NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 vs AMD Radeon R9 290X
The Radeon R9 290X has 50% better performance than the GeForce GTX 960 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
The GeForce GTX 960 has 84% better value for the money than the Radeon R9 290X for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
Summary
About the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 GPU
The GeForce GTX 960 is an end-of-life desktop graphics card by NVIDIA. It launched in Q1 2015 with a suggested retail price of $199. Its GM206 chip that powers the GPU uses the Maxwell 2.0 architecture and is fabricated on the 28 nm process.
Memory
This GPU is paired with 2 GB of GDDR5 VRAM. Its 1,753 MHz memory clock and 128 bit interface gives it a bandwidth of 112.2 Gb/s. This impacts how much data it can store, and how fast it transfers the data to and from memory.
Compatibility
The GTX 960 is a dual slot graphics card, taking up 2 PCIe slots. It supports DVI, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2 display ports. This desktop card has a TDP of 120 W. NVIDIA recommends using a power supply of at least 300 W with this card. A power supply lower than this might result in system crashes and potentially damage your hardware.
Benchmark Performance & Value
The GeForce GTX 960 has the 168th highest 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 540 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 10.26% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 10,767.5 score and $199 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 54.11. This is the 61st best in value for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
About the AMD Radeon R9 290X GPU
The Radeon R9 290X is an end-of-life desktop graphics card by AMD. It launched in Q4 2013 with a suggested retail price of $549. Its Hawaii chip that powers the GPU uses the GCN 2.0 architecture and is fabricated on the 28 nm process.
Memory
This GPU is paired with 4 GB of GDDR5 VRAM. Its 1,250 MHz memory clock and 512 bit interface gives it a bandwidth of 320 Gb/s. This impacts how much data it can store, and how fast it transfers the data to and from memory.
Compatibility
The R9 290X is a dual slot graphics card, taking up 2 PCIe slots. It supports DVI, HDMI 1.4a, DisplayPort 1.2 display ports. This desktop card has a TDP of 290 W. AMD recommends using a power supply of at least 600 W with this card. A power supply lower than this might result in system crashes and potentially damage your hardware.
Benchmark Performance & Value
The Radeon R9 290X has the 135th highest 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 540 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 15.41% 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 78th 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 | GeForce GTX 960 | Radeon R9 290X |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | NVIDIA | AMD |
| Architecture | Maxwell 2.0 | GCN 2.0 |
| Market Segment | Desktop | Desktop |
| Release Date | Q1 2015 | Q4 2013 |
| Launch Price (MSRP) | $199 | $549 |
| 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
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided | GeForce GTX 960 | Radeon R9 290X |
|---|---|---|
| Low - 720p | -- | -- |
| Medium - 768p | -- | -- |
| High - 1080p | -- | 61 FPS |
| Ultra - 1080p | -- | 33 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 RX Vega 56 | 49.4 | +49% |
| GeForce GTX 980 Ti | 41.2 | +24% |
| Radeon RX 590 | 38.7 | +17% |
| Radeon R9 FURY | 35.6 | +8% |
| Radeon RX 480 | 33.4 | +1% |
| Radeon R9 290X | 33.1 | |
| GeForce GTX 980 | 32.4 | -2% |
| Radeon RX 570 | 32 | -3% |
| GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) | 31 | -6% |
| Radeon RX 470 | 30 | -9% |
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 | |
|---|---|---|
| GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) | 9.65 | -42% |
| Radeon VII | 9.99 | -40% |
| GeForce GTX 970 | 11.71 | -29% |
| Radeon R9 FURY | 15.42 | -7% |
| GeForce GTX 980 Ti | 15.75 | -5% |
| Radeon R9 290X | 16.59 | |
| GeForce GTX 980 | 16.94 | +2% |
| GeForce GTX 680 | 56.07 | +238% |
Benchmark Performance
The Radeon R9 290X has 50% better performance than the GeForce GTX 960 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
The GeForce GTX 960 is ranked 168th with a score of 10,767.5, and the Radeon R9 290X is ranked 135th with a score of 16,167.5.
