Radeon R9 290 vs GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)
Radeon R9 290
Popular choices:
GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)
Popular choices:
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 GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)
Performance Comparison
About G3D Mark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
⚠️ Generational Difference
The GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) is significantly newer (2023 vs 2013). The GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) likely supports modern features like Ray Tracing, Tensor Cores, and DLSS/FSR upscaling, which act as force multipliers for performance. The Radeon R9 290 lacks this hardware feature set, limiting its longevity in modern titles despite any raw power similarities.
🚀 Performance Leadership
The Radeon R9 290 is the superior choice for raw performance. It leads with a 0.3% higher G3D Mark score. However, the GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) offers more VRAM, which may be beneficial for texture-heavy scenarios at higher resolutions.
| Insight | Radeon R9 290 | GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | ✅Leading raw performance (+0.3%) | ❌Lower raw frame rates (-0.3%) |
| Longevity | 🛑Obsolete Architecture (2013 / GCN 2.0 (2013−2017)) | Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) (5nm) |
| Ecosystem | Supports FSR Upscaling | Supports FSR Upscaling |
| VRAM | ❌ Less VRAM capacity | 🎮 High Capacity (6 GB) |
| Efficiency | ⚡ Higher Power Consumption | 💡 Excellent Perf/Watt |
| Case Fit | Standard Size (275mm) | — |
💎 Value Proposition
While current pricing data is unavailable, the Radeon R9 290 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 and GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)
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.
GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)
The GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 3 2023. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 1545 MHz to 1890 MHz. It has 3072 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 115W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 24 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,160 points.
Graphics Performance
The Radeon R9 290 scores 8,184 and the GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) reaches 8,160 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 290 is built on GCN 2.0 while the GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) uses Ada Lovelace, both on 28 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (Radeon R9 290) vs 3,072 (GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)). Raw compute: 4.849 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290) vs 11.61 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)).
| Feature | Radeon R9 290 | GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 8,184 | 8,160 |
| Architecture | GCN 2.0 | Ada Lovelace |
| Process Node | 28 nm | 5 nm |
| Shading Units | 2560 | 3072+20% |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 4.849 TFLOPS | 11.61 TFLOPS+139% |
| ROPs | 64+33% | 48 |
| TMUs | 160+67% | 96 |
| L1 Cache | 0.63 MB | 3 MB+376% |
| L2 Cache | 1 MB | 32 MB+3100% |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
| Feature | Radeon R9 290 | GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) |
|---|---|---|
| Upscaling Tech | FSR 1.0 (Software) | FSR 2.1 (Compatible) |
| Frame Generation | Not Supported | FSR 3 (Compatible) |
| Ray Reconstruction | No | No |
| Low Latency | AMD Anti-Lag | Standard |
Video Memory (VRAM)
The Radeon R9 290 comes with 4 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) has 6 GB. The GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) offers 50% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 320 GB/s (Radeon R9 290) vs 192 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)) — a 66.7% advantage for the Radeon R9 290. Bus width: 512-bit vs 192-bit. L2 Cache: 1 MB (Radeon R9 290) vs 32 MB (GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)) — the GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | Radeon R9 290 | GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 4 GB | 6 GB+50% |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 320 GB/s+67% | 192 GB/s |
| Bus Width | 512-bit+167% | 192-bit |
| L2 Cache | 1 MB | 32 MB+3100% |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12.0 (Radeon R9 290) vs 12 (GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.
| Feature | Radeon R9 290 | GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12.0 | 12 |
| 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) vs NVENC 6th Gen (GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)). Decoder: UVD 4.2 vs NVDEC 3rd Gen. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290) vs H.264,H.265 (GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)).
| Feature | Radeon R9 290 | GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | VCE 2.0 | NVENC 6th Gen |
| Decoder | UVD 4.2 | NVDEC 3rd Gen |
| Codecs | MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 | H.264,H.265 |
Power & Dimensions
The Radeon R9 290 draws 275W versus the GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)'s 115W — a 82.1% difference. The GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (Radeon R9 290) vs 500W (GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 275mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 95°C vs 70.
| Feature | Radeon R9 290 | GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 275W | 115W-58% |
| 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 | 70-26% |
| Perf/Watt | 29.8 | 71.0+138% |
Value Analysis
The GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) is the newer GPU (2023 vs 2013).
| Feature | Radeon R9 290 | GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile) |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $399 | — |
| Avg Price (30d) | $50 | — |
| Codename | Hawaii | AD107 |
| Release | November 5 2013 | January 3 2023 |
| Ranking | #316 | #102 |
Top Performing GPUs
The most powerful gpus ranked by G3D Mark benchmark scores.
You May Also Compare
Similar GPU comparisons based on Radeon R9 290 and GeForce GTX 1060 (Mobile)
