Radeon R9 290 / 390 vs Radeon 890M
Radeon R9 290 / 390
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Radeon 890M
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Performance Spectrum - GPU
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.
Value Upgrade Path
This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (G3D Mark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar
Performance Per Dollar Radeon 890M
Performance Comparison
About G3D Mark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
⚠️ Generational Difference
The Radeon 890M is significantly newer (2024 vs 2015). The Radeon 890M likely supports modern features like Ray Tracing, Tensor Cores, and DLSS/FSR upscaling, which act as force multipliers for performance. The Radeon R9 290 / 390 lacks this hardware feature set, limiting its longevity in modern titles despite any raw power similarities.
🚀 Performance Leadership
The Radeon 890M is the superior choice for raw performance. It leads with a 0.3% higher G3D Mark score. This advantage makes it significantly better for higher resolutions (1440p/4K) and graphic-intensive titles compared to the Radeon R9 290 / 390.
| Insight | Radeon R9 290 / 390 | Radeon 890M |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | ❌Lower raw frame rates (-0.3%) | ✅Leading raw performance (+0.3%) |
| Longevity | 🛑Obsolete Architecture (2015 / GCN 2.0 (2013−2017)) | RDNA 3.5 (2024−2025) (4nm) |
| Ecosystem | Supports FSR Upscaling | Supports FSR Upscaling |
| VRAM | ❌ Less VRAM capacity | 🎮 High Capacity (4 GB) |
| Efficiency | ⚡ Higher Power Consumption | 💡 Excellent Perf/Watt |
| Case Fit | Standard Size (275mm) | — |
💎 Value Proposition
While current pricing data is unavailable, the Radeon 890M remains the clear technical winner. Check real-time availability to determine if the performance gap justifies the market price.
Performance Check
Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 7800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.
Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.
Technical Specifications
Side-by-side comparison of Radeon R9 290 / 390 and Radeon 890M
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.
Radeon 890M
The Radeon 890M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in July 15 2024. It features the RDNA 3.5 architecture. The core clock ranges from 400 MHz to 2900 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 15W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. It features 16 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,175 points.
Graphics Performance
The Radeon R9 290 / 390 scores 8,150 and the Radeon 890M reaches 8,175 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 290 / 390 is built on GCN 2.0 while the Radeon 890M uses RDNA 3.5, both on 28 nm vs 4 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (Radeon R9 290 / 390) vs 1,024 (Radeon 890M). Raw compute: 5.12 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290 / 390) vs 5.939 TFLOPS (Radeon 890M). Boost clocks: 1000 MHz vs 2900 MHz.
| Feature | Radeon R9 290 / 390 | Radeon 890M |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 8,150 | 8,175 |
| Architecture | GCN 2.0 | RDNA 3.5 |
| Process Node | 28 nm | 4 nm |
| Shading Units | 2560+150% | 1024 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 5.12 TFLOPS | 5.939 TFLOPS+16% |
| Boost Clock | 1000 MHz | 2900 MHz+190% |
| ROPs | 64+100% | 32 |
| TMUs | 160+150% | 64 |
| L1 Cache | 640 KB+150% | 256 KB |
| L2 Cache | 1 MB | 2 MB+100% |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
| Feature | Radeon R9 290 / 390 | Radeon 890M |
|---|---|---|
| Upscaling Tech | FSR 1.0 (Software) | FSR 1.0 (Software) |
| Frame Generation | Not Supported | Not Supported |
| Ray Reconstruction | No | No |
| Low Latency | AMD Anti-Lag | AMD Anti-Lag |
Video Memory (VRAM)
Both cards feature 4 GB of video memory. Bus width: 512-bit vs System. L2 Cache: 1 MB (Radeon R9 290 / 390) vs 2 MB (Radeon 890M) — the Radeon 890M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | Radeon R9 290 / 390 | Radeon 890M |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | Shared |
| Memory Bandwidth | 320 GB/s | System |
| Bus Width | 512-bit | System |
| L2 Cache | 1 MB | 2 MB+100% |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12.0 (Radeon R9 290 / 390) vs 12.2 (Radeon 890M). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.
| Feature | Radeon R9 290 / 390 | Radeon 890M |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12.0 | 12.2+2% |
| Vulkan | 1.2 | 1.3+8% |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Max Displays | 6+50% | 4 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290 / 390) vs VCN 3.0 (Radeon 890M). Decoder: UVD 4.2 vs VCN 3.0. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290 / 390) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Decode) (Radeon 890M).
| Feature | Radeon R9 290 / 390 | Radeon 890M |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | VCE 2.0 | VCN 3.0 |
| Decoder | UVD 4.2 | VCN 3.0 |
| Codecs | MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 | MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Decode) |
Power & Dimensions
The Radeon R9 290 / 390 draws 300W versus the Radeon 890M's 15W — a 181% difference. The Radeon 890M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (Radeon R9 290 / 390) vs 500W (Radeon 890M). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 275mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.
| Feature | Radeon R9 290 / 390 | Radeon 890M |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 300W | 15W-95% |
| Recommended PSU | 750W | 500W-33% |
| Power Connector | 6-pin + 8-pin | PCIe-powered |
| Length | 275mm | 0mm |
| Height | 109mm | 0mm |
| Slots | 2 | 0-100% |
| Temp (Load) | 95°C | — |
| Perf/Watt | 27.2 | 545.0+1904% |
Value Analysis
The Radeon 890M is the newer GPU (2024 vs 2015).
| Feature | Radeon R9 290 / 390 | Radeon 890M |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $329 | — |
| Avg Price (30d) | $65 | — |
| Codename | Grenada | Strix Point |
| Release | June 18 2015 | July 15 2024 |
| Ranking | #296 | #312 |
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