Radeon R9 M290X vs Tesla M10

AMD

Radeon R9 M290X

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

Tesla M10

2016Core: 1033 MHzBoost: 1306 MHz
Similar parts
·······

Radeon R9 M290X vs Tesla M10 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 vs Tesla M10: 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

2014

Why buy it

  • Costs $2,100 less on MSRP ($400 MSRP vs $2,500 MSRP).
  • Delivers 533.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 8.0 vs 1.3 G3D/$ ($400 MSRP vs $2,500 MSRP).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
  • Draws 100W instead of 225W, a 125W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • 2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Tesla M10

2016

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2016 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 525% HIGHER MSRP
    $2,500 MSRPvs$400 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.3 vs 8.0 G3D/$ ($2,500 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
  • 125% higher power demand at 225W vs 100W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon R9 M290X is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 1.4% in PassMark G3D (3,218 vs 3,173), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon R9 M290X is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 4 GB vs 2 GB of VRAM and the newer upscaling stack, FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon R9 M290X makes the most sense to buy today. It is $2,100 cheaper on MSRP at $400 vs $2,500, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 533.9% (8.0 vs 1.3), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Radeon R9 M290X vs Tesla M10 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

Radeon R9 M290X

The Radeon R9 M290X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 9 2014. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 850 MHz to 900 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,218 points.

NVIDIA

Tesla M10

The Tesla M10 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 18 2016. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 1033 MHz to 1306 MHz. It has 640 ×4 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 225W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,173 points.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 M290X scores 3,218 and the Tesla M10 reaches 3,173 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 M290X is built on GCN 1.0 while the Tesla M10 uses Maxwell, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,280 (Radeon R9 M290X) vs 640 (Tesla M10). Raw compute: 2.304 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 M290X) vs 1.672 TFLOPS ×4 (Tesla M10). Boost clocks: 900 MHz vs 1306 MHz.

FeatureRadeon R9 M290XTesla M10
G3D Mark Score
3,218+1%
3,173
Architecture
GCN 1.0
Maxwell
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
1280+100%
640 ×4
Compute (TFLOPS)
2.304 TFLOPS+38%
1.672 TFLOPS ×4
Boost Clock
900 MHz
1306 MHz+45%
ROPs
32+100%
16 ×4
TMUs
80+100%
40 ×4
L1 Cache
320 KB
320 KB
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
2 MB+300%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon R9 M290XTesla M10
Upscaling Tech
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
AMD Anti-Lag
Standard
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The Radeon R9 M290X has 4 GB of VRAM, while the Tesla M10 carries 2 GB. Radeon R9 M290X gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the Radeon R9 M290X and 64-bit on the Tesla M10. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (Radeon R9 M290X) vs 2 MB (Tesla M10) — the Tesla M10 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureRadeon R9 M290XTesla M10
VRAM Capacity
4 GB+100%
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
128-bit+100%
64-bit
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
2 MB+300%
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 M290X draws 100W versus the Tesla M10's 225W — a 76.9% difference. The Radeon R9 M290X is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon R9 M290X) vs 350W (Tesla M10). Power connectors: Mobile vs PCIe-powered.

FeatureRadeon R9 M290XTesla M10
TDP
100W-56%
225W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
Mobile
PCIe-powered
Length
267mm
Slots
2
Perf/Watt
32.2+128%
14.1
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon R9 M290X came in at $400, while the Tesla M10 launched at $2500. On MSRP, Radeon R9 M290X was 84% cheaper ($2100 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 8.0 (Radeon R9 M290X) vs 1.3 (Tesla M10) — the Radeon R9 M290X offers 515.4% better value. The newer card here is Tesla M10 (2016 vs 2014).

FeatureRadeon R9 M290XTesla M10
MSRP
$400-84%
$2500
Performance per Dollar
8.0+515%
1.3
Codename
Neptune
GM107
Release
January 9 2014
May 18 2016
Ranking
#566
#570

Affiliate Disclosure

ChipVERSUS is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through our links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support our work in providing comprehensive PC building guides and tools.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.