AMD Radeon R9 290X
vs
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960

AMD Radeon R9 290X
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960
R9 290X GTX 960 Difference
AMD Radeon R9 290X NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960
Price $ 399.0 $ 89.0 310 (78%)
Year 2013 2015 2 (0%)
Maximum Recorded Temperature 94C 75C 19 (20%)
Max Fan Noise 56.7dB 40dB 16.7 (29%)
Recommended Power Supply 640W 470W 170 (27%)
Benchmark CPU Intel Core i7-3770K @ 3.50GHz ($248.98) Intel Core i7-4790K @ 4.00GHz ($306.99)
CPU Impact on FPS +0.0 FPS +0.0 FPS 0 (0%)
CPU Impact on FPS % 0.0% 0.0% 0 (0%)
Benchmark Quality Settings Ultra Quality Settings Ultra Quality Settings
Average 1080p Performance 61.2 FPS 38.0 FPS 23.2 (38%)
Average 1440p Performance 45.1 FPS 27.5 FPS 17.6 (39%)
(Ultrawide) Average 1440p Performance 39.1 FPS 23.4 FPS 15.7 (40%)
Average 4K Performance 27.9 FPS 16.3 FPS 11.6 (42%)
Memory 4 GB 2 GB 2 (50%)
1080p Cost Per Frame $ 9.0 $ 5.2 3.8 (42%)
1440p Cost Per Frame $ 12.2 $ 7.2 5 (41%)
(Ultrawide) 1440p Cost Per Frame $ 14.0 $ 8.5 5.5 (39%)
4K Cost Per Frame $ 19.7 $ 12.2 7.5 (38%)
Variant AMD Radeon R9 290X NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960
Overall Combination Score 64/100 64/100 0 (0%)
Our Verdict: The R9 290X is faster by 64% for 1440p gaming. The price/performance ratio is much better for GTX 960 .
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AMD Radeon R9 290X

Compared to its NVIDIA 's closest rival, GTX 970, the R9 290X was -1.6 % slower. For 1080p Full HD, we were able to play Overwatch 2, Spider-Man Remastered, Apex Legends, Call of Duty Modern Warfare, Resident Evil 2 at 60 fps to 71 fps and kept frame rates hovering around 66 fps.

For 1440p Quad HD, we were able to play Valorant at 95 fps to 95 fps and kept frame rates hovering around 95 fps. For 2160p 4K, we were able to play Valorant at 83 fps to 83 fps and kept frame rates hovering around 83 fps.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960

The GTX 970 might be the mid-range flagship of the latest Maxwell 2.0 set of graphics cards, but their prices keep them out of the reach of most entry-level PC gamers. On the other hand, the GTX 960 is closer to being reasonably affordable at a price tag of $ 199. NVIDIA ’s xx60 cards have always been defined by entry-level prices with performance that knocks on the door of mid-range graphics cards – especially when overclocked. After taking the time to fully test the Maxwell 2.0 graphics card inside the GTX 960, we can say without a doubt that it continues the trend.

The GTX 960 is much more cheaper than the GTX 760 as it costs $ 199. Compare this to the GTX 760, which came originally at a price of $ 249. Meanwhile, the AMD closest equivalent card is the R9 280 which costs $ 279. Spec for spec, this GTX 960 leapfrogs its direct predecessor, the GTX 760, by boasting 3 % more fps.

Fortunately, gaming performance was quite impressive. The GTX 960 consistently delivers great frame rate increases over the GTX 760 and it really justifies an upgrade. Compared to its AMD 's closest rival, R9 280, the GTX 960 was -1.6 % slower.

For 1080p Full HD, we were able to play Valorant at 74 fps to 74 fps and kept frame rates hovering around 74 fps. For 1440p Quad HD, we were able to play Valorant at 61 fps to 61 fps and kept frame rates hovering around 61 fps.

Game Performance at selected quality settings

Change Quality Settings
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1920x1080

