Radeon R9 290X vs RX Vega M GH

Place in the ranking	322	292
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	no data	4.86
Power efficiency	11.79	4.59
Architecture	GCN 4.0 (2016−2020)	GCN 2.0 (2013−2017)
GPU code name	Polaris 22	Hawaii
Market segment	Laptop	Desktop
Design	no data	reference
Release date	1 February 2018 (6 years ago)	24 October 2013 (11 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	no data	$549

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 cores	1536	2816
Core clock speed	1063 MHz	no data
Boost clock speed	1190 MHz	947 MHz
Number of transistors	5,000 million	6,200 million
Manufacturing process technology	14 nm	28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	100 Watt	250 Watt
Texture fill rate	114.2	176.0
Floating-point processing power	3.656 TFLOPS	5.632 TFLOPS
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	96	176

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	medium sized	no data
Bus support	no data	PCIe 3.0
Interface	IGP	PCIe 3.0 x16
Length	no data	275 mm
Width	no data	2-slot
Supplementary power connectors	no data	1 x 6-pin + 1 x 8-pin

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	HBM2	GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount	4 GB	4 GB
Memory bus width	1024 Bit	512 Bit
Memory clock speed	800 MHz	1250 MHz
Memory bandwidth	204.8 GB/s	320 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 Connectors	No outputs	2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort
Eyefinity	-	+
HDMI	-	+
DisplayPort support	-	+

Supported technologies

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

AppAcceleration	-	+
CrossFire	-	+
FreeSync	-	+
HD3D	-	+
LiquidVR	-	+
TressFX	-	+
TrueAudio	-	+
UVD	-	+
DDMA audio	no data	+

API compatibility

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

DirectX	12 (12_0)	DirectX® 12
Shader Model	6.4	6.3
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
OpenCL	2.0	2.0
Vulkan	1.2.131	+

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.

RX Vega M GH 17.09

R9 290X 19.31
+13%

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.

RX Vega M GH 6572

R9 290X 7425
+13%

3DMark 11 Performance GPU

3DMark 11 is an obsolete DirectX 11 benchmark by Futuremark. It used four tests based on two scenes, one being few submarines exploring the submerged wreck of a sunken ship, the other is an abandoned temple deep in the jungle. All the tests are heavy with volumetric lighting and tessellation, and despite being done in 1280x720 resolution, are relatively taxing. Discontinued in January 2020, 3DMark 11 is now superseded by Time Spy.

RX Vega M GH 14302

R9 290X 16168
+13%

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.

RX Vega M GH 10248

R9 290X 11717
+14.3%

3DMark Cloud Gate GPU

Cloud Gate is an outdated DirectX 11 feature level 10 benchmark that was used for home PCs and basic notebooks. It displays a few scenes of some weird space teleportation device launching spaceships into unknown, using fixed resolution of 1280x720. Just like Ice Storm benchmark, it has been discontinued in January 2020 and replaced by 3DMark Night Raid.

RX Vega M GH 59162

R9 290X 73987
+25.1%

3DMark Ice Storm GPU

Ice Storm Graphics is an obsolete benchmark, part of 3DMark suite. Ice Storm was used to measure entry level laptops and Windows-based tablets performance. It utilizes DirectX 11 feature level 9 to display a battle between two space fleets near a frozen planet in 1280x720 resolution. Discontinued in January 2020, it is now superseded by 3DMark Night Raid.

RX Vega M GH 357446
+7.7%

R9 290X 332042

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	58 −46.6%	85 +46.6%
1440p	44 −2.3%	45−50 +2.3%
4K	30 −73.3%	52 +73.3%

Cost per frame, $

1080p	no data	6.46
1440p	no data	12.20
4K	no data	10.56

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Counter-Strike 2	30−33 −13.3%	30−35 +13.3%
Cyberpunk 2077	39 +2.6%	35−40 −2.6%
Elden Ring	50−55 −15.1%	60−65 +15.1%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Battlefield 5	53 −15.1%	60−65 +15.1%
Counter-Strike 2	30−33 −13.3%	30−35 +13.3%
Cyberpunk 2077	15 −153%	35−40 +153%
Forza Horizon 4	85 +4.9%	80−85 −4.9%
Metro Exodus	55 +5.8%	50−55 −5.8%
Red Dead Redemption 2	39 −15.4%	45−50 +15.4%
Valorant	65−70 −13%	75−80 +13%

