Radeon R9 290 vs Radeon R9 290 / 390

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 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 R9 290 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 R9 290

2013

Why buy it

✅1.9% 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.
❌
21.3% HIGHER MSRP
$399 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 20.5 vs 24.8 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Radeon R9 290 / 390

2015

Why buy it

✅Costs $70 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Delivers 20.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 24.8 vs 20.5 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅More future proof: GCN 2.0 (2013−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

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

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 1.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0.4% in PassMark G3D (8,184 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 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 $70 cheaper on MSRP at $329 vs $399, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 20.8% (24.8 vs 20.5), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. 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 R9 290 has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon R9 290 vs Radeon R9 290 / 390 Technical Specifications

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

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.

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.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 290 scores 8,184 and the Radeon R9 290 / 390 reaches 8,150 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 290 is built on GCN 2.0 while the Radeon R9 290 / 390 uses GCN 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,560 (Radeon R9 290) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 290 / 390). Raw compute: 4.849 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290) vs 5.12 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290 / 390).

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon R9 290 / 390
G3D Mark Score	8,184	8,150
Architecture	GCN 2.0	GCN 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2560	2560
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.849 TFLOPS	5.12 TFLOPS+6%
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	160	160
L1 Cache	640 KB	640 KB
L2 Cache	1 MB	1 MB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

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

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon R9 290 / 390
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) vs 12.0 (Radeon R9 290 / 390). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 6.

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon R9 290 / 390
DirectX	12.0	12.0
Vulkan	1.2	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	6	6

🎬

Media & Encoding

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

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon R9 290 / 390
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 draws 275W versus the Radeon R9 290 / 390's 300W — a 8.7% difference. The Radeon R9 290 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (Radeon R9 290) vs 750W (Radeon R9 290 / 390). 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	Radeon R9 290 / 390
TDP	275W-8%	300W
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	29.8+10%	27.2

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon R9 290 came in at $399, while the Radeon R9 290 / 390 launched at $329. On MSRP, Radeon R9 290 / 390 was 17.5% cheaper ($70 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 20.5 (Radeon R9 290) vs 24.8 (Radeon R9 290 / 390) — the Radeon R9 290 / 390 offers 21% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R9 290 / 390 (2015 vs 2013).

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon R9 290 / 390
MSRP	$399	$329-18%
Performance per Dollar	20.5	24.8+21%
Codename	Hawaii	Grenada
Release	November 5 2013	June 18 2015
Ranking	#316	#296

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