AMD Radeon R9 290X vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti

VS
Performance
Radeon R9 290X
16,167.515% of 104,598
GeForce GTX 980 Ti43% better
23,05722% of 104,598

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti has 43% better performance than the Radeon R9 290X for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

Performance per dollar
Radeon R9 290X
29.4518% of 161.45
GeForce GTX 980 Ti21% better
35.5322% of 161.45

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti has 21% better value for the money than the Radeon R9 290X for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

Shop Radeon R9 290X
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Summary

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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 15.46% 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 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti GPU

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti is an end-of-life desktop graphics card that released in Q2 2015 with a MSRP of $649. It is built on the Maxwell 2.0 GPU microarchitecture (codename GM200) and is manufactured on a 28 nm process.

Memory

The GTX 980 Ti has 6 GB of GDDR5 memory, with a 1,753 MHz memory clock and a 384 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 336.6 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 GTX 980 Ti includes 2,816 CUDA cores, the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 1,000 MHz and can dynamically boost its clock speed up to 1,076 MHz. Complementing the processing units are 176 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 96 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing.

Compatibility & Power Consumption

The GTX 980 Ti occupies 2 PCIe expansion slots. It supports DVI, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2 display connections. NVIDIA recommends a power supply of at least 600 W to handle the GPU's thermal design power (TDP) of 250 W.

Benchmark Performance & Value

The GTX 980 Ti has the 101st best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 22.04% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 23,057 score and $649 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 35.53. This is the 74th 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.

InfoRadeon R9 290XGeForce GTX 980 Ti
ManufacturerAMDNVIDIA
ArchitectureGCN 2.0Maxwell 2.0
Market SegmentDesktopDesktop
Release DateQ4 2013Q2 2015
Launch Price (MSRP)$549$649
Production StatusEnd-of-lifeEnd-of-life
ShopCheck PriceCheck Price

Gaming Performance

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Select a game to compare FPS metrics

Display FPS for Borderlands 3
Borderlands 3
Display FPS for Call of Duty Modern Warfare (2019)
Call of Duty Modern Warfare (2019)
Display FPS for Control
Control
Display FPS for Dirt Rally 2.0
Dirt Rally 2.0
Display FPS for Apex Legends
Apex Legends
Display FPS for Just Cause 4
Just Cause 4
Display FPS for Darksiders III
Darksiders III

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
FPS data for Borderlands 3
Borderlands 3
Radeon R9 290XGeForce GTX 980 Ti
Low - 720p
--
--
Medium - 1080p
--
--
High - 1080p
--
--
Ultra - 1080p
--
53 FPS
QHD - 1440p
--
38 FPS
4K UHD - 2160p
--
20 FPS
FPS Source: Notebookcheck

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.

Choose Baseline GPU:Radeon R9 290X orGeForce GTX 980 Ti

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.

Choose Baseline GPU:Radeon R9 290X orGeForce GTX 980 Ti
GPUCost Per Frame
Radeon RX Vega 6421.32-34%
GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)21.36-34%
Radeon VII21.98-32%
GeForce RTX 2080 Ti22.2-31%
GeForce GTX 108022.6-30%
GeForce GTX 980 Ti32.13

Benchmark Performance

#
Performance
Radeon R9 290X
16,167.515% of 104,598
GeForce GTX 980 Ti43% better
23,05722% of 104,598

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti has 43% 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 GeForce GTX 980 Ti is ranked 101st with a score of 23,057.

Performance per dollar
Radeon R9 290X
29.4518% of 161.45
GeForce GTX 980 Ti21% better
35.5322% of 161.45

The GeForce GTX 980 Ti has 21% 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 GeForce GTX 980 Ti is ranked 74th with a performance per dollar of 35.53.

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.

Choose Baseline GPU:Radeon R9 290X or
GPUBenchmark Performance
GeForce GTX 107024,652+52%
Radeon RX 59023,362.5+45%
GeForce GTX 980 Ti23,057+43%
Radeon RX 6500 XT22,954+42%
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti22,891.5+42%
GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)17,401+8%
Radeon R9 Nano17,282+7%
Radeon R9 290X16,167.5
GeForce GTX 97016,033-1%
GeForce GTX 780 Ti15,619-3%

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.

Choose Baseline GPU:Radeon R9 290X or
GPUPerformance Per Dollar
Radeon R9 390X41.83+42%
Radeon R9 280X36.09+23%
GeForce GTX 980 Ti35.53+21%
GeForce GTX 98032.07+9%
GeForce GTX 76031.98+9%
Radeon R9 FURY31.95+9%
TITAN X (Pascal)30.02+2%
Radeon R9 290X29.45
GeForce GTX 660 Ti28.14-4%
Radeon R9 Nano26.63-10%

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
BenchmarkRadeon R9 290XGeForce GTX 980 Ti
3DMark Time Spy Graphics
4,003
5,058
(+26.36%)
3DMark Time Spy Score
4,114
5,026
(+22.17%)
3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics
73,987
98,958
(+33.75%)
3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics
11,717
16,961
(+44.76%)
3DMark 11 Performance Score
13,415
18,303
(+36.44%)
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit
142
--
PassMark G3D Mark
8,623
13,809
(+60.14%)
PassMark G2D Mark
765
861
(+12.55%)
Unigine Heaven 3.0 DirectX 11
140
--
Unigine Heaven 3.0 OpenGL
111
--
Benchmarks Source: Notebookcheck

Technical Specs

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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.

SpecRadeon R9 290XGeForce GTX 980 Ti
CodenameHawaiiGM200
ArchitectureGCN 2.0Maxwell 2.0
Process Size28 nm28 nm
Transistors6,200 million8,000 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.

SpecRadeon R9 290XGeForce GTX 980 Ti
Memory Size4 GB6 GB
Memory TypeGDDR5GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth320 Gb/s336.6 Gb/s
Memory Clock1,250 MHz1,753 MHz
Memory Interface512 bit384 bit
L1 Cache16 KB48 KB
L2 Cache1,024 KB3 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.

SpecRadeon R9 290XGeForce GTX 980 Ti
Slots2 slots2 slots
Bus InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
Thermal Design Power (TDP)290 W250 W
Suggested PSU600 W600 W
Power Connectors1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
OutputsDVI, HDMI 1.4a, DisplayPort 1.2DVI, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2

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.

SpecRadeon R9 290XGeForce GTX 980 Ti
Stream Processors (SP)2,816--
CUDA Cores--2,816
Compute Units (CU)44--
Texture Mapping Units (TMU)176176
Render Output Units (ROP)6496
Core Clock Speed1,000 MHz1,000 MHz
Core Clock Speed (Boost)--1,076 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.

SpecRadeon R9 290XGeForce GTX 980 Ti
Pixel Fill Rate64 GPixel/s103.3 GPixel/s
Texture Fill Rate176 GTexel/s189.4 GTexel/s
FP32 Performance5.63 TFLOPS6.06 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance704 GFLOPS189.4 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.

SpecRadeon R9 290XGeForce GTX 980 Ti
DirectX12 (12_0)12 (12_1)
OpenCL2.13.0
OpenGL4.64.6
Shader Model6.56.8

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* Performance rating, performance per dollar, and rankings are based on the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark and MSRP.