Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire vs RTX A400

AMD

Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire

2014Core: 850 MHzBoost: 900 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
NVIDIA

RTX A400

2024Core: 727 MHzBoost: 1762 MHz
Similar parts
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Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire vs RTX A400 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 M290X Crossfire vs RTX A400 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 M290X Crossfire vs RTX A400: 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 M290X Crossfire

2014

Why buy it

  • 26.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

  • 2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • 492.6% HIGHER MSRP
    $800 MSRPvs$135 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 7.5 vs 44.3 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs $135 MSRP).
  • 300% higher power demand at 200W vs 50W.

RTX A400

2024

Why buy it

  • Costs $665 less on MSRP ($135 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
  • Delivers 490.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.3 vs 7.5 G3D/$ ($135 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
  • Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
  • Draws 50W instead of 200W, a 150W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 26.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0.3% in PassMark G3D (6,000 vs 5,983), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
RTX A400 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 8nm process instead of 28nm, 6 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2024 generation instead of 2014. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
RTX A400 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $665 cheaper on MSRP at $135 vs $800, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 490.9% (44.3 vs 7.5), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire vs RTX A400 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire

The Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 1 2014. It features the GCN architecture. The core clock ranges from 850 MHz to 900 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,000 points.

NVIDIA

RTX A400

The RTX A400 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 16 2024. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 727 MHz to 1762 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 6 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,983 points.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire scores 6,000 and the RTX A400 reaches 5,983 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire is built on GCN while the RTX A400 uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire) vs 768 (RTX A400). Boost clocks: 900 MHz vs 1762 MHz.

FeatureRadeon R9 M290X CrossfireRTX A400
G3D Mark Score
6,000
5,983
Architecture
GCN
Ampere
Process Node
28 nm
8 nm
Shading Units
2560+233%
768
Boost Clock
900 MHz
1762 MHz+96%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The RTX A400 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureRadeon R9 M290X CrossfireRTX A400
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 (Dual) on the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire and 128-bit on the RTX A400.

FeatureRadeon R9 M290X CrossfireRTX A400
VRAM Capacity
4 GB
4 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Bus Width
512-bit (Dual)+300%
128-bit
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire draws 200W versus the RTX A400's 50W — a 120% difference. The RTX A400 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire) vs 350W (RTX A400). Power connectors: Mobile vs PCIe-powered.

FeatureRadeon R9 M290X CrossfireRTX A400
TDP
200W
50W-75%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
Mobile
PCIe-powered
Length
1mm
Slots
0
Perf/Watt
30.0
119.7+299%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire came in at $800, while the RTX A400 launched at $135. On MSRP, RTX A400 was 83.1% cheaper ($665 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 7.5 (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire) vs 44.3 (RTX A400) — the RTX A400 offers 490.7% better value. The newer card here is RTX A400 (2024 vs 2014).

FeatureRadeon R9 M290X CrossfireRTX A400
MSRP
$800
$135-83%
Performance per Dollar
7.5
44.3+491%
Codename
Neptune CF
GA107
Release
March 1 2014
April 16 2024
Ranking
#348
#397

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