Radeon R9 M290X vs R7 260X

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Aggregate performance score

We've compared Radeon R7 260X with Radeon R9 M290X, including specs and performance data.

R7 260X
2013
4 GB GDDR5, 115 Watt
8.31

R9 M290X outperforms R7 260X by a minimal 3% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.

Place in the ranking507501
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation3.55no data
Power efficiency4.975.88
ArchitectureGCN 2.0 (2013−2017)GCN 1.0 (2011−2020)
GPU code nameBonaireNeptune
Market segmentDesktopLaptop
Designreferenceno data
Release date8 October 2013 (11 years ago)9 January 2014 (11 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$139 no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

no data

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores8961280
Compute unitsno data20
Core clock speedno data850 MHz
Boost clock speed1000 MHz900 MHz
Number of transistors2,080 million2,800 million
Manufacturing process technology28 nm28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)115 Watt100 Watt
Texture fill rate61.6072.00
Floating-point processing power1.971 TFLOPS2.304 TFLOPS
ROPs1632
TMUs5680

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

Laptop sizeno datalarge
Bus supportPCIe 3.0PCIe 3.0 x16
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
Length170 mmno data
Width2-slotno data
Supplementary power connectors1 x 6-pinNone

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory typeGDDR5GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount4 GB4 GB
Memory bus width128 Bit256 Bit
Memory clock speedno data1200 MHz
Memory bandwidth104 GB/s153.6 GB/s
Shared memory--

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display Connectors2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPortNo outputs
Eyefinity++
HDMI+-

Supported technologies

Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.

FreeSync++
HD3D-+
PowerTune-+
DualGraphics-+
ZeroCore-+
Switchable graphics-+
DDMA audio+no data

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectXDirectX® 12DirectX® 11
Shader Model6.35.1
OpenGL4.64.4
OpenCL2.0Not Listed
Mantle-+

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

R7 260X 8.31
R9 M290X 8.54
+2.8%

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

R7 260X 3194
R9 M290X 3282
+2.8%

3DMark Fire Strike Graphics

Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.

R7 260X 4380
R9 M290X 5294
+20.9%

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

Full HD40−45
−15%
46
+15%

Cost per frame, $

1080p3.48no data

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Counter-Strike 2 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Elden Ring 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Battlefield 5 27−30
+0%
27−30
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%
Metro Exodus 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%
Valorant 30−33
+0%
30−33
+0%

Full HD
High Preset

Battlefield 5 27−30
+0%
27−30
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Dota 2 30−33
+0%
30−33
+0%
Elden Ring 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
Far Cry 5 35−40
+0%
35−40
+0%
Fortnite 50−55
+0%
50−55
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%
Grand Theft Auto V 30−33
+0%
30−33
+0%
Metro Exodus 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 65−70
+0%
65−70
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 35
+0%
35
+0%
Valorant 30−33
+0%
30−33
+0%
World of Tanks 120−130
+0%
120−130
+0%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 27−30
+0%
27−30
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Dota 2 30−33
+0%
30−33
+0%
Far Cry 5 35−40
+0%
35−40
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 30−35
+0%
30−35
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 65−70
+0%
65−70
+0%
Valorant 30−33
+0%
30−33
+0%

1440p
High Preset

Dota 2 10−11
+0%
10−11
+0%
Elden Ring 10−12
+0%
10−12
+0%
Grand Theft Auto V 10−11
+0%
10−11
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 40−45
+0%
40−45
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 7−8
+0%
7−8
+0%
World of Tanks 60−65
+0%
60−65
+0%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 10−11
+0%
10−11
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 6−7
+0%
6−7
+0%
Far Cry 5 18−20
+0%
18−20
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Metro Exodus 14−16
+0%
14−16
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 10−11
+0%
10−11
+0%
Valorant 21−24
+0%
21−24
+0%

4K
High Preset

Counter-Strike 2 3−4
+0%
3−4
+0%
Dota 2 18−20
+0%
18−20
+0%
Elden Ring 5−6
+0%
5−6
+0%
Grand Theft Auto V 18−20
+0%
18−20
+0%
Metro Exodus 4−5
+0%
4−5
+0%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 24−27
+0%
24−27
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 5−6
+0%
5−6
+0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 18−20
+0%
18−20
+0%

4K
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 7−8
+0%
7−8
+0%
Counter-Strike 2 3−4
+0%
3−4
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 2−3
+0%
2−3
+0%
Dota 2 18−20
+0%
18−20
+0%
Far Cry 5 10−11
+0%
10−11
+0%
Fortnite 9−10
+0%
9−10
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 10−11
+0%
10−11
+0%
Valorant 8−9
+0%
8−9
+0%

This is how R7 260X and R9 M290X compete in popular games:

  • R9 M290X is 15% faster in 1080p

All in all, in popular games:

  • there's a draw in 63 tests (100%)

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 8.31 8.54
Recency 8 October 2013 9 January 2014
Power consumption (TDP) 115 Watt 100 Watt

R9 M290X has a 2.8% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 3 months, and 15% lower power consumption.

Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between Radeon R7 260X and Radeon R9 M290X.

Be aware that Radeon R7 260X is a desktop card while Radeon R9 M290X is a notebook one.


Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

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AMD Radeon R7 260X
Radeon R7 260X
AMD Radeon R9 M290X
Radeon R9 M290X

Other comparisons

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Community ratings

Here you can see the user ratings of the compared graphics cards, as well as rate them yourself.


3.8 395 votes

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3.2 12 votes

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Questions & comments

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