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 RX 480 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 RX 480: 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

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 480 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2013 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌
74.2% HIGHER MSRP
$399 MSRPvs$229 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 20.5 vs 37.3 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).

Radeon RX 480

2016

Why buy it

✅16.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $170 less on MSRP ($229 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Delivers 81.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 37.3 vs 20.5 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
✅Draws 150W instead of 275W, a 125W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌2016 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon RX 480 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 16.7% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 4.4% in PassMark G3D (8,546 vs 8,184), 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 RX 480 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $170 cheaper on MSRP at $229 vs $399, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 81.9% (37.3 vs 20.5), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon RX 480 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 RX 480 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 RX 480

The Radeon RX 480 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 29 2016. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1120 MHz to 1266 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,546 points. Launch price was $229.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 290 scores 8,184 and the Radeon RX 480 reaches 8,546 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 290 is built on GCN 2.0 while the Radeon RX 480 uses GCN 4.0, both on 28 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (Radeon R9 290) vs 2,304 (Radeon RX 480). Raw compute: 4.849 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290) vs 5.834 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 480).

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon RX 480
G3D Mark Score	8,184	8,546+4%
Architecture	GCN 2.0	GCN 4.0
Process Node	28 nm	14 nm
Shading Units	2560+11%	2304
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.849 TFLOPS	5.834 TFLOPS+20%
ROPs	64+100%	32
TMUs	160+11%	144
L1 Cache	640 KB+11%	576 KB
L2 Cache	1 MB	2 MB+100%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon RX 480
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)

The Radeon R9 290 has 4 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon RX 480 carries 8 GB. Radeon RX 480 gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 320 GB/s (Radeon R9 290) vs 256 GB/s (Radeon RX 480) — a 25% advantage for the Radeon R9 290. Memory bus width is 512-bit on the Radeon R9 290 and 256-bit on the Radeon RX 480. L2 Cache: 1 MB (Radeon R9 290) vs 2 MB (Radeon RX 480) — the Radeon RX 480 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon RX 480
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	8 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	320 GB/s+25%	256 GB/s
Bus Width	512-bit+100%	256-bit
L2 Cache	1 MB	2 MB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.0 (Radeon R9 290) vs 12.0 (Radeon RX 480). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon RX 480
DirectX	12.0	12.0
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 VCE 3.4 (Radeon RX 480). Decoder: UVD 4.2 vs UVD 6.3. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (Radeon RX 480).

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon RX 480
Encoder	VCE 2.0	VCE 3.4
Decoder	UVD 4.2	UVD 6.3
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 290 draws 275W versus the Radeon RX 480's 150W — a 58.8% difference. The Radeon RX 480 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (Radeon R9 290) vs 500W (Radeon RX 480). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 275mm vs 240mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 95°C vs 85°C.

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon RX 480
TDP	275W	150W-45%
Recommended PSU	750W	500W-33%
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	8-pin
Length	275mm	240mm
Height	109mm	95mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	95°C	85°C-11%
Perf/Watt	29.8	57.0+91%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon R9 290 came in at $399, while the Radeon RX 480 launched at $229. On MSRP, Radeon RX 480 was 42.6% cheaper ($170 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 20.5 (Radeon R9 290) vs 37.3 (Radeon RX 480) — the Radeon RX 480 offers 82% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX 480 (2016 vs 2013).

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon RX 480
MSRP	$399	$229-43%
Performance per Dollar	20.5	37.3+82%
Codename	Hawaii	Ellesmere
Release	November 5 2013	June 29 2016
Ranking	#316	#305

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