’2013) on 55nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

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.
  • ❌
    20% HIGHER MSRP
    $60 MSRPvs$50 MSRP
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.4 vs 2.7 G3D/$ ($60 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).
  • ❌100% higher power demand at 190W vs 95W.

Radeon HD 4330

2008

Why buy it

  • βœ…Costs $10 less on MSRP ($50 MSRP vs $60 MSRP).
  • βœ…Delivers 14.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 2.7 vs 2.4 G3D/$ ($50 MSRP vs $60 MSRP).
  • βœ…Draws 95W instead of 190W, a 95W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • ❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 4290 across 50 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.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD 4290 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 3.6% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 4.4% in PassMark G3D (141 vs 135), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon HD 4290 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a newer 2009 generation instead of 2008. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon HD 4330 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $10 cheaper on MSRP at $50 vs $60, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 14.9% (2.7 vs 2.4), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 4330 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon HD 4290 has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 4290 vs Radeon HD 4330 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

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.

AMD

Radeon HD 4330

The Radeon HD 4330 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 21 2008. It features the TeraScale architecture. The core clock speed is 575 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 95W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 135 points. Launch price was $130.

⚑

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 4290 scores 141 and the Radeon HD 4330 reaches 135 in the G3D Mark benchmark β€” just a 4.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 4290 is built on TeraScale while the Radeon HD 4330 uses TeraScale, both on a 55 nm process. Shader units: 800 (Radeon HD 4290) vs 640 (Radeon HD 4330). Raw compute: 1.36 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 4290) vs 0.736 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 4330).

FeatureRadeon HD 4290Radeon HD 4330
G3D Mark Score
141+4%
135
Architecture
TeraScale
TeraScale
Process Node
55 nm
55 nm
Shading Units
800+25%
640
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.36 TFLOPS+85%
0.736 TFLOPS
ROPs
16
16
TMUs
40+25%
32
L1 Cache
160 KB+25%
128 KB
L2 Cache
256 KB
256 KB
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling
FSR upscaling
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon HD 4290Radeon HD 4330
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
πŸ’Ύ

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 512 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the Radeon HD 4290 and 64-bit on the Radeon HD 4330.

FeatureRadeon HD 4290Radeon HD 4330
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
64-bit
64-bit
L2 Cache
256 KB
256 KB
πŸ”Œ

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 4290 draws 190W versus the Radeon HD 4330's 95W β€” a 66.7% difference. The Radeon HD 4330 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 4290) vs 350W (Radeon HD 4330). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin.

FeatureRadeon HD 4290Radeon HD 4330
TDP
190W
95W-50%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
1x 6-pin
Length
1mm
β€”
Slots
0
β€”
Perf/Watt
0.7
1.4+100%
πŸ’°

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 4290 came in at $60, while the Radeon HD 4330 launched at $50. On MSRP, Radeon HD 4330 was 16.7% cheaper ($10 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.4 (Radeon HD 4290) vs 2.7 (Radeon HD 4330) β€” the Radeon HD 4330 offers 12.5% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 4290 (2009 vs 2008).

FeatureRadeon HD 4290Radeon HD 4330
MSRP
$60
$50-17%
Performance per Dollar
2.4
2.7+13%
Codename
RV790
RV770
Release
April 2 2009
October 21 2008
Ranking
#762
#920

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