The GeForce GTX 960 has 84% better value for the money than the Radeon R9 290X for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
The GeForce GTX 960 is ranked 61st with a performance per dollar of 54.11, and the Radeon R9 290X is ranked 78th with a performance per dollar of 29.45.
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 GTX 1060 (6 GB) | 17,401 | +62% |
| Radeon R9 Nano | 17,282 | +61% |
| Radeon R9 290X | 16,167.5 | +50% |
| GeForce GTX 970 | 16,033 | +49% |
| GeForce GTX 780 Ti | 15,619 | +45% |
| Radeon R9 380 | 12,191 | +13% |
| Radeon R9 280X | 10,792 | +0% |
| GeForce GTX 960 | 10,767.5 | |
| GeForce GTX 680 | 10,216.5 | -5% |
| GeForce GTX 1050 Ti | 9,453 | -12% |
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 GTX 1060 (6 GB) | 58.2 | +8% |
| Radeon R7 370 | 57.17 | +6% |
| GeForce GTX 960 | 54.11 | |
| GeForce GTX 950 | 52.52 | -3% |
| GeForce GTX 970 | 48.73 | -10% |
| GeForce GTX 760 | 31.98 | -41% |
| Radeon R9 FURY | 31.95 | -41% |
| Radeon R9 290X | 29.45 | -46% |
| GeForce GTX 660 Ti | 28.14 | -48% |
| Radeon R9 Nano | 26.63 | -51% |
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 | GeForce GTX 960 | Radeon R9 290X |
|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy Graphics | -- | 4,003 |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | -- | 4,114 |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics | 49,917.5 | 73,987 (+48.22%) |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics | 7,915.5 | 11,717 (+48.03%) |
| 3DMark 11 Performance Score | 9,875.5 | 13,415 (+35.84%) |
| Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit | 120 | 142 (+18.33%) |
| PassMark G3D Mark | 6,073 | 8,638 (+42.24%) |
| PassMark G2D Mark | 671 | 767 (+14.31%) |
| 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 | GeForce GTX 960 | Radeon R9 290X |
|---|---|---|
| Codename | GM206 | Hawaii |
| Architecture | Maxwell 2.0 | GCN 2.0 |
| Process Size | 28 nm | 28 nm |
| Transistors | 2,940 million | 6,200 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.
| Spec | GeForce GTX 960 | Radeon R9 290X |
|---|---|---|
| Memory Size | 2 GB | 4 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 112.2 Gb/s | 320 Gb/s |
| Memory Clock | 1,753 MHz | 1,250 MHz |
| Memory Interface | 128 bit | 512 bit |
| L1 Cache | 48 KB | 16 KB |
| L2 Cache | 1,024 KB | 1,024 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.
| Spec | GeForce GTX 960 | Radeon R9 290X |
|---|---|---|
| Slots | 2 slots | 2 slots |
| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| Thermal Design Power (TDP) | 120 W | 290 W |
| Suggested PSU | 300 W | 600 W |
| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin |
| Outputs | DVI, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2 | DVI, 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.
| Spec | GeForce GTX 960 | Radeon R9 290X |
|---|---|---|
| Stream Processors (SP) | -- | 2,816 |
| CUDA Cores | 1,024 | -- |
| Compute Units (CU) | -- | 44 |
| Texture Mapping Units (TMU) | 64 | 176 |
| Render Output Units (ROP) | 32 | 64 |
| Core Clock Speed | 1,127 MHz | 1,000 MHz |
| Core Clock Speed (Boost) | 1,178 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 | GeForce GTX 960 | Radeon R9 290X |
|---|---|---|
| Pixel Fill Rate | 37.7 GPixel/s | 64 GPixel/s |
| Texture Fill Rate | 75.39 GTexel/s | 176 GTexel/s |
| FP32 Performance | 2.41 TFLOPS | 5.63 TFLOPS |
| FP64 Performance | 75.39 GFLOPS | 704 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 | GeForce GTX 960 | Radeon R9 290X |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 (12_1) | 12 (12_0) |
| OpenCL | 3.0 | 2.1 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Shader Model | 6.7 | 6.5 |
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* Performance rating, performance per dollar, and rankings are based on the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark and MSRP.