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 R9 290 / 390 vs Radeon R9 290X / 390X 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 R9 290 / 390 vs Radeon R9 290X / 390X: 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 R9 290 / 390

2015

Why buy it

✅Costs $220 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
✅Delivers 62.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 24.8 vs 15.3 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 290X / 390X across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2015 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.

Radeon R9 290X / 390X

2015

Why buy it

✅1.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌2015 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌
66.9% HIGHER MSRP
$549 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 15.3 vs 24.8 G3D/$ ($549 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon R9 290X / 390X is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 1.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.8% in PassMark G3D (8,380 vs 8,150), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon R9 290 / 390 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 R9 290 / 390 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $220 cheaper on MSRP at $329 vs $549, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 62.3% (24.8 vs 15.3), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon R9 290X / 390X still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

Radeon R9 290 / 390 vs Radeon R9 290X / 390X Technical Specifications

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

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 R9 290X / 390X

The Radeon R9 290X / 390X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 18 2015. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1050 MHz. It has 2816 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 275W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,380 points. Launch price was $429.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 290 / 390 scores 8,150 and the Radeon R9 290X / 390X reaches 8,380 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 290 / 390 is built on GCN 2.0 while the Radeon R9 290X / 390X uses GCN 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,560 (Radeon R9 290 / 390) vs 2,816 (Radeon R9 290X / 390X). Raw compute: 5.12 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290 / 390) vs 5.914 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290X / 390X). Boost clocks: 1000 MHz vs 1050 MHz.

Feature	Radeon R9 290 / 390	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
G3D Mark Score	8,150	8,380+3%
Architecture	GCN 2.0	GCN 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2560	2816+10%
Compute (TFLOPS)	5.12 TFLOPS	5.914 TFLOPS+16%
Boost Clock	1000 MHz	1050 MHz+5%
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	160	176+10%
L1 Cache	640 KB	704 KB+10%
L2 Cache	1 MB	1 MB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon R9 290 / 390	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
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 GDDR5. Memory bus width is 512-bit on the Radeon R9 290 / 390 and 512-bit on the Radeon R9 290X / 390X.

Feature	Radeon R9 290 / 390	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	320 GB/s	320 GB/s
Bus Width	512-bit	512-bit
L2 Cache	1 MB	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.0 (Radeon R9 290 / 390) vs 12.0 (Radeon R9 290X / 390X). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 6.

Feature	Radeon R9 290 / 390	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
DirectX	12.0	12.0
Vulkan	1.2+9%	1.1
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	6	6

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290 / 390) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290X / 390X). Decoder: UVD 4.2 vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290 / 390) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290X / 390X).

Feature	Radeon R9 290 / 390	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
Encoder	VCE 2.0	VCE 2.0
Decoder	UVD 4.2	UVD 4.2
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 290 / 390 draws 300W versus the Radeon R9 290X / 390X's 275W — a 8.7% difference. The Radeon R9 290X / 390X is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (Radeon R9 290 / 390) vs 750W (Radeon R9 290X / 390X). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 275mm vs 275mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 95°C vs 95°C.

Feature	Radeon R9 290 / 390	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
TDP	300W	275W-8%
Recommended PSU	750W	750W
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	275mm	275mm
Height	109mm	109mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	95°C	95°C
Perf/Watt	27.2	30.5+12%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon R9 290 / 390 came in at $329, while the Radeon R9 290X / 390X launched at $549. On MSRP, Radeon R9 290 / 390 was 40.1% cheaper ($220 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 24.8 (Radeon R9 290 / 390) vs 15.3 (Radeon R9 290X / 390X) — the Radeon R9 290 / 390 offers 62.1% better value.

Feature	Radeon R9 290 / 390	Radeon R9 290X / 390X
MSRP	$329-40%	$549
Performance per Dollar	24.8+62%	15.3
Codename	Grenada	Grenada
Release	June 18 2015	June 18 2015
Ranking	#296	#287

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