AMD Radeon R9 290X vs AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT
The Radeon RX 6950 XT has 347% better performance than the Radeon R9 290X for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
The Radeon RX 6950 XT has 123% better value for the money than the Radeon R9 290X for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
Summary
About the AMD Radeon R9 290X GPU
The AMD Radeon R9 290X is an end-of-life desktop graphics card that released in Q4 2013 with a MSRP of $549. It is built on the GCN 2.0 GPU microarchitecture (codename Hawaii) and is manufactured on a 28 nm process.
Memory
The R9 290X has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory, with a 1,250 MHz memory clock and a 512 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 320 Gb/s, which affects how fast it can transfer data to and from memory. GPU memory stores temporary data that helps the GPU with complex math and graphics operations. More memory is generally better, as not having enough can cause performance bottlenecks.
Cores and Clock Speeds
The R9 290X includes 2,816 stream processors (SPs), the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 1,000 MHz. Complementing the processing units are 176 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 64 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing.
Compatibility & Power Consumption
The R9 290X occupies 2 PCIe expansion slots. It supports DVI, HDMI 1.4a, DisplayPort 1.2 display connections. AMD recommends a power supply of at least 600 W to handle the GPU's thermal design power (TDP) of 290 W.
Benchmark Performance & Value
The R9 290X has the 137th best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 15.44% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 16,167.5 score and $549 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 29.45. This is the 80th best in value for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
About the AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT GPU
The AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT is a desktop graphics card that launched in Q2 2022 with a MSRP of $1,099. It is built on the RDNA 2.0 GPU microarchitecture (codename Navi 21) and is manufactured on a 7 nm process.
Memory
The RX 6950 XT has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, with a 2,250 MHz memory clock and a 256 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 576 Gb/s, which affects how fast it can transfer data to and from memory. GPU memory stores temporary data that helps the GPU with complex math and graphics operations. More memory is generally better, as not having enough can cause performance bottlenecks.
Cores and Clock Speeds
The RX 6950 XT includes 5,120 stream processors (SPs), the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 1,860 MHz and can dynamically boost its clock speed up to 2,310 MHz. It usually operates at 2,100 MHz during typical gaming workloads. Complementing the processing units are 320 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 128 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing. Additionally, the GPU features 80 ray accelerators dedicated to real-time ray tracing calculations.
Compatibility & Power Consumption
The RX 6950 XT is a large graphics card, occupying 3 PCIe 4.0 x16 expansion slots. It supports HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4a display connections. With a thermal design power (TDP) of 335 W and a large, 3-slot size, it is recommended to use a power supply of 700 W and a case with sufficient space to accommodate the card. Compare your card's model and your case's dimensions to verify compatibility.
Benchmark Performance & Value
The RX 6950 XT has the 8th best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 68.96% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 72,227.5 score and $1,099 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 65.72. This is the 48th best in value for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
General Info
General overview of the GPU, including details like its manufacturer, release date, launch price, and current production status.
| Info | Radeon R9 290X | Radeon RX 6950 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | AMD | AMD |
| Architecture | GCN 2.0 | RDNA 2.0 |
| Market Segment | Desktop | Desktop |
| Release Date | Q4 2013 | Q2 2022 |
| Launch Price (MSRP) | $549 | $1,099 |
| Production Status | End-of-life | Active |
| Shop | Check Price | Check Price |
Gaming Performance
Select a game to compare FPS metrics
FPS Benchmarks
This table showcases the average frame rate (FPS) achieved both GPUs in at various resolutions. Frame rate is a crucial indicator of how smoothly the GPU can run the game. A higher FPS generally translates to a smoother gameplay experience.
- Frames Per Second
F1 24 | Radeon R9 290X | Radeon RX 6950 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Low - 1080p | -- | 534 FPS |
| Medium - 1080p | -- | 517 FPS |
| High - 1080p | -- | 407 FPS |
| Ultra - 1080p | -- | 96 FPS |
| QHD - 1440p | -- | 62 FPS |
| 4K UHD - 2160p | -- | 30 FPS |
Compare Frames Per Second (FPS)
The average frame rate (FPS) in can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative performance. Generally, higher FPS results in a smoother gameplay experience.
| GPU | Frames Per Second | |
|---|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 4080 | 55 | +82% |
| Radeon RX 7900 XTX | 46.6 | +54% |
| GeForce RTX 3090 | 40.5 | +34% |
| Radeon RX 7900 XT | 37 | +23% |
| Radeon RX 6950 XT | 30.2 | |
| Radeon RX 7800 XT | 28.7 | -5% |
| GeForce RTX 3070 Ti | 28.2 | -7% |
| GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | 22.2 | -26% |
| Arc A770 | 21.2 | -30% |
Compare Cost Per Frame
The average cost per frame in can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative value. Generally, a lower cost per frame implies better value for your money.
| GPU | Cost Per Frame | |
|---|---|---|
| Radeon RX 7900 XTX | 21.44 | -41% |
| GeForce RTX 4080 | 21.8 | -40% |
| Radeon RX 7900 XT | 24.3 | -33% |
| Radeon RX 6800 | 28.11 | -23% |
| Radeon RX 6950 XT | 36.39 | |
| GeForce RTX 3090 | 37.01 | +2% |
Benchmark Performance
The Radeon RX 6950 XT has 347% better performance than the Radeon R9 290X for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
The Radeon R9 290X is ranked 137th with a score of 16,167.5, and the Radeon RX 6950 XT is ranked 8th with a score of 72,227.5.
The Radeon RX 6950 XT has 123% better value for the money than the Radeon R9 290X for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
The Radeon R9 290X is ranked 80th with a performance per dollar of 29.45, and the Radeon RX 6950 XT is ranked 48th with a performance per dollar of 65.72.
