GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile vs Radeon R9 290
Aggregate performance score
We've compared Radeon R9 290 with GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile, including specs and performance data.
RTX 3050 A Mobile outperforms R9 290 by a considerable 43% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Contents
Primary details
GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.
| Place in the ranking | 301 | 224 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 6.89 | no data |
| Power efficiency | 5.35 | 46.83 |
| Architecture | GCN 2.0 (2013−2017) | Ampere (2020−2025) |
| GPU code name | Hawaii | GA106 |
| Market segment | Desktop | Laptop |
| Release date | 5 November 2013 (11 years ago) | 2024 (1 year ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $399 | no data |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
The higher the performance-to-price ratio, the better. We use the manufacturer's recommended prices for comparison.
Performance to price scatter graph
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 cores | 2560 | 1792 |
| Core clock speed | 947 MHz | 1065 MHz |
| Boost clock speed | no data | 1343 MHz |
| Number of transistors | 6,200 million | 12,000 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 28 nm | 8 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 275 Watt | 45 Watt |
| Texture fill rate | 151.5 | 75.21 |
| Floating-point processing power | 4.849 TFLOPS | 4.813 TFLOPS |
| ROPs | 64 | 32 |
| TMUs | 160 | 56 |
| Tensor Cores | no data | 56 |
| Ray Tracing Cores | no data | 14 |
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 size | no data | medium sized |
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x8 |
| Length | 275 mm | no data |
| Width | 2-slot | no data |
| Supplementary power connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | no data |
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 type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| Memory bus width | 512 Bit | 128 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 1250 MHz | 1500 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 320.0 GB/s | 192.0 GB/s |
| Shared memory | - | - |
| Resizable BAR | - | + |
Connectivity and outputs
This section shows the types and number of video connectors on each GPU. The data applies specifically to desktop reference models (for example, NVIDIA’s Founders Edition). OEM partners often modify both the number and types of ports. On notebook GPUs, video‐output options are determined by the laptop’s design rather than the graphics chip itself.
| Display Connectors | 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort | Portable Device Dependent |
| HDMI | + | - |
API and SDK compatibility
List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | 12 (12_0) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |
| Shader Model | 6.3 | 6.7 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| OpenCL | 2.0 | 3.0 |
| Vulkan | 1.2.131 | 1.3 |
| CUDA | - | 8.6 |
| DLSS | - | + |
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.
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.
Gaming performance
Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 19.31 | 27.65 |
| Chip lithography | 28 nm | 8 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 275 Watt | 45 Watt |
RTX 3050 A Mobile has a 43.2% higher aggregate performance score, a 250% more advanced lithography process, and 511.1% lower power consumption.
The GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon R9 290 in performance tests.
Be aware that Radeon R9 290 is a desktop graphics card while GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile is a notebook one.
Other comparisons
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