Radeon PRO W6400 vs Radeon R9 290

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 W6400 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 W6400 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 W6400

2022

Why buy it

✅Costs $170 less on MSRP ($229 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Delivers 79.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 36.8 vs 20.5 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Better long-term bet: RDNA 2.0 (2020−2025) on 6nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
✅Draws 50W instead of 275W, a 225W reduction.
✅Measures 168mm instead of 275mm, a 107mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 290 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Radeon R9 290

2013

Why buy it

✅32.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌2013 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌
74.2% HIGHER MSRP
$399 MSRPvs$229 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 20.5 vs 36.8 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
❌450% higher power demand at 275W vs 50W.
❌63.7% longer card at 275mm vs 168mm.

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 32.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon PRO W6400 instead at 8,428 vs 8,184, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.

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

Radeon PRO W6400 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 6nm process instead of 28nm, 12 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2022 generation instead of 2013. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon PRO W6400 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $170 cheaper on MSRP at $229 vs $399, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 79.4% (36.8 vs 20.5), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon R9 290 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

Radeon PRO W6400 vs Radeon R9 290 Technical Specifications

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

Radeon PRO W6400

The Radeon PRO W6400 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 19 2022. It features the RDNA 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 2331 MHz to 2331 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 6 nm process technology. It features 12 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,428 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 W6400 scores 8,428 and the Radeon R9 290 reaches 8,184 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon PRO W6400 is built on RDNA 2.0 while the Radeon R9 290 uses GCN 2.0, both on 6 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 768 (Radeon PRO W6400) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 290). Raw compute: 3.58 TFLOPS (Radeon PRO W6400) vs 4.849 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290).

Feature	Radeon PRO W6400	Radeon R9 290
G3D Mark Score	8,428+3%	8,184
Architecture	RDNA 2.0	GCN 2.0
Process Node	6 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	768	2560+233%
Compute (TFLOPS)	3.58 TFLOPS	4.849 TFLOPS+35%
ROPs	32	64+100%
TMUs	48	160+233%
L1 Cache	256 KB	640 KB+150%
L2 Cache	1 MB	1 MB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling + RSR	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon PRO W6400	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 256-bit on the Radeon PRO W6400 and 512-bit on the Radeon R9 290.

Feature	Radeon PRO W6400	Radeon R9 290
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Bus Width	256-bit	512-bit+100%
L2 Cache	1 MB	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.2 (Radeon PRO W6400) vs 12.0 (Radeon R9 290). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 6.

Feature	Radeon PRO W6400	Radeon R9 290
DirectX	12.2+2%	12.0
Vulkan	1.2	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	2	6+200%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCN 3.0 (Radeon PRO W6400) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290). Decoder: VCN 3.0 vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Decode) (Radeon PRO W6400) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290).

Feature	Radeon PRO W6400	Radeon R9 290
Encoder	VCN 3.0	VCE 2.0
Decoder	VCN 3.0	UVD 4.2
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Decode)	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon PRO W6400 draws 50W versus the Radeon R9 290's 275W — a 138.5% difference. The Radeon PRO W6400 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon PRO W6400) vs 750W (Radeon R9 290). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 168mm vs 275mm, occupying 1 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 70°C vs 95°C.

Feature	Radeon PRO W6400	Radeon R9 290
TDP	50W-82%	275W
Recommended PSU	500W-33%	750W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	168mm	275mm
Height	69mm	109mm
Slots	1-50%	2
Temp (Load)	70°C-26%	95°C
Perf/Watt	168.6+466%	29.8

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon PRO W6400 came in at $229, while the Radeon R9 290 launched at $399. On MSRP, Radeon PRO W6400 was 42.6% cheaper ($170 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 36.8 (Radeon PRO W6400) vs 20.5 (Radeon R9 290) — the Radeon PRO W6400 offers 79.5% better value. The newer card here is Radeon PRO W6400 (2022 vs 2013).

Feature	Radeon PRO W6400	Radeon R9 290
MSRP	$229-43%	$399
Performance per Dollar	36.8+80%	20.5
Codename	Navi 24	Hawaii
Release	January 19 2022	November 5 2013
Ranking	#308	#316

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