GPU AMD GCN 2.0
Radeon R9 290X

Radeon R9 290X

Hawaii Released: October 24, 2013
Memory
4
GB GDDR5
Boost Clock
-
MHz
TGP
290
W

Technical Highlights

Architecture : GCN 2.0
Generation : Volcanic Islands (R9 200)
Shading Units : 2816
RT Cores : -

About Radeon R9 290X

Radeon R9 290X is a discrete graphics card from AMD released on October 24, 2013 based on the GCN 2.0 architecture with 4 GB GDDR5 memory. It runs at 1000 MHz base clock and has a 290 W power rating. It supports DirectX 12.0, Vulkan 1.2, and OpenGL 4.6.

Last updated: March 28, 2026

Overall Score Of Radeon R9 290X

This summarizes how Radeon R9 290X scores across key areas like gaming, rendering, AI, and Energy Efficiency.

68
Overall
Gaming Performance
63
AI & Machine Learning
53
Hardware Architecture
59
Workstation
70
Energy Efficiency
5

General Info of Radeon R9 290X

Vendor

AMD

Release Date

October 24, 2013

Foundry

TSMC

Architecture

GCN 2.0

Process Size

28 nm

14% of the current best Process Size score

Transistors

6.2 billion

Launch Price

549

Graphics Processor of Radeon R9 290X

Base Clock

1000 MHz

37% of the current best Base Clock score

Shading Units

2816

13% of the current best Shading Units score

Compute Units

44

26% of the current best Compute Units score

Textured Mapping Units (TMUs)

176

26% of the current best Textured Mapping Units (TMUs) score

Render Output Units (ROPs)

64

25% of the current best Render Output Units (ROPs) score

Die Size

438 mm²

Density

14.2 MTr/mm²

L1 Cache

16 KB (per CU)

6% of the current best L1 Cache score

L2 Cache

1024 KB

1% of the current best L2 Cache score

Raw Performance of Radeon R9 290X

Pixel Fill Rate

64 GPixel/s

13% of the current best Pixel Fill Rate score

Texture Fill Rate

176 GTexel/s

11% of the current best Texture Fill Rate score

FP32 Performance

5.632 TFLOPs

5% of the current best FP32 Performance score

Memory of Radeon R9 290X

Memory Size

4 GB

13% of the current best Memory Size score

Memory Type

GDDR5

40% of the current best Memory Type score

Bus Width

512-bit

Memory Clock

1250 MHz

48% of the current best Memory Clock score

Effective Speed

5000 Mbps

17% of the current best Effective Speed score

Bandwidth

320 GB/s

18% of the current best Bandwidth score

Board Design of Radeon R9 290X

Bus Interface

Good

PCIe 3.0 x16

60% of the current best Bus Interface score

PCIe Version

Good

3.0

60% of the current best PCIe Version score

PCIe Lanes

16

TGP

290 W

Length

275 mm

Width

36 mm

Height

109 mm

APIs of Radeon R9 290X

DirectX

Good

12.0

70% of the current best DirectX score

OpenGL

Top tier

4.6

100% of the current best OpenGL score

OpenCL

Good

2.1

70% of the current best OpenCL score

Vulkan

Good

1.2

73% of the current best Vulkan score

HDMI

1.4a

30% of the current best HDMI score

DisplayPort

1.2

40% of the current best DisplayPort score

Ray Tracing

0

DLSS

0

Benchmarks of Radeon R9 290X

3D Mark

A standardized suite that approximates real-world gaming workloads to compare graphics performance.

Time Spy:
4114
9% of max score
Fire Strike:
9769
11% of max score

GFXBench 5

Graphics benchmark using modern GPU APIs and game-like scenes across multiple workloads.

Car Chase:
210.00 FPS
12% of max score
Manhattan 3.1 (1440p):
242.00 FPS
6% of max score

FurMark

Stress test designed to push sustained load for thermal stability and cooling behavior.

1080p Vulkan:
4206
12% of max score
1440p Vulkan:
2578
10% of max score
2160p Vulkan:
1389
10% of max score
1080p OpenGL:
4274
14% of max score
1440p OpenGL:
2826
12% of max score

Performance Charts Of Radeon R9 290X

These charts give a quick view of FPS scaling across resolutions and how this GPU compares against market top benchmark values.

Gaming FPS Analysis

Ultra settings performance of Radeon R9 290X
1080p Ultra
1440p Ultra
4K Ultra

Performance Benchmarks

Grey is the market top value. Colored bar is Radeon R9 290X.
Market Top
Radeon R9 290X

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Frequently Asked Questions about Radeon R9 290X

The Radeon R9 290X was officially released in October 24, 2013. It was launched as a graphics solution by AMD.

The Radeon R9 290X scores 4,114 on 3DMark Time Spy, indicating its solid capabilities in modern gaming scenarios. This benchmark is the industry standard for measuring DirectX 12 gaming performance.

The Radeon R9 290X is equipped with 4 GB of VRAM, providing adequate memory for 1080p gaming and standard workloads.

The Radeon R9 290X has a Total Graphics Power (TGP) of 290 W. This value dictates your power supply (PSU) requirements, so ensure your system can handle this draw effectively.

The Radeon R9 290X operates at a base clock speed of 1000 MHz. This is the minimum clock frequency the graphics card runs at under standard workloads before boosting.

The Radeon R9 290X is built on the GCN 2.0 architecture. This foundational design determines the GPU's power efficiency and support for modern features like hardware Ray Tracing and AI upscaling (DLSS/FSR).

With a performance score of 68%, the Radeon R9 290X is ranked as a capable mid-range graphics card in our extensive GPU database.

The Radeon R9 290X uses the PCIe 3.0 x16 interface, ensuring high-speed data transfer and minimal bottlenecking between the graphics card and the motherboard.

The Radeon R9 290X features 2,816 shading units (cores), which are directly responsible for rendering complex visual effects and lighting in modern games.

The Radeon R9 290X contains approximately 6.2 billion transistors, packed into its silicon to deliver massive parallel processing capabilities.

The Radeon R9 290X is manufactured on a 28 nm node. A smaller process node generally translates to better energy efficiency and improved thermal management.