Full HD
High Preset

Battlefield 5	55−60 −10.9%	60−65 +10.9%
Counter-Strike 2	30−33 −13.3%	30−35 +13.3%
Cyberpunk 2077	12 −217%	35−40 +217%
Dota 2	76 +68.9%	45 −68.9%
Elden Ring	50−55 −15.1%	60−65 +15.1%
Far Cry 5	46 −41.3%	65−70 +41.3%
Fortnite	90−95 −10.8%	100−110 +10.8%
Forza Horizon 4	68 −19.1%	80−85 +19.1%
Grand Theft Auto V	60 −11.7%	67 +11.7%
Metro Exodus	38 −36.8%	50−55 +36.8%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	71 −84.5%	130−140 +84.5%
Red Dead Redemption 2	40−45 −9.8%	45−50 +9.8%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	50−55 −13.2%	60−65 +13.2%
Valorant	41 −90.2%	75−80 +90.2%
World of Tanks	210−220 −32.7%	280 +32.7%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	41 −48.8%	60−65 +48.8%
Counter-Strike 2	30−33 −13.3%	30−35 +13.3%
Cyberpunk 2077	12 −217%	35−40 +217%
Dota 2	95 −43.2%	136 +43.2%
Far Cry 5	63 −3.2%	65−70 +3.2%
Forza Horizon 4	57 −42.1%	80−85 +42.1%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	47 −179%	130−140 +179%
Valorant	65−70 −13%	75−80 +13%

1440p
High Preset

Dota 2	24−27 −15.4%	30−33 +15.4%
Elden Ring	27−30 −18.5%	30−35 +18.5%
Grand Theft Auto V	24−27 −19.2%	30−35 +19.2%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	150−160 −6.3%	160−170 +6.3%
Red Dead Redemption 2	14−16 −13.3%	16−18 +13.3%
World of Tanks	110−120 −11.9%	130−140 +11.9%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	35−40 −11.4%	35−40 +11.4%
Counter-Strike 2	14−16 −14.3%	16−18 +14.3%
Cyberpunk 2077	2 −650%	14−16 +650%
Far Cry 5	42 −21.4%	50−55 +21.4%
Forza Horizon 4	40−45 −14%	45−50 +14%
Metro Exodus	35−40 −15.8%	40−45 +15.8%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	21−24 −18.2%	24−27 +18.2%
Valorant	40−45 −16.3%	50−55 +16.3%

4K
High Preset

Counter-Strike 2	12−14 −23.1%	16−18 +23.1%
Dota 2	27−30 −79.3%	52 +79.3%
Elden Ring	12−14 −16.7%	14−16 +16.7%
Grand Theft Auto V	27−30 −79.3%	52 +79.3%
Metro Exodus	11 −27.3%	14−16 +27.3%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	49 −18.4%	55−60 +18.4%
Red Dead Redemption 2	10−12 −9.1%	12−14 +9.1%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	27−30 −79.3%	52 +79.3%

4K
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	14 −35.7%	18−20 +35.7%
Counter-Strike 2	12−14 −23.1%	16−18 +23.1%
Cyberpunk 2077	5−6 −20%	6−7 +20%
Dota 2	27−30 −190%	84 +190%
Far Cry 5	21 −19%	24−27 +19%
Fortnite	20−22 −15%	21−24 +15%
Forza Horizon 4	24−27 −12%	27−30 +12%
Valorant	18−20 −21.1%	21−24 +21.1%

This is how RX Vega M GH and R9 290X compete in popular games:

R9 290X is 47% faster in 1080p
R9 290X is 2% faster in 1440p
R9 290X is 73% faster in 4K

Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:

in Dota 2, with 1080p resolution and the High Preset, the RX Vega M GH is 69% faster.
in Cyberpunk 2077, with 1440p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the R9 290X is 650% faster.

All in all, in popular games: