Radeon R9 290 vs Radeon R9 290X

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 290X 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 290X: 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

✅0.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $150 less on MSRP ($399 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
✅Delivers 33.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 20.5 vs 15.3 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
✅Draws 275W instead of 350W, a 75W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌2013 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.

Radeon R9 290X

2013

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 290 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2013 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌
37.6% HIGHER MSRP
$549 MSRPvs$399 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 15.3 vs 20.5 G3D/$ ($549 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
❌27.3% higher power demand at 350W vs 275W.

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 0.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon R9 290X instead at 8,426 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 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 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $150 cheaper on MSRP at $399 vs $549, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 33.6% (20.5 vs 15.3), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Radeon R9 290 vs Radeon R9 290X 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 290X

The Radeon R9 290X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 24 2013. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 947 MHz. It has 2816 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 350W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,426 points. Launch price was $549.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 290 scores 8,184 and the Radeon R9 290X reaches 8,426 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 290 is built on GCN 2.0 while the Radeon R9 290X uses GCN 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,560 (Radeon R9 290) vs 2,816 (Radeon R9 290X). Raw compute: 4.849 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290) vs 5.632 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290X).

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon R9 290X
G3D Mark Score	8,184	8,426+3%
Architecture	GCN 2.0	GCN 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2560	2816+10%
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.849 TFLOPS	5.632 TFLOPS+16%
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

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon R9 290X
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 290X.

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon R9 290X
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 290X). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.1. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 6.

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon R9 290X
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) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290X). 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 290X).

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon R9 290X
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 290X's 350W — a 24% difference. The Radeon R9 290 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (Radeon R9 290) vs 750W (Radeon R9 290X). 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 290X
TDP	275W-21%	350W
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+24%	24.1

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon R9 290 came in at $399, while the Radeon R9 290X launched at $549. On MSRP, Radeon R9 290 was 27.3% cheaper ($150 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 20.5 (Radeon R9 290) vs 15.3 (Radeon R9 290X) — the Radeon R9 290 offers 34% better value.

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon R9 290X
MSRP	$399-27%	$549
Performance per Dollar	20.5+34%	15.3
Codename	Hawaii	Hawaii
Release	November 5 2013	October 24 2013
Ranking	#316	#342

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