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 / 390 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 / 390: 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 300W, a 75W 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 / 390 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌
143.2% HIGHER MSRP
$800 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 10.0 vs 24.8 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Radeon R9 290 / 390

2015

Why buy it

✅13.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $471 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
✅Delivers 147.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 24.8 vs 10.0 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌2015 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌33.3% higher power demand at 300W vs 225W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon R9 290 / 390 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 13.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1.9% in PassMark G3D (8,150 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 2015. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon R9 290 / 390 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $471 cheaper on MSRP at $329 vs $800, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 147.7% (24.8 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 / 390 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 / 390 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 / 390

The Radeon R9 290 / 390 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 18 2015. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,150 points. Launch price was $329.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon Pro V520 scores 8,000 and the Radeon R9 290 / 390 reaches 8,150 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon Pro V520 is built on RDNA 1.0 while the Radeon R9 290 / 390 uses GCN 2.0, both on 7 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,304 (Radeon Pro V520) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 290 / 390). Raw compute: 7.373 TFLOPS (Radeon Pro V520) vs 5.12 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290 / 390). Boost clocks: 1600 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	Radeon Pro V520	Radeon R9 290 / 390
G3D Mark Score	8,000	8,150+2%
Architecture	RDNA 1.0	GCN 2.0
Process Node	7 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2304	2560+11%
Compute (TFLOPS)	7.373 TFLOPS+44%	5.12 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1600 MHz+60%	1000 MHz
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 / 390
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 / 390. L2 Cache: 4 MB (Radeon Pro V520) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 290 / 390) — the Radeon Pro V520 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon Pro V520	Radeon R9 290 / 390
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 / 390). 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 / 390
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 / 390). 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 / 390).

Feature	Radeon Pro V520	Radeon R9 290 / 390
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 / 390's 300W — a 28.6% difference. The Radeon Pro V520 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon Pro V520) vs 750W (Radeon R9 290 / 390). 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 / 390
TDP	225W-25%	300W
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+31%	27.2

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon Pro V520 came in at $800, while the Radeon R9 290 / 390 launched at $329. On MSRP, Radeon R9 290 / 390 was 58.9% cheaper ($471 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 10.0 (Radeon Pro V520) vs 24.8 (Radeon R9 290 / 390) — the Radeon R9 290 / 390 offers 148% better value. The newer card here is Radeon Pro V520 (2020 vs 2015).

Feature	Radeon Pro V520	Radeon R9 290 / 390
MSRP	$800	$329-59%
Performance per Dollar	10.0	24.8+148%
Codename	Navi 12	Grenada
Release	December 1 2020	June 18 2015
Ranking	#218	#296

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