Radeon R9 290X vs RX 470

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Aggregate performance score

We've compared Radeon RX 470 and Radeon R9 290X, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.

RX 470
2016
4 GB GDDR5, 120 Watt
21.01
+9%

RX 470 outperforms R9 290X by a small 9% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

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

Place in the ranking261290
Place by popularity47not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation17.894.91
Power efficiency12.004.56
ArchitectureGCN 4.0 (2016−2020)GCN 2.0 (2013−2017)
GPU code nameEllesmereHawaii
Market segmentDesktopDesktop
Designno datareference
Release date4 August 2016 (8 years ago)24 October 2013 (11 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$179 $549

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

RX 470 has 264% better value for money than R9 290X.

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 cores20482816
Core clock speed926 MHzno data
Boost clock speed1206 MHz947 MHz
Number of transistors5,700 million6,200 million
Manufacturing process technology14 nm28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)120 Watt250 Watt
Texture fill rate154.4176.0
Floating-point processing power4.94 TFLOPS5.632 TFLOPS
ROPs3264
TMUs128176

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).

Bus supportno dataPCIe 3.0
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
Length241 mm275 mm
Width2-slot2-slot
Supplementary power connectors1x 6-pin1 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 typeGDDR5GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount4 GB4 GB
Memory bus width256 Bit512 Bit
Memory clock speed1650 MHz1250 MHz
Memory bandwidth211.2 GB/s320 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 Connectors1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort2x 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 audiono data+

API compatibility

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

DirectX12 (12_0)DirectX® 12
Shader Model6.46.3
OpenGL4.64.6
OpenCL2.02.0
Vulkan1.2.131+

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 470 21.01
+9%
R9 290X 19.27

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 470 8096
+9%
R9 290X 7425

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 470 17625
+9%
R9 290X 16168

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 470 11885
+1.4%
R9 290X 11717

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 470 68475
R9 290X 73987
+8%

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 470 380689
+14.7%
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 HD72
−19.4%
86
+19.4%
1440p38
+26.7%
30−35
−26.7%
4K35
−40%
49
+40%

