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 Pro V520 vs Radeon R9 290 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 Pro V520 vs Radeon R9 290: 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 Pro V520

2020

Why buy it

✅Better long-term bet: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
✅Draws 225W instead of 275W, a 50W reduction.
✅More future proof: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 290 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌
100.5% HIGHER MSRP
$800 MSRPvs$399 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 10.0 vs 20.5 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

Radeon R9 290

2013

Why buy it

✅16.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $401 less on MSRP ($399 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
✅Delivers 105.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 20.5 vs 10.0 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌2013 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌22.2% higher power demand at 275W vs 225W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon R9 290 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 16.1% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.3% in PassMark G3D (8,184 vs 8,000), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon Pro V520 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 7nm process instead of 28nm and a newer 2020 generation instead of 2013. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon R9 290 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $401 cheaper on MSRP at $399 vs $800, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 105.1% (20.5 vs 10.0), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R9 290 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon Pro V520 has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon Pro V520 vs Radeon R9 290 Technical Specifications

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

Radeon Pro V520

The Radeon Pro V520 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in December 1 2020. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1000 MHz to 1600 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 225W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,000 points.

Radeon R9 290

The Radeon R9 290 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 5 2013. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 947 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 275W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,184 points. Launch price was $399.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon Pro V520 scores 8,000 and the Radeon R9 290 reaches 8,184 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon Pro V520 is built on RDNA 1.0 while the Radeon R9 290 uses GCN 2.0, both on 7 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,304 (Radeon Pro V520) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 290). Raw compute: 7.373 TFLOPS (Radeon Pro V520) vs 4.849 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290).

Feature	Radeon Pro V520	Radeon R9 290
G3D Mark Score	8,000	8,184+2%
Architecture	RDNA 1.0	GCN 2.0
Process Node	7 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2304	2560+11%
Compute (TFLOPS)	7.373 TFLOPS+52%	4.849 TFLOPS
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	144	160+11%
L2 Cache	4 MB+300%	1 MB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling + RSR	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon Pro V520	Radeon R9 290
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 128-bit on the Radeon Pro V520 and 512-bit on the Radeon R9 290. L2 Cache: 4 MB (Radeon Pro V520) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 290) — the Radeon Pro V520 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon Pro V520	Radeon R9 290
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Bus Width	128-bit	512-bit+300%
L2 Cache	4 MB+300%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.1 (Radeon Pro V520) vs 12.0 (Radeon R9 290). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 0 vs 6.

Feature	Radeon Pro V520	Radeon R9 290
DirectX	12.1	12.0
Vulkan	1.1	1.2+9%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	0	6

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCN 2.0 (Radeon Pro V520) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290). Decoder: VCN 2.0 vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,VP9 (Radeon Pro V520) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290).

Feature	Radeon Pro V520	Radeon R9 290
Encoder	VCN 2.0	VCE 2.0
Decoder	VCN 2.0	UVD 4.2
Codecs	H.264,H.265,VP9	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon Pro V520 draws 225W versus the Radeon R9 290's 275W — a 20% difference. The Radeon Pro V520 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon Pro V520) vs 750W (Radeon R9 290). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 275mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 95°C.

Feature	Radeon Pro V520	Radeon R9 290
TDP	225W-18%	275W
Recommended PSU	350W-53%	750W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	267mm	275mm
Height	111mm	109mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	85°C-11%	95°C
Perf/Watt	35.6+19%	29.8

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon Pro V520 came in at $800, while the Radeon R9 290 launched at $399. On MSRP, Radeon R9 290 was 50.1% cheaper ($401 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 10.0 (Radeon Pro V520) vs 20.5 (Radeon R9 290) — the Radeon R9 290 offers 105% better value. The newer card here is Radeon Pro V520 (2020 vs 2013).

Feature	Radeon Pro V520	Radeon R9 290
MSRP	$800	$399-50%
Performance per Dollar	10.0	20.5+105%
Codename	Navi 12	Hawaii
Release	December 1 2020	November 5 2013
Ranking	#218	#316

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