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 290X

2013

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (8,426 vs 16,581).
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
104.1% HIGHER MSRP
$549 MSRPvs$269 MSRP

Radeon RX 7600

2023

Why buy it

✅+96.8% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Costs $280 less on MSRP ($269 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
✅Delivers 301.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 61.6 vs 15.3 G3D/$ ($269 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Radeon R9 290X

2013

Radeon RX 7600

2023

Why buy it

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

Why buy it

✅+96.8% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Costs $280 less on MSRP ($269 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
✅Delivers 301.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 61.6 vs 15.3 G3D/$ ($269 MSRP vs $549 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (8,426 vs 16,581).
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
104.1% HIGHER MSRP
$549 MSRPvs$269 MSRP

Trade-offs

❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon RX 7600 better than Radeon R9 290X?

Yes. Radeon RX 7600 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 16,581 vs 8,426 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Radeon RX 7600 is a 2023 card with FSR 3 + AFMF, while Radeon R9 290X is a 2013 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.

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

Radeon RX 7600 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2023 generation instead of 2013, 96.8% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 4 GB, and better frame-generation support with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023) instead of FSR upscaling. That leaves it with more room for heavier textures, tougher ray tracing loads, and higher-end 1440p or 4K gaming over the next few years.

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

Radeon RX 7600 is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. Radeon RX 7600 is about $280 cheaper on MSRP at $269 MSRP versus $549 MSRP, and you are getting 96.8% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 301.6%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is Radeon R9 290X still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon R9 290X is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around $549 MSRP, even if Radeon RX 7600 is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

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 290X Benchmark Check

Radeon RX 7600 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Radeon R9 290X	Radeon RX 7600
1080p
low	103 FPS	168 FPS
medium	89 FPS	149 FPS
high	72 FPS	131 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	111 FPS
1440p
low	90 FPS	140 FPS
medium	79 FPS	114 FPS
high	57 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	33 FPS	91 FPS
4K
low	28 FPS	85 FPS
medium	27 FPS	72 FPS
high	18 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	15 FPS	52 FPS

Open Radeon R9 290X Open Radeon RX 7600

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Radeon R9 290X	Radeon RX 7600
1080p
low	197 FPS	414 FPS
medium	168 FPS	349 FPS
high	134 FPS	267 FPS
ultra	104 FPS	206 FPS
1440p
low	134 FPS	241 FPS
medium	104 FPS	205 FPS
high	82 FPS	163 FPS
ultra	62 FPS	130 FPS
4K
low	61 FPS	109 FPS
medium	49 FPS	91 FPS
high	44 FPS	75 FPS
ultra	35 FPS	57 FPS

Open Radeon R9 290X Open Radeon RX 7600

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Radeon R9 290X	Radeon RX 7600
1080p
low	379 FPS	746 FPS
medium	303 FPS	597 FPS
high	253 FPS	497 FPS
ultra	190 FPS	373 FPS
1440p
low	284 FPS	560 FPS
medium	228 FPS	448 FPS
high	190 FPS	373 FPS
ultra	142 FPS	280 FPS
4K
low	190 FPS	373 FPS
medium	152 FPS	298 FPS
high	126 FPS	249 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	187 FPS

Open Radeon R9 290X Open Radeon RX 7600

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Radeon R9 290X	Radeon RX 7600
1080p
low	192 FPS	604 FPS
medium	160 FPS	517 FPS
high	143 FPS	443 FPS
ultra	114 FPS	352 FPS
1440p
low	131 FPS	468 FPS
medium	110 FPS	397 FPS
high	99 FPS	322 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	259 FPS
4K
low	78 FPS	293 FPS
medium	63 FPS	271 FPS
high	51 FPS	235 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	187 FPS

Open Radeon R9 290X Open Radeon RX 7600

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon R9 290X and Radeon RX 7600

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 7600

The Radeon RX 7600 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 24 2023. It features the RDNA 3.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1720 MHz to 2655 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 165W. Manufactured using 6 nm process technology. It features 32 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 16,581 points. Launch price was $269.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the Radeon R9 290X scores 8,426 versus the Radeon RX 7600's 16,581 — the Radeon RX 7600 leads by 96.8%. The Radeon R9 290X is built on GCN 2.0 while the Radeon RX 7600 uses RDNA 3.0, both on 28 nm vs 6 nm. Shader units: 2,816 (Radeon R9 290X) vs 2,048 (Radeon RX 7600). Raw compute: 5.632 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290X) vs 21.75 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 7600). Boost clocks: 947 MHz vs 2655 MHz.

Feature	Radeon R9 290X	Radeon RX 7600
G3D Mark Score	8,426	16,581+97%
Architecture	GCN 2.0	RDNA 3.0
Process Node	28 nm	6 nm
Shading Units	2816+38%	2048
Compute (TFLOPS)	5.632 TFLOPS	21.75 TFLOPS+286%
Boost Clock	947 MHz	2655 MHz+180%
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	176+38%	128
L1 Cache	704 KB+38%	512 KB
L2 Cache	1 MB	2 MB+100%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR 3 + AFMF

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 7600 is support for FSR Frame Generation + AFMF. 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 290X lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.

Feature	Radeon R9 290X	Radeon RX 7600
Upscaling Tech	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4	FSR 3
Frame Generation	Not Supported	FSR Frame Generation + AFMF
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	AMD Anti-Lag	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The Radeon R9 290X comes with 4 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon RX 7600 has 8 GB. The Radeon RX 7600 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 320 GB/s (Radeon R9 290X) vs 288 GB/s (Radeon RX 7600) — a 11.1% advantage for the Radeon R9 290X. Bus width: 512-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 1 MB (Radeon R9 290X) vs 2 MB (Radeon RX 7600) — the Radeon RX 7600 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon R9 290X	Radeon RX 7600
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	8 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	320 GB/s+11%	288 GB/s
Bus Width	512-bit+300%	128-bit
L2 Cache	1 MB	2 MB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.0 (Radeon R9 290X) vs 12.2 (Radeon RX 7600). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.

Feature	Radeon R9 290X	Radeon RX 7600
DirectX	12.0	12.2+2%
Vulkan	1.1	1.3+18%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	6+50%	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 290X) vs VCN 4.0 (Radeon RX 7600). Decoder: UVD 4.2 vs VCN 4.0. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290X) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Radeon RX 7600).

Feature	Radeon R9 290X	Radeon RX 7600
Encoder	VCE 2.0	VCN 4.0
Decoder	UVD 4.2	VCN 4.0
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 290X draws 350W versus the Radeon RX 7600's 165W — a 71.8% difference. The Radeon RX 7600 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (Radeon R9 290X) vs 550W (Radeon RX 7600). 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 75°C.

Feature	Radeon R9 290X	Radeon RX 7600
TDP	350W	165W-53%
Recommended PSU	750W	550W-27%
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	8-pin
Length	275mm	240mm
Height	109mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	95°C	75°C-21%
Perf/Watt	24.1	100.5+317%

💰

Value Analysis

The Radeon R9 290X launched at $549 MSRP, while the Radeon RX 7600 launched at $269. The Radeon RX 7600 costs 51% less ($280 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 15.3 (Radeon R9 290X) vs 61.6 (Radeon RX 7600) — the Radeon RX 7600 offers 302.6% better value. The Radeon RX 7600 is the newer GPU (2023 vs 2013).