Cost per frame, $

1080p2.496.38
1440p4.7118.30
4K5.1111.20

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 30−35
+10%
30−33
−10%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 45−50
+7%
40−45
−7%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 35−40
+9.4%
30−35
−9.4%
Battlefield 5 65−70
+9.5%
60−65
−9.5%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 40−45
+10.3%
35−40
−10.3%
Cyberpunk 2077 30−35
+10%
30−33
−10%
Far Cry 5 45−50
+8.9%
45−50
−8.9%
Far Cry New Dawn 55−60
+7.7%
50−55
−7.7%
Forza Horizon 4 120−130
+6.7%
120−130
−6.7%
Hitman 3 40−45
+10.8%
35−40
−10.8%
Horizon Zero Dawn 100−105
+7.5%
90−95
−7.5%
Metro Exodus 70−75
+9.1%
65−70
−9.1%
Red Dead Redemption 2 55−60
+7.7%
50−55
−7.7%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 102
+61.9%
60−65
−61.9%
Watch Dogs: Legion 90−95
+4.4%
90−95
−4.4%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 45−50
+7%
40−45
−7%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 35−40
+9.4%
30−35
−9.4%
Battlefield 5 65−70
+9.5%
60−65
−9.5%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 40−45
+10.3%
35−40
−10.3%
Cyberpunk 2077 30−35
+10%
30−33
−10%
Far Cry 5 45−50
+8.9%
45−50
−8.9%
Far Cry New Dawn 55−60
+7.7%
50−55
−7.7%
Forza Horizon 4 120−130
+6.7%
120−130
−6.7%
Hitman 3 40−45
+10.8%
35−40
−10.8%
Horizon Zero Dawn 100−105
+7.5%
90−95
−7.5%
Metro Exodus 70−75
+9.1%
65−70
−9.1%
Red Dead Redemption 2 55−60
+7.7%
50−55
−7.7%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 88
+39.7%
60−65
−39.7%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 45−50
−191%
137
+191%
Watch Dogs: Legion 90−95
+4.4%
90−95
−4.4%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 45−50
+7%
40−45
−7%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 35−40
+9.4%
30−35
−9.4%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 40−45
+10.3%
35−40
−10.3%
Cyberpunk 2077 30−35
+10%
30−33
−10%
Far Cry 5 45−50
+8.9%
45−50
−8.9%
Forza Horizon 4 120−130
+6.7%
120−130
−6.7%
Hitman 3 40−45
+10.8%
35−40
−10.8%
Horizon Zero Dawn 74
−25.7%
90−95
+25.7%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 67
+6.3%
60−65
−6.3%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 40
+37.9%
29
−37.9%
Watch Dogs: Legion 90−95
+4.4%
90−95
−4.4%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 55−60
+7.7%
50−55
−7.7%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5 40−45
+8.1%
35−40
−8.1%
Far Cry New Dawn 30−35
+10.3%
27−30
−10.3%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 21−24
+5%
20−22
−5%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 18−20
+11.8%
16−18
−11.8%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 21−24
+9.5%
21−24
−9.5%
Cyberpunk 2077 12−14
+9.1%
10−12
−9.1%
Far Cry 5 24−27
+9.1%
21−24
−9.1%
Forza Horizon 4 110−120
+11.3%
100−110
−11.3%
Hitman 3 24−27
+8.7%
21−24
−8.7%
Horizon Zero Dawn 53
+35.9%
35−40
−35.9%
Metro Exodus 46
+27.8%
35−40
−27.8%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 51
+30.8%
35−40
−30.8%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 24−27
+9.1%
21−24
−9.1%
Watch Dogs: Legion 120−130
+7.9%
110−120
−7.9%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 35−40
+9.4%
30−35
−9.4%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5 21−24
+10.5%
18−20
−10.5%
Far Cry New Dawn 16−18
+6.7%
14−16
−6.7%
Hitman 3 16−18
+6.7%
14−16
−6.7%
Horizon Zero Dawn 100−110
+9.1%
95−100
−9.1%
Metro Exodus 21−24
+15%
20−22
−15%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 21−24
−27.3%
28
+27.3%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 12−14
+9.1%
10−12
−9.1%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 10−12
+10%
10−11
−10%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 10−12
+10%
10−11
−10%
Cyberpunk 2077 4−5
+0%
4−5
+0%
Far Cry 5 10−12
+10%
10−11
−10%
Forza Horizon 4 27−30
+11.5%
24−27
−11.5%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 25
+19%
21−24
−19%
Watch Dogs: Legion 9−10
+12.5%
8−9
−12.5%

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 18−20
+5.9%
16−18
−5.9%

This is how RX 470 and R9 290X compete in popular games:

  • R9 290X is 19% faster in 1080p
  • RX 470 is 27% faster in 1440p
  • R9 290X is 40% faster in 4K

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

  • in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, with 1080p resolution and the Medium Preset, the RX 470 is 62% faster.
  • in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, with 1080p resolution and the High Preset, the R9 290X is 191% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

  • RX 470 is ahead in 68 tests (94%)
  • R9 290X is ahead in 3 tests (4%)
  • there's a draw in 1 test (1%)

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 21.01 19.27
Recency 4 August 2016 24 October 2013
Chip lithography 14 nm 28 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 120 Watt 250 Watt

RX 470 has a 9% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 2 years, a 100% more advanced lithography process, and 108.3% lower power consumption.

Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between Radeon RX 470 and Radeon R9 290X.


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

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AMD Radeon RX 470
Radeon RX 470
AMD Radeon R9 290X
Radeon R9 290X

Comparisons with similar GPUs

We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.

Community ratings

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


4.2 4365 votes

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4.1 454 votes

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Questions & comments

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