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 290X vs Radeon RX 5500 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 290X vs Radeon RX 5500: 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 290X

2013

Why buy it

✅37.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
❌2013 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌
206.7% HIGHER MSRP
$549 MSRPvs$179 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 15.3 vs 49.4 G3D/$ ($549 MSRP vs $179 MSRP).
❌218.2% higher power demand at 350W vs 110W.

Radeon RX 5500

2019

Why buy it

✅Costs $370 less on MSRP ($179 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
✅Delivers 221.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 49.4 vs 15.3 G3D/$ ($179 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
✅Better long-term bet: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
✅Draws 110W instead of 350W, a 240W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 290X across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon R9 290X is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 37.1% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon RX 5500 instead at 8,837 vs 8,426, 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 RX 5500 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: native frame generation with FSR Frame Generation (2023), while Radeon R9 290X has no comparable frame-generation support, a 7nm process instead of 28nm, and a newer 2019 generation instead of 2013. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon RX 5500 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $370 cheaper on MSRP at $179 vs $549, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 221.7% (49.4 vs 15.3), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon R9 290X still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

Radeon R9 290X vs Radeon RX 5500 Technical Specifications

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

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.

Radeon RX 5500

The Radeon RX 5500 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 7 2019. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1845 MHz. It has 1408 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 110W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,837 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 290X scores 8,426 and the Radeon RX 5500 reaches 8,837 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 290X is built on GCN 2.0 while the Radeon RX 5500 uses RDNA 1.0, both on 28 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 2,816 (Radeon R9 290X) vs 1,408 (Radeon RX 5500). Raw compute: 5.632 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290X) vs 5.196 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 5500). Boost clocks: 947 MHz vs 1845 MHz.

Feature	Radeon R9 290X	Radeon RX 5500
G3D Mark Score	8,426	8,837+5%
Architecture	GCN 2.0	RDNA 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	7 nm
Shading Units	2816+100%	1408
Compute (TFLOPS)	5.632 TFLOPS+8%	5.196 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	947 MHz	1845 MHz+95%
ROPs	64+100%	32
TMUs	176+100%	88
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 5500 is support for FSR Frame Generation. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The Radeon R9 290X does not have comparable native support in the same tier.

Feature	Radeon R9 290X	Radeon RX 5500
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 ship with 4 GB of video memory. Memory bandwidth: 320 GB/s (Radeon R9 290X) vs 224 GB/s (Radeon RX 5500) — a 42.9% advantage for the Radeon R9 290X. Memory bus width is 512-bit on the Radeon R9 290X and 128-bit on the Radeon RX 5500.

Feature	Radeon R9 290X	Radeon RX 5500
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	320 GB/s+43%	224 GB/s
Bus Width	512-bit+300%	128-bit

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.0 (Radeon R9 290X) vs 12.1 (Radeon RX 5500). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.

Feature	Radeon R9 290X	Radeon RX 5500
DirectX	12.0	12.1
Vulkan	1.1	1.2+9%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	6+50%	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290X) vs VCN 2.0 (Radeon RX 5500). Decoder: UVD 4.2 vs VCN 2.0. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290X) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Radeon RX 5500).

Feature	Radeon R9 290X	Radeon RX 5500
Encoder	VCE 2.0	VCN 2.0
Decoder	UVD 4.2	VCN 2.0
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 290X draws 350W versus the Radeon RX 5500's 110W — a 104.3% difference. The Radeon RX 5500 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (Radeon R9 290X) vs 450W (Radeon RX 5500). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 275mm vs 180mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 95°C vs 75°C.

Feature	Radeon R9 290X	Radeon RX 5500
TDP	350W	110W-69%
Recommended PSU	750W	450W-40%
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	8-pin
Length	275mm	180mm
Height	109mm	110mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	95°C	75°C-21%
Perf/Watt	24.1	80.3+233%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon R9 290X came in at $549, while the Radeon RX 5500 launched at $179. On MSRP, Radeon RX 5500 was 67.4% cheaper ($370 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 15.3 (Radeon R9 290X) vs 49.4 (Radeon RX 5500) — the Radeon RX 5500 offers 222.9% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX 5500 (2019 vs 2013).

Feature	Radeon R9 290X	Radeon RX 5500
MSRP	$549	$179-67%
Performance per Dollar	15.3	49.4+223%
Codename	Hawaii	Navi 14
Release	October 24 2013	October 7 2019
Ranking	#342	#297

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