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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

Radeon R9 290

2013

Why buy it

✅8.8% more average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
74.2% HIGHER MSRP
$399 MSRPvs$229 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 20.5 vs 34.9 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
❌175% higher power demand at 275W vs 100W.

Radeon RX 580 (móvel)

2017

Why buy it

✅Costs $170 less on MSRP ($229 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Delivers 70.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 34.9 vs 20.5 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon R9 290: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon R9 290 is already legacy-tier future-proofing.
✅Draws 100W instead of 275W, a 175W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 290 across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2017-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Radeon R9 290

2013

Radeon RX 580 (móvel)

2017

Why buy it

✅8.8% more average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Why buy it

✅Costs $170 less on MSRP ($229 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Delivers 70.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 34.9 vs 20.5 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon R9 290: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon R9 290 is already legacy-tier future-proofing.
✅Draws 100W instead of 275W, a 175W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
74.2% HIGHER MSRP
$399 MSRPvs$229 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 20.5 vs 34.9 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
❌175% higher power demand at 275W vs 100W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 290 across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2017-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon R9 290 better than Radeon RX 580 (móvel)?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. Radeon R9 290 averages 8.8% more FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 8,184 vs 8,000 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer Radeon R9 290 is the overall package: you are getting FSR upscaling.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Radeon RX 580 (móvel) is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2017 generation instead of 2013, better frame-generation support with FSR Frame Generation (2023) instead of FSR upscaling, and a 14nm process instead of 28nm. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

Radeon R9 290 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Radeon R9 290 is about 74.2% more expensive on MSRP at $399 MSRP versus $229 MSRP, and you are getting 8.8% more estimated average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data and 2.3% higher G3D Mark. Radeon RX 580 (móvel) really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

When does Radeon RX 580 (móvel) make more sense than Radeon R9 290?

Yes. Radeon RX 580 (móvel) is still an excellent gaming GPU in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It makes more sense if your priority is newer architecture, lower power draw (100W vs 275W), future-proofing, and staying closer to $229 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Radeon R9 290. The trade-off is that Radeon R9 290 currently gives you 2.3% higher G3D Mark and 8.8% more estimated average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data. Radeon RX 580 (móvel) still holds the G3D-per-dollar lead, so the performance win comes with a real value premium.

Games Benchmarks

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 9800X3D 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.

Radeon R9 290 Benchmark Check

Radeon RX 580 (móvel) Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Radeon R9 290	Radeon RX 580 (móvel)
1080p
low	83 FPS	78 FPS
medium	71 FPS	67 FPS
high	59 FPS	55 FPS
ultra	39 FPS	36 FPS
1440p
low	72 FPS	69 FPS
medium	64 FPS	60 FPS
high	47 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	30 FPS	27 FPS
4K
low	26 FPS	25 FPS
medium	25 FPS	24 FPS
high	17 FPS	15 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	13 FPS

Open Radeon R9 290 Open Radeon RX 580 (móvel)

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Radeon R9 290	Radeon RX 580 (móvel)
1080p
low	185 FPS	129 FPS
medium	156 FPS	106 FPS
high	129 FPS	88 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	63 FPS
1440p
low	132 FPS	78 FPS
medium	103 FPS	59 FPS
high	83 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	64 FPS	34 FPS
4K
low	60 FPS	33 FPS
medium	49 FPS	25 FPS
high	44 FPS	20 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	15 FPS

Open Radeon R9 290 Open Radeon RX 580 (móvel)

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Radeon R9 290	Radeon RX 580 (móvel)
1080p
low	368 FPS	360 FPS
medium	295 FPS	288 FPS
high	246 FPS	240 FPS
ultra	184 FPS	180 FPS
1440p
low	276 FPS	270 FPS
medium	221 FPS	216 FPS
high	184 FPS	180 FPS
ultra	138 FPS	135 FPS
4K
low	184 FPS	180 FPS
medium	147 FPS	144 FPS
high	123 FPS	120 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	90 FPS

Open Radeon R9 290 Open Radeon RX 580 (móvel)

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Radeon R9 290	Radeon RX 580 (móvel)
1080p
low	152 FPS	153 FPS
medium	123 FPS	126 FPS
high	105 FPS	110 FPS
ultra	87 FPS	93 FPS
1440p
low	110 FPS	112 FPS
medium	90 FPS	93 FPS
high	78 FPS	82 FPS
ultra	62 FPS	69 FPS
4K
low	64 FPS	66 FPS
medium	49 FPS	53 FPS
high	39 FPS	42 FPS
ultra	28 FPS	32 FPS

Open Radeon R9 290 Open Radeon RX 580 (móvel)

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon R9 290 and Radeon RX 580 (móvel)

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 580 (móvel)

The Radeon RX 580 (móvel) is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 18 2017. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1000 MHz to 1077 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,000 points. Launch price was $301.69.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 290 scores 8,184 and the Radeon RX 580 (móvel) reaches 8,000 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 290 is built on GCN 2.0 while the Radeon RX 580 (móvel) uses GCN 4.0, both on 28 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (Radeon R9 290) vs 2,304 (Radeon RX 580 (móvel)). Raw compute: 4.849 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290) vs 4.963 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 580 (móvel)).

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon RX 580 (móvel)
G3D Mark Score	8,184+2%	8,000
Architecture	GCN 2.0	GCN 4.0
Process Node	28 nm	14 nm
Shading Units	2560+11%	2304
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.849 TFLOPS	4.963 TFLOPS+2%
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 + limited Frame Generation

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 580 (móvel) is support for FSR Frame Generation. This allows it to generate entire frames using AI/Algorithms, essentially doubling the frame rate in CPU-bound scenarios or heavy ray-tracing titles. The Radeon R9 290 lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon RX 580 (móvel)
Upscaling Tech	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	FSR Frame Generation
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	AMD Anti-Lag	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 4 GB of GDDR5. Memory bandwidth: 320 GB/s (Radeon R9 290) vs 256 GB/s (Radeon RX 580 (móvel)) — a 25% advantage for the Radeon R9 290. Bus width: 512-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 1 MB (Radeon R9 290) vs 2 MB (Radeon RX 580 (móvel)) — the Radeon RX 580 (móvel) has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon RX 580 (móvel)
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
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 (12_0) (Radeon RX 580 (móvel)). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon RX 580 (móvel)
DirectX	12.0	12 (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 580 (móvel)). Decoder: UVD 4.2 vs UVD 6.3. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290) vs H.264,H.265 (Radeon RX 580 (móvel)).

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon RX 580 (móvel)
Encoder	VCE 2.0	VCE 3.4
Decoder	UVD 4.2	UVD 6.3
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1	H.264,H.265

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 290 draws 275W versus the Radeon RX 580 (móvel)'s 100W — a 93.3% difference. The Radeon RX 580 (móvel) is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (Radeon R9 290) vs 350W (Radeon RX 580 (móvel)). 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 80.

Feature	Radeon R9 290	Radeon RX 580 (móvel)
TDP	275W	100W-64%
Recommended PSU	750W	350W-53%
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	275mm	0mm
Height	109mm	0mm
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	95°C	80-16%
Perf/Watt	29.8	80.0+168%

💰

Value Analysis

The Radeon R9 290 launched at $399 MSRP, while the Radeon RX 580 (móvel) launched at $229. The Radeon RX 580 (móvel) costs 42.6% less ($170 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 20.5 (Radeon R9 290) vs 34.9 (Radeon RX 580 (móvel)) — the Radeon RX 580 (móvel) offers 70.2% better value. The Radeon RX 580 (móvel) is the newer GPU (2017 vs 2013).