NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M vs AMD Radeon R9 290X

VS
Performance
GeForce GTX 870M
7,1567% of 104,598
Radeon R9 290X126% better
16,167.515% of 104,598

The Radeon R9 290X has 126% better performance than the GeForce GTX 870M for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

Performance per dollar
GeForce GTX 870M
No data available
Radeon R9 290X
29.4518% of 161.45

The Radeon R9 290X has 18% of the performance per dollar compared to the leader for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark: AMD Radeon RX 7600.

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Summary

#

About the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M GPU

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M is an end-of-life mobile graphics card that released in Q1 2014. It is built on the Kepler GPU microarchitecture (codename GK104) and is manufactured on a 28 nm process.

Memory

The GTX 870M has 3 GB of GDDR5 memory, with a 1,250 MHz memory clock and a 192 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 120 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 870M includes 1,344 CUDA cores, the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 941 MHz and can dynamically boost its clock speed up to 967 MHz. Complementing the processing units are 112 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 24 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing.

Compatibility & Power Consumption

The GPU has a thermal design power (TDP) of 100 W. A power supply not strong enough to handle this might result in system crashes and potentially damage your hardware.

Benchmark Performance

The GTX 870M has the 216th best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 6.84% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090.

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.

General Info

General overview of the GPU, including details like its manufacturer, release date, launch price, and current production status.

InfoGeForce GTX 870MRadeon R9 290X
ManufacturerNVIDIAAMD
ArchitectureKeplerGCN 2.0
Market SegmentMobileDesktop
Release DateQ1 2014Q4 2013
Launch Price (MSRP)--$549
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 Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Display FPS for Rise of the Tomb Raider
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Display FPS for Dota 2 - Reborn
Dota 2 - Reborn
Display FPS for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3
Display FPS for Grand Theft Auto V
GTA V
Display FPS for BioShock Infinite
BioShock Infinite
Display FPS for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
CS: GO

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 Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
GeForce GTX 870MRadeon R9 290X
Low - 720p
51 FPS
--
Medium - 768p
34 FPS
--
High - 1080p
20 FPS
61 FPS(+209.09%)
Ultra - 1080p
9 FPS
33 FPS(+255.91%)
QHD - 1440p
--
--
4K UHD - 2160p
--
--
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:GeForce GTX 870M or
GPUFrames Per Second
Radeon R9 FURY35.6+283%
Radeon RX 48033.4+259%
Radeon R9 290X33.1+256%
GeForce GTX 98032.4+248%
Radeon RX 57032+244%
GeForce GTX 880M11.7+26%
GeForce GTX 960M10+8%
GeForce GTX 870M9.3
Radeon RX 540 Mobile9-3%
Radeon Pro 4558.9-4%

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:GeForce GTX 870M orRadeon R9 290X
GPUCost Per Frame
GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)9.65-42%
Radeon VII9.99-40%
GeForce GTX 97011.71-29%
Radeon R9 FURY15.42-7%
GeForce GTX 980 Ti15.75-5%
Radeon R9 290X16.59
GeForce GTX 98016.94+2%
GeForce GTX 68056.07+238%

Benchmark Performance

#
Performance
GeForce GTX 870M
7,1567% of 104,598
Radeon R9 290X126% better
16,167.515% of 104,598

The Radeon R9 290X has 126% better performance than the GeForce GTX 870M for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The GeForce GTX 870M is ranked 216th with a score of 7,156, and the Radeon R9 290X is ranked 137th with a score of 16,167.5.

Performance per dollar
GeForce GTX 870M
No data available
Radeon R9 290X
29.4518% of 161.45

The Radeon R9 290X has 45% of the performance per dollar compared to the leader for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090.

Radeon R9 290X's 29.45 performance per dollar ranks it 0th among the other benchmarked GPUs in our database.

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:GeForce GTX 870M or
GPUBenchmark Performance
GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)17,401+143%
Radeon R9 Nano17,282+142%
Radeon R9 290X16,167.5+126%
GeForce GTX 97016,033+124%
GeForce GTX 780 Ti15,619+118%
Quadro M22007,372+3%
GeForce GTX 965M7,322+2%
GeForce GTX 870M7,156
GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q7,153.5-0%
Quadro K5100M6,880-4%

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:GeForce GTX 870M orRadeon R9 290X
GPUPerformance Per Dollar
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%
Radeon R9 290X29.45
GeForce GTX 660 Ti28.14-4%
Radeon R9 Nano26.63-10%
GeForce GTX 780 Ti22.34-24%
GeForce GTX 68020.47-30%

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
BenchmarkGeForce GTX 870MRadeon R9 290X
3DMark Time Spy Graphics
--
4,003
3DMark Time Spy Score
--
4,114
3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics
31,322
73,987
(+136.21%)
3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics
4,694
11,717
(+149.62%)
3DMark 11 Performance Score
7,120
13,415
(+88.41%)
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit
93.8
142
(+51.39%)
PassMark G3D Mark
3,450
8,623
(+149.94%)
PassMark G2D Mark
275
765
(+178.18%)
Unigine Heaven 3.0 DirectX 11
64.7
140
(+116.38%)
Unigine Heaven 3.0 OpenGL
--
111
Benchmarks Source: Notebookcheck

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.

SpecGeForce GTX 870MRadeon R9 290X
CodenameGK104Hawaii
ArchitectureKeplerGCN 2.0
Process Size28 nm28 nm
Transistors3,540 million6,200 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.

SpecGeForce GTX 870MRadeon R9 290X
Memory Size3 GB4 GB
Memory TypeGDDR5GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth120 Gb/s320 Gb/s
Memory Clock1,250 MHz1,250 MHz
Memory Interface192 bit512 bit
L1 Cache16 KB16 KB
L2 Cache384 KB1,024 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.

SpecGeForce GTX 870MRadeon R9 290X
Slots--2 slots
Bus InterfaceMXM-B (3.0)PCIe 3.0 x16
Thermal Design Power (TDP)100 W290 W
Suggested PSU--600 W
Power Connectors--1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
OutputsDevice DependentDVI, HDMI 1.4a, 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.

SpecGeForce GTX 870MRadeon R9 290X
Stream Processors (SP)--2,816
CUDA Cores1,344--
Compute Units (CU)--44
Stream Multiprocessors (SM)7--
Texture Mapping Units (TMU)112176
Render Output Units (ROP)2464
Core Clock Speed941 MHz1,000 MHz
Core Clock Speed (Boost)967 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.

SpecGeForce GTX 870MRadeon R9 290X
Pixel Fill Rate27.08 GPixel/s64 GPixel/s
Texture Fill Rate108.3 GTexel/s176 GTexel/s
FP32 Performance2.6 TFLOPS5.63 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance108.3 GFLOPS704 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.

SpecGeForce GTX 870MRadeon R9 290X
DirectX12 (11_0)12 (12_0)
OpenCL3.02.1
OpenGL4.64.6
Shader Model6.5 (5.1)6.5

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