Relative Performance
The average score in the benchmark test can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative performance. Generally, powerful GPUs tend to have higher scores.
| GPU | Benchmark Performance | |
|---|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 4070 Ti | 75,612 | +368% |
| GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER | 74,834 | +363% |
| Radeon RX 6950 XT | 72,227.5 | +347% |
| GeForce RTX 3090 Ti | 69,481 | +330% |
| GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER | 68,373 | +323% |
| GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) | 17,401 | +8% |
| Radeon R9 Nano | 17,282 | +7% |
| Radeon R9 290X | 16,167.5 | |
| GeForce GTX 970 | 16,033 | -1% |
| GeForce GTX 780 Ti | 15,619 | -3% |
Relative Value For Money
The average performance per dollar in the benchmark test can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative value. A higher score implies a better value for your money.
| GPU | Performance Per Dollar | |
|---|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 4080 | 71.95 | +144% |
| GeForce RTX 3080 (12 GB) | 70.88 | +141% |
| Radeon RX 6950 XT | 65.72 | +123% |
| GeForce RTX 4090 | 65.5 | +122% |
| Radeon RX 6900 XT | 59.18 | +101% |
| GeForce GTX 760 | 31.98 | +9% |
| Radeon R9 FURY | 31.95 | +9% |
| Radeon R9 290X | 29.45 | |
| GeForce GTX 660 Ti | 28.14 | -4% |
| Radeon R9 Nano | 26.63 | -10% |
Benchmark Scores
This table showcases the average performance scores achieved by both GPUs across industry-standard benchmark tests. These scores provide a valuable insight into overall performance. Powerful GPUs tend to have higher scores.
- Popular
| Benchmark | Radeon R9 290X | Radeon RX 6950 XT |
|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy Graphics | 4,003 | 22,004 (+449.69%) |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | 4,114 | 20,574 (+400.1%) |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics | 73,987 | 229,172 (+209.75%) |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics | 11,717 | 59,882 (+411.07%) |
| 3DMark Night Raid Graphics | -- | 186,146 |
| 3DMark 11 Performance Score | 13,415 | 48,816.5 (+263.89%) |
| Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit | 142 | -- |
| PassMark G3D Mark | 8,625 | 28,278 (+227.86%) |
| PassMark G2D Mark | 769 | 1,030 (+33.94%) |
| Unigine Heaven 3.0 DirectX 11 | 140 | -- |
| Unigine Heaven 3.0 OpenGL | 111 | -- |
Technical Specs
Graphics Processor
General information about the graphics processing unit like their architecture, manufacturing process size, and transistor count. Newer GPU architectures generally bring efficiency improvements and may introduce technologies that enhance graphical capabilities.
| Spec | Radeon R9 290X | Radeon RX 6950 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Codename | Hawaii | Navi 21 |
| Architecture | GCN 2.0 | RDNA 2.0 |
| Process Size | 28 nm | 7 nm |
| Transistors | 6,200 million | 26,800 million |
Memory Details
Memory specifications like their capacity, bandwidth, and clock speeds. GPU memory stores graphics data like frames, textures, and shadows which helps display rendered images. These specs are crucial for graphics-intense applications like gaming and 3D modeling.
| Spec | Radeon R9 290X | Radeon RX 6950 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Memory Size | 4 GB | 16 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 320 Gb/s | 576 Gb/s |
| Memory Clock | 1,250 MHz | 2,250 MHz |
| Memory Interface | 512 bit | 256 bit |
| L1 Cache | 16 KB | 128 KB |
| L2 Cache | 1,024 KB | 4 MB |
Board Compatibility
Compatibility information like their slot size, bus interface, power consumption, and display support. These specs are useful for verifying compatibility with your motherboard, power supply, and monitor.
| Spec | Radeon R9 290X | Radeon RX 6950 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Slots | 2 slots | 3 slots |
| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |
| Thermal Design Power (TDP) | 290 W | 335 W |
| Suggested PSU | 600 W | 700 W |
| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | 2x 8-pin |
| Outputs | DVI, HDMI 1.4a, DisplayPort 1.2 | HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4a |
Cores & Clock Speeds
Processing power information like its cores and clock speed. These specs impact how fast they can process graphics. Each type of core or component serves a specific computational purpose.
| Spec | Radeon R9 290X | Radeon RX 6950 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Stream Processors (SP) | 2,816 | 5,120 |
| Compute Units (CU) | 44 | 80 |
| Texture Mapping Units (TMU) | 176 | 320 |
| Render Output Units (ROP) | 64 | 128 |
| Ray Accelerators | -- | 80 |
| Core Clock Speed | 1,000 MHz | 1,860 MHz |
| Core Clock Speed (Boost) | -- | 2,310 MHz |
| Core Clock Speed (Game) | -- | 2,100 MHz |
Theoretical Performance
Theoretical performance numbers derived from the raw specifications of the different components like core count and clock speeds. While these provide a glimpse into peak processing power, they do not represent real-world performance.
| Spec | Radeon R9 290X | Radeon RX 6950 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Pixel Fill Rate | 64 GPixel/s | 295.7 GPixel/s |
| Texture Fill Rate | 176 GTexel/s | 739.2 GTexel/s |
| FP32 Performance | 5.63 TFLOPS | 23.65 TFLOPS |
| FP64 Performance | 704 GFLOPS | 1,478 GFLOPS |
API Support
Graphics API versions supported by these graphics cards. APIs evolve over time, introducing new features and functionalities. Older GPUs may not support recent versions.
| Spec | Radeon R9 290X | Radeon RX 6950 XT |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 (12_0) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |
| OpenCL | 2.1 | 2.1 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Shader Model | 6.5 | 6.8 |
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* Performance rating, performance per dollar, and rankings are based on the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark and MSRP.