Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB vs R9 290
Aggregate performance score
We've compared Radeon R9 290 and Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.
9060 XT 16GB outperforms R9 290 by a whopping 202% 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 | 317 | 48 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 6.93 | no data |
| Power efficiency | 5.38 | no data |
| Architecture | GCN 2.0 (2013−2017) | RDNA 4 (2025) |
| GPU code name | Hawaii | no data |
| Market segment | Desktop | Desktop |
| Release date | 5 November 2013 (12 years ago) | 2 January 2025 (less than a year ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $399 | no data |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
The higher the ratio, the better. We use the manufacturer's recommended prices.
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 | 2048 |
| Core clock speed | 947 MHz | no data |
| Boost clock speed | no data | 2530 MHz |
| Number of transistors | 6,200 million | no data |
| Manufacturing process technology | 28 nm | 4 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 275 Watt | no data |
| Texture fill rate | 151.5 | no data |
| Floating-point processing power | 4.849 TFLOPS | no data |
| ROPs | 64 | no data |
| TMUs | 160 | no data |
| L1 Cache | 640 KB | no data |
| L2 Cache | 1024 KB | no data |
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).
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | no data |
| 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 | 16 GB |
| Memory bus width | 512 Bit | 128 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 1250 MHz | no data |
| Memory bandwidth | 320.0 GB/s | no data |
| 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 | no data |
| HDMI | + | - |
API and SDK support
List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | 12 (12_0) | no data |
| Shader Model | 6.3 | no data |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | no data |
| OpenCL | 2.0 | no data |
| Vulkan | 1.2.131 | - |
Synthetic benchmarks
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.
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.
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 HD | 55−60
−211%
| 171
+211%
|
| 1440p | 24−27
−225%
| 78
+225%
|
| 4K | 14−16
−243%
| 48
+243%
|
Cost per frame, $
| 1080p | 7.25 | no data |
| 1440p | 16.63 | no data |
| 4K | 28.50 | no data |
FPS performance in popular games
Full HD
Low
| Counter-Strike 2 | 290−300
+0%
|
290−300
+0%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 140−150
+0%
|
140−150
+0%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 203
+0%
|
203
+0%
|
Full HD
Medium
| Battlefield 5 | 160−170
+0%
|
160−170
+0%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 290−300
+0%
|
290−300
+0%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 140−150
+0%
|
140−150
+0%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 270
+0%
|
270
+0%
|
| Fortnite | 270−280
+0%
|
270−280
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 220−230
+0%
|
220−230
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 5 | 170−180
+0%
|
170−180
+0%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 157
+0%
|
157
+0%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 170−180
+0%
|
170−180
+0%
|
| Valorant | 300−350
+0%
|
300−350
+0%
|
Full HD
High
| Battlefield 5 | 160−170
+0%
|
160−170
+0%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 290−300
+0%
|
290−300
+0%
|
| Counter-Strike: Global Offensive | 270−280
+0%
|
270−280
+0%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 140−150
+0%
|
140−150
+0%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 248
+0%
|
248
+0%
|
| Fortnite | 270−280
+0%
|
270−280
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 220−230
+0%
|
220−230
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 5 | 170−180
+0%
|
170−180
+0%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 154
+0%
|
154
+0%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 119
+0%
|
119
+0%
|
| Metro Exodus | 140−150
+0%
|
140−150
+0%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 170−180
+0%
|
170−180
+0%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 273
+0%
|
273
+0%
|
| Valorant | 300−350
+0%
|
300−350
+0%
|
Full HD
Ultra
| Battlefield 5 | 160−170
+0%
|
160−170
+0%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 140−150
+0%
|
140−150
+0%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 233
+0%
|
233
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 220−230
+0%
|
220−230
+0%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 91
+0%
|
91
+0%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 170−180
+0%
|
170−180
+0%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 146
+0%
|
146
+0%
|
Full HD
Epic
| Fortnite | 270−280
+0%
|
270−280
+0%
|
1440p
High
| Counter-Strike 2 | 170−180
+0%
|
170−180
+0%
|
| Counter-Strike: Global Offensive | 400−450
+0%
|
400−450
+0%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 83
+0%
|
83
+0%
|
| Metro Exodus | 95−100
+0%
|
95−100
+0%
|
| Valorant | 350−400
+0%
|
350−400
+0%
|
1440p
Ultra
| Battlefield 5 | 140−150
+0%
|
140−150
+0%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 80−85
+0%
|
80−85
+0%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 160
+0%
|
160
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 190−200
+0%
|
190−200
+0%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 68
+0%
|
68
+0%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 102
+0%
|
102
+0%
|
1440p
Epic
| Fortnite | 150−160
+0%
|
150−160
+0%
|
4K
High
| Counter-Strike 2 | 75−80
+0%
|
75−80
+0%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 91
+0%
|
91
+0%
|
| Metro Exodus | 60−65
+0%
|
60−65
+0%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 84
+0%
|
84
+0%
|
| Valorant | 300−350
+0%
|
300−350
+0%
|
4K
Ultra
| Battlefield 5 | 100−110
+0%
|
100−110
+0%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 35−40
+0%
|
35−40
+0%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 80
+0%
|
80
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 140−150
+0%
|
140−150
+0%
|
| Hogwarts Legacy | 36
+0%
|
36
+0%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 95−100
+0%
|
95−100
+0%
|
4K
Epic
| Fortnite | 75−80
+0%
|
75−80
+0%
|
This is how R9 290 and RX 9060 XT 16GB compete in popular games:
- RX 9060 XT 16GB is 211% faster in 1080p
- RX 9060 XT 16GB is 225% faster in 1440p
- RX 9060 XT 16GB is 243% faster in 4K
All in all, in popular games:
- there's a draw in 59 tests (100%)
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 19.12 | 57.65 |
| Recency | 5 November 2013 | 2 January 2025 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 4 GB | 16 GB |
| Chip lithography | 28 nm | 4 nm |
RX 9060 XT 16GB has a 201.5% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 11 years, a 300% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 600% more advanced lithography process.
The Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon R9 290 in performance tests.
Other comparisons
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