Radeon R9 290X vs RTX A4500 Embedded GPU

AMD

Radeon R9 290X

2013Boost: 947 MHz
VS
NVIDIA

RTX A4500 Embedded GPU

2022Core: 510 MHzBoost: 1215 MHz

Radeon R9 290X vs RTX A4500 Embedded GPU Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

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 RTX A4500 Embedded GPU 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 RTX A4500 Embedded GPU: 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

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 15.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($549 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than RTX A4500 Embedded GPU across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2013 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • 337.5% higher power demand at 350W vs 80W.

RTX A4500 Embedded GPU

2022

Why buy it

  • 33.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
  • Draws 80W instead of 350W, a 270W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 15.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $549 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
RTX A4500 Embedded GPU is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 33.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0.7% in PassMark G3D (8,485 vs 8,426), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
RTX A4500 Embedded GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 8nm process instead of 28nm, 46 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2022 generation instead of 2013. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon R9 290X makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R9 290X is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, RTX A4500 Embedded GPU has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon R9 290X vs RTX A4500 Embedded GPU Technical Specifications

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

AMD

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.

NVIDIA

RTX A4500 Embedded GPU

The RTX A4500 Embedded GPU is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 30 2022. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 510 MHz to 1215 MHz. It has 5888 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 80W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 46 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,485 points.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 290X scores 8,426 and the RTX A4500 Embedded GPU reaches 8,485 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 290X is built on GCN 2.0 while the RTX A4500 Embedded GPU uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 2,816 (Radeon R9 290X) vs 5,888 (RTX A4500 Embedded GPU). Raw compute: 5.632 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 290X) vs 14.31 TFLOPS (RTX A4500 Embedded GPU). Boost clocks: 947 MHz vs 1215 MHz.

FeatureRadeon R9 290XRTX A4500 Embedded GPU
G3D Mark Score
8,426
8,485
Architecture
GCN 2.0
Ampere
Process Node
28 nm
8 nm
Shading Units
2816
5888+109%
Compute (TFLOPS)
5.632 TFLOPS
14.31 TFLOPS+154%
Boost Clock
947 MHz
1215 MHz+28%
ROPs
64
96+50%
TMUs
176
184+5%
L1 Cache
0.69 MB
5.8 MB+741%
L2 Cache
1 MB
4 MB+300%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The RTX A4500 Embedded GPU gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R9 290X leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureRadeon R9 290XRTX A4500 Embedded GPU
Upscaling Tech
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
AMD Anti-Lag
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 4 GB of video memory. Memory bus width is 512-bit on the Radeon R9 290X and 128-bit on the RTX A4500 Embedded GPU. L2 Cache: 1 MB (Radeon R9 290X) vs 4 MB (RTX A4500 Embedded GPU) — the RTX A4500 Embedded GPU has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureRadeon R9 290XRTX A4500 Embedded GPU
VRAM Capacity
4 GB
4 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Bus Width
512-bit+300%
128-bit
L2 Cache
1 MB
4 MB+300%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.0 (Radeon R9 290X) vs 12.2 (RTX A4500 Embedded GPU). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.

FeatureRadeon R9 290XRTX A4500 Embedded GPU
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 NVENC 8.0 (RTX A4500 Embedded GPU). Decoder: UVD 4.2 vs PureVideo HD VP11. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 290X) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (RTX A4500 Embedded GPU).

FeatureRadeon R9 290XRTX A4500 Embedded GPU
Encoder
VCE 2.0
NVENC 8.0
Decoder
UVD 4.2
PureVideo HD VP11
Codecs
MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 290X draws 350W versus the RTX A4500 Embedded GPU's 80W — a 125.6% difference. The RTX A4500 Embedded GPU is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (Radeon R9 290X) vs 500W (RTX A4500 Embedded GPU). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 275mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.

FeatureRadeon R9 290XRTX A4500 Embedded GPU
TDP
350W
80W-77%
Recommended PSU
750W
500W-33%
Power Connector
6-pin + 8-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
275mm
0mm
Height
109mm
0mm
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
95°C
Perf/Watt
24.1
106.1+340%
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is RTX A4500 Embedded GPU (2022 vs 2013).

FeatureRadeon R9 290XRTX A4500 Embedded GPU
MSRP
$549
Codename
Hawaii
GA104
Release
October 24 2013
March 30 2022
Ranking
#342
#307

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