Radeon HD 6290 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 6290 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 6290 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 6290

2011

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7290 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.
❌
150% HIGHER MSRP
$50 MSRPvs$20 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.1 vs 5.6 G3D/$ ($50 MSRP vs $20 MSRP).

Radeon HD 7290

2013

Why buy it

✅50.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $30 less on MSRP ($20 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).
✅Delivers 166.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.6 vs 2.1 G3D/$ ($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.

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 50.0% 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 6290 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 166.7% (5.6 vs 2.1), 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 6290 has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 6290 vs Radeon HD 7290 Technical Specifications

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

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.

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

In G3D Mark, the Radeon HD 6290 scores 105 versus the Radeon HD 7290's 112 — the Radeon HD 7290 leads by 6.7%. The Radeon HD 6290 is built on TeraScale 3 while the Radeon HD 7290 uses GCN 1.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,536 (Radeon HD 6290) vs 2,048 (Radeon HD 7290). Raw compute: 2.55 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 6290) vs 4.096 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 7290).

Feature	Radeon HD 6290	Radeon HD 7290
G3D Mark Score	105	112+7%
Architecture	TeraScale 3	GCN 1.0
Process Node	40 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1536 ×2	2048 ×2+33%
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.55 TFLOPS ×2	4.096 TFLOPS ×2+61%
ROPs	32 ×2	32 ×2
TMUs	96 ×2	128 ×2+33%
L1 Cache	384 KB	512 KB+33%
L2 Cache	512 KB	768 KB+50%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 6290	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 128-bit on the Radeon HD 6290 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 7290. L2 Cache: 512 KB (Radeon HD 6290) vs 768 KB (Radeon HD 7290) — the Radeon HD 7290 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 6290	Radeon HD 7290
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	0.5 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	512 KB	768 KB+50%

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 6290 draws 375W versus the Radeon HD 7290's 375W — a 0% difference. The Radeon HD 7290 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 6290) vs 350W (Radeon HD 7290). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin.

Feature	Radeon HD 6290	Radeon HD 7290
TDP	375W	375W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	1x 6-pin
Temp (Load)	65°C	—
Perf/Watt	0.3	0.3

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 6290 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): 2.1 (Radeon HD 6290) vs 5.6 (Radeon HD 7290) — the Radeon HD 7290 offers 166.7% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 7290 (2013 vs 2011).

Feature	Radeon HD 6290	Radeon HD 7290
MSRP	$50	$20-60%
Performance per Dollar	2.1	5.6+167%
Codename	Antilles	Malta
Release	March 8 2011	April 24 2013
Ranking	#583	#412

Search Radeon HD 6290 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.