AMD Radeon R9 M290X vs AMD Radeon HD 7970M
The Radeon R9 M290X has 21% better performance than the Radeon HD 7970M for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
We do not have any performance per dollar data for the Radeon R9 M290X and the Radeon HD 7970M for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
Summary
About the AMD Radeon R9 M290X GPU
The Radeon R9 M290X is an end-of-life mobile graphics card by AMD. It launched in Q1 2014. Its Neptune chip that powers the GPU uses the GCN 1.0 architecture and is fabricated on the 28 nm process.
This GPU is paired with 4 GB of GDDR5 VRAM. Its 1,200 MHz memory clock and 256 bit interface gives it a bandwidth of 153.6 Gb/s. This impacts how much data it can store, and how fast it transfers the data to and from memory.
This mobile card has a TDP of 100 W.
The Radeon R9 M290X has the 218th highest 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 540 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 6.50% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090.
About the AMD Radeon HD 7970M GPU
The Radeon HD 7970M is an end-of-life mobile graphics card by AMD. It launched in Q2 2012. Its Wimbledon chip that powers the GPU uses the GCN 1.0 architecture and is fabricated on the 28 nm process.
This GPU is paired with 2 GB of GDDR5 VRAM. Its 1,200 MHz memory clock and 256 bit interface gives it a bandwidth of 153.6 Gb/s. This impacts how much data it can store, and how fast it transfers the data to and from memory.
This mobile card has a TDP of 100 W.
The Radeon HD 7970M has the 229th highest 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 540 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 5.38% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090.
General Info
General overview of the GPU, including details like its manufacturer, release date, launch price, and current production status.
| Info | Radeon R9 M290X | Radeon HD 7970M |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | AMD | AMD |
| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | GCN 1.0 |
| Market Segment | Mobile | Mobile |
| Release Date | Q1 2014 | Q2 2012 |
| Production Status | End-of-life | End-of-life |
| 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
BioShock Infinite | Radeon R9 M290X | Radeon HD 7970M |
|---|---|---|
| Low - 720p | 165 FPS | 168 FPS(+2.13%) |
| Medium - 768p | 140 FPS(+15.51%) | 121 FPS |
| High - 768p | 125 FPS(+6.95%) | 117 FPS |
| Ultra - 1080p | 47 FPS(+7.09%) | 44 FPS |
| QHD - 1440p | -- | -- |
| 4K UHD - 2160p | -- | -- |
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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Radeon Pro 560X | 48.8 | +4% |
| Quadro M2000M | 47 | +0% |
| GeForce GTX 780M | 47 | +0% |
| Radeon R9 M290X | 46.8 | |
| GeForce GTX 680M | 46 | -2% |
| Radeon HD 8970M | 45 | -4% |
| GeForce GTX 960M | 44 | -6% |
| Radeon HD 7970M | 43.7 | -7% |
| GeForce GTX 860M | 43 | -8% |
| GeForce MX350 | 43 | -8% |
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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Our database does not have enough data to compare the FPS per dollar with other GPUs. | ||
Benchmark Performance
The Radeon R9 M290X has 21% better performance than the Radeon HD 7970M for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
The Radeon R9 M290X is ranked 218th with a score of 6,817, and the Radeon HD 7970M is ranked 229th with a score of 5,645.
We do not have any performance per dollar data for the Radeon R9 M290X and the Radeon HD 7970M for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Radeon R9 M390 (Mac Edition) | 6,819 | +0% |
| Radeon HD 8970M | 6,818 | +0% |
| Radeon R9 M290X | 6,817 | |
| Radeon Pro 460 | 6,749 | -1% |
| GeForce GTX 680MX (Mac Edition) | 6,736 | -1% |
| GeForce GTX 775M (Mac Edition) | 6,071 | -11% |
| GeForce GTX 680M | 5,897.5 | -13% |
| Radeon HD 7970M | 5,645 | -17% |
| Radeon HD 6970M X2 | 5,541.5 | -19% |
| Radeon R9 M385X | 5,514.5 | -19% |
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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Our database does not have enough data to compare the benchmark performance per dollar with other GPUs. | |||
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 M290X | Radeon HD 7970M |
|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics | 33,147 (+4.01%) | 31,869 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics | 5,294 (+12.78%) | 4,694 |
| 3DMark 11 Performance Score | 6,859 (+16.12%) | 5,907 |
| PassMark G3D Mark | 3,263 | 3,529 (+8.15%) |
| PassMark G2D Mark | 422 | 502 (+18.96%) |
| Unigine Heaven 3.0 DirectX 11 | 62 (+7.45%) | 57.7 |
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 M290X | Radeon HD 7970M |
|---|---|---|
| Codename | Neptune | Wimbledon |
| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | GCN 1.0 |
| Process Size | 28 nm | 28 nm |
| Transistors | 2,800 million | 2,800 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 M290X | Radeon HD 7970M |
|---|---|---|
| Memory Size | 4 GB | 2 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 153.6 Gb/s | 153.6 Gb/s |
| Memory Clock | 1,200 MHz | 1,200 MHz |
| Memory Interface | 256 bit | 256 bit |
| L1 Cache | 16 KB | 16 KB |
| L2 Cache | 512 KB | 512 KB |
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 M290X | Radeon HD 7970M |
|---|---|---|
| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | MXM-B (3.0) |
| Thermal Design Power (TDP) | 100 W | 100 W |
| Outputs | Device Dependent | Device Dependent |
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 M290X | Radeon HD 7970M |
|---|---|---|
| Stream Processors (SP) | 1,280 | 1,280 |
| Compute Units (CU) | 20 | 20 |
| Texture Mapping Units (TMU) | 80 | 80 |
| Render Output Units (ROP) | 32 | 32 |
| Core Clock Speed | 850 MHz | 850 MHz |
| Core Clock Speed (Boost) | 900 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 M290X | Radeon HD 7970M |
|---|---|---|
| Pixel Fill Rate | 28.8 GPixel/s | 27.2 GPixel/s |
| Texture Fill Rate | 72 GTexel/s | 68 GTexel/s |
| FP32 Performance | 2.3 TFLOPS | 2.18 TFLOPS |
| FP64 Performance | 144 GFLOPS | 136 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 M290X | Radeon HD 7970M |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 (11_1) | 12 (11_1) |
| OpenCL | 2.1 (1.2) | 2.1 (1.2) |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Shader Model | 6.5 (5.1) | 6.5 (5.1) |
Check out these comparisons for similar GPUs:
Looking for alternatives? Check out these similar GPUs:
* Performance rating, performance per dollar, and rankings are based on the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark and MSRP.