GeForce RTX 5090 vs Radeon R9 290
Aggregate performance score
We've compared Radeon R9 290 and GeForce RTX 5090, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.
RTX 5090 outperforms R9 290 by a whopping 395% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.
| Place in the ranking | 271 | 1 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | 59 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 7.74 | 11.23 |
| Power efficiency | 5.26 | 12.46 |
| Architecture | GCN 2.0 (2013−2017) | Blackwell 2.0 (2025) |
| GPU code name | Hawaii | GB202 |
| Market segment | Desktop | Desktop |
| Release date | 5 November 2013 (11 years ago) | 30 January 2025 (recently) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $399 | $1,999 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
The higher the performance-to-price ratio, the better. We use the manufacturer's recommended prices for comparison.
RTX 5090 has 45% better value for money than R9 290.
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 | 21760 |
| Core clock speed | 947 MHz | 2017 MHz |
| Boost clock speed | no data | 2407 MHz |
| Number of transistors | 6,200 million | 92,200 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 28 nm | 5 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 275 Watt | 575 Watt |
| Texture fill rate | 151.5 | 1,637 |
| Floating-point processing power | 4.849 TFLOPS | 104.8 TFLOPS |
| ROPs | 64 | 176 |
| TMUs | 160 | 680 |
| Tensor Cores | no data | 680 |
| Ray Tracing Cores | no data | 170 |
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 | PCIe 5.0 x16 |
| Length | 275 mm | 304 mm |
| Width | 2-slot | 2-slot |
| Supplementary power connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | 1x 16-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 | GDDR5 | GDDR7 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 4 GB | 32 GB |
| Memory bus width | 512 Bit | 512 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 1250 MHz | 1750 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 320.0 GB/s | 1.79 TB/s |
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 | 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort | 1x HDMI 2.1b, 3x DisplayPort 2.1b |
| 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 | 6.8 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| OpenCL | 2.0 | 3.0 |
| Vulkan | 1.2.131 | 1.4 |
| CUDA | - | 10.1 |
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.
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.
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 | 40−45
−418%
| 207
+418%
|
| 1440p | 35−40
−426%
| 184
+426%
|
| 4K | 27−30
−422%
| 141
+422%
|
Cost per frame, $
| 1080p | 9.98
−3.3%
| 9.66
+3.3%
|
| 1440p | 11.40
−4.9%
| 10.86
+4.9%
|
| 4K | 14.78
−4.2%
| 14.18
+4.2%
|
- R9 290 and RTX 5090 have nearly equal cost per frame in 1080p
- R9 290 and RTX 5090 have nearly equal cost per frame in 1440p
- R9 290 and RTX 5090 have nearly equal cost per frame in 4K
FPS performance in popular games
Full HD
Low Preset
| Counter-Strike 2 | 210−220
+0%
|
210−220
+0%
|
Full HD
Medium Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 110−120
+0%
|
110−120
+0%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 210−220
+0%
|
210−220
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 5 | 300−350
+0%
|
300−350
+0%
|
| Metro Exodus | 190−200
+0%
|
190−200
+0%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 150−160
+0%
|
150−160
+0%
|
| Valorant | 800−850
+0%
|
800−850
+0%
|
Full HD
High Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 110−120
+0%
|
110−120
+0%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 210−220
+0%
|
210−220
+0%
|
| Dota 2 | 170−180
+0%
|
170−180
+0%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 159
+0%
|
159
+0%
|
| Fortnite | 300−350
+0%
|
300−350
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 5 | 300−350
+0%
|
300−350
+0%
|
| Metro Exodus | 190−200
+0%
|
190−200
+0%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 210−220
+0%
|
210−220
+0%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 150−160
+0%
|
150−160
+0%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 170−180
+0%
|
170−180
+0%
|
| Valorant | 800−850
+0%
|
800−850
+0%
|
| World of Tanks | 270−280
+0%
|
270−280
+0%
|
Full HD
Ultra Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 110−120
+0%
|
110−120
+0%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 202
+0%
|
202
+0%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 200−210
+0%
|
200−210
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 5 | 300−350
+0%
|
300−350
+0%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 210−220
+0%
|
210−220
+0%
|
| Valorant | 800−850
+0%
|
800−850
+0%
|
1440p
High Preset
| Counter-Strike 2 | 183
+0%
|
183
+0%
|
| Dota 2 | 160−170
+0%
|
160−170
+0%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 90−95
+0%
|
90−95
+0%
|
| World of Tanks | 500−550
+0%
|
500−550
+0%
|
1440p
Ultra Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 85−90
+0%
|
85−90
+0%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 160−170
+0%
|
160−170
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 5 | 230−240
+0%
|
230−240
+0%
|
| Metro Exodus | 160−170
+0%
|
160−170
+0%
|
| Valorant | 550−600
+0%
|
550−600
+0%
|
4K
High Preset
| Counter-Strike 2 | 174
+0%
|
174
+0%
|
| Dota 2 | 180−190
+0%
|
180−190
+0%
|
| Metro Exodus | 167
+0%
|
167
+0%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 200−210
+0%
|
200−210
+0%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 60−65
+0%
|
60−65
+0%
|
4K
Ultra Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 90−95
+0%
|
90−95
+0%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 55
+0%
|
55
+0%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 100−110
+0%
|
100−110
+0%
|
| Fortnite | 95−100
+0%
|
95−100
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 5 | 160−170
+0%
|
160−170
+0%
|
| Valorant | 350−400
+0%
|
350−400
+0%
|
This is how R9 290 and RTX 5090 compete in popular games:
- RTX 5090 is 418% faster in 1080p
- RTX 5090 is 426% faster in 1440p
- RTX 5090 is 422% faster in 4K
All in all, in popular games:
- there's a draw in 45 tests (100%)
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 20.19 | 100.00 |
| Recency | 5 November 2013 | 30 January 2025 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 4 GB | 32 GB |
| Chip lithography | 28 nm | 5 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 275 Watt | 575 Watt |
R9 290 has 109.1% lower power consumption.
RTX 5090, on the other hand, has a 395.3% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 11 years, a 700% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 460% more advanced lithography process.
The GeForce RTX 5090 is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon R9 290 in performance tests.
Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Other comparisons
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