AMD Radeon R9 290X
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960
Year Game Frames Per Second
2023 Resident Evil 4
44
49.2
27
30.0
2023 A Plague Tale: Requiem
30
33.6
18
20.5
2023 Hogwarts Legacy
26
29.1
15
17.7
2023 The Last of Us Part I
20
22.4
12
13.6
2023 Forspoken
23
25.9
14
15.8
2023 The Callisto Protocol
18
20.1
11
12.3
2023 Dead Space
30
33.6
18
20.5
2023 Baldur's Gate 3
35
39.8
21
24.3
2023 Armored Core VI
35
39.8
21
24.3
2023 Immortals of Aveum
16
17.9
9
10.9
2023 Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart
32
35.8
19
21.8
2023 Remnant II
18
20.1
11
12.3
2023 Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
24
26.8
14
16.4
2023 Atomic Heart
24
26.8
14
16.4
2023 Starfield
12
13.4
7
8.2
2022 Elden Ring
30
34.2
19
21.9
2022 God of War
29
32.4
18
20.8
2022 Overwatch 2
54
60.3
34
38.6
2022 F1 22
36
40.3
22
24.5
2022 Dying Light 2
34
38.0
20
23.2
2022 Total War: Warhammer III
34
38.0
20
23.2
2022 Spider-Man Remastered
56
62.6
34
38.2
2022 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
40
44.7
24
27.3
2021 Forza Horizon 5
29
32.8
18
21.0
2021 Halo Infinite
22
25.0
14
16.0
2021 Battlefield 2042
41
46.2
26
29.6
2021 Hitman 3
46
51.4
28
31.4
2021 Far Cry 6
43
47.9
26
29.2
2021 Guardians of the Galaxy
47
52.3
28
31.9
2020 Watch Dogs: Legion
47
52.8
28
32.2
2020 Assassin's Creed Valhalla
23
26.4
15
17.0
2020 Microsoft Flight Simulator
15
17.3
9
11.1
2020 Valorant
104
116.0
66
74.4
2020 Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
40
45.5
26
29.2
2020 Death Stranding
47
52.5
30
33.7
2020 Marvel's Avengers
30
34.2
19
21.9
2020 Godfall
45
51.1
29
32.8
2020 Cyberpunk 2077
23
26.4
15
17.0
2019 Apex Legends
56
63.0
32
36.0
2019 Anthem
36
40.6
20
23.2
2019 Far Cry New Dawn
53
59.5
30
34.0
2019 Resident Evil 2
64
71.2
41
45.7
2019 Metro Exodus
28
31.7
18
20.3
2019 World War Z
65
73.0
33
37.5
2019 Gears of War 5
41
46.2
26
29.6
2019 F1 2019
52
58.0
33
37.2
2019 GreedFall
46
52.2
30
33.4
2019 Borderlands 3
33
36.7
21
23.5
2019 Call of Duty Modern Warfare
63
70.5
40
45.2
2019 Red Dead Redemption 2
24
27.1
15
17.4
2019 Need For Speed: Heat
38
42.7
24
27.3
2018 Forza Horizon 4
33
37.0
34
38.0
2018 Fallout 76
37
42.0
39
44.0
2018 Hitman 2
29
33.0
30
34.0
2018 Just Cause 4
41
45.8
26
29.4
2018 Monster Hunter: World
44
49.3
28
31.6
2018 Strange Brigade
66
74.4
42
47.7
2017 PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
36
41.0
27
31.0
2017 Fortnite Battle Royale
33
37.1
34
38.5
2017 Need For Speed: Payback
57
63.4
36
40.7
2017 For Honor
76
84.6
48
54.2
2017 Project CARS 2
53
59.9
34
38.4
2017 Forza Motorsport 7
65
72.6
41
46.6
2016 Overwatch
51
57.4
53
59.5
2016 Dishonored 2
39
43.7
25
28.0
2015 Grand Theft Auto V
42
47.7
32
35.9
2015 Total War: Attila
36
40.7
26
29.8
2015 Rocket League
222
246.8
142
158.2
2015 Need For Speed
61
68.4
39
43.8
2015 Project CARS
59
65.6
37
42.0
2015 Rainbow Six Siege
107
119.8
69
76.8
2014 Dragon Age: Inquisition
68
76.1
43
48.8
2014 GRID Autosport
58
65.2
63
70.6
2014 Shadow of Mordor
76
85.5
38
43.1
2014 The Talos Principle
79
88.3
49
55.1
2013 Crysis 3
70
77.9
35
39.2
2013 Battlefield 4
64
71.2
45
50.8
2012 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
152
169.2
97
108.5
2009 League of Legends
285
317.3
183
203.4

2560x1440

AMD Radeon R9 290X
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960
Year Game Frames Per Second
2023 Resident Evil 4
28
35.8
17
21.8
2023 A Plague Tale: Requiem
19
24.6
12
15.0
2023 Hogwarts Legacy
17
22.4
10
13.6
2023 The Last of Us Part I
13
17.0
8
10.4
2023 Forspoken
13
17.0
8
10.4
2023 The Callisto Protocol
11
14.3
6
8.7
2023 Dead Space
17
22.4
10
13.6
2023 Baldur's Gate 3
25
32.2
15
19.6
2023 Armored Core VI
25
32.2
15
19.6
2023 Immortals of Aveum
10
12.5
6
7.6
2023 Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart
19
24.6
12
15.0
2023 Remnant II
10
13.4
6
8.2
2023 Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
16
20.1
9
12.3
2023 Atomic Heart
15
19.2
9
11.7
2023 Starfield
9
12.1
5
7.4
2022 Elden Ring
21
27.0
13
17.3
2022 God of War
22
27.8
14
17.9
2022 Overwatch 2
41
51.8
26
33.2
2022 F1 22
19
24.6
12
15.0
2022 Dying Light 2
19
24.6
12
15.0
2022 Total War: Warhammer III
21
26.8
13
16.4
2022 Spider-Man Remastered
35
44.7
21
27.3
2022 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
23
29.1
14
17.7
2021 Forza Horizon 5
22
28.2
14
18.1
2021 Halo Infinite
18
22.6
11
14.5
2021 Battlefield 2042
24
30.7
15
19.7
2021 Hitman 3
29
36.7
17
22.4
2021 Far Cry 6
28
35.8
17
21.8
2021 Guardians of the Galaxy
29
37.1
18
22.6
2020 Watch Dogs: Legion
27
34.4
16
21.0
2020 Assassin's Creed Valhalla
18
22.9
11
14.7
2020 Microsoft Flight Simulator
12
15.2
7
9.7
2020 Valorant
75
94.8
48
60.8
2020 Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
28
35.6
18
22.8
2020 Death Stranding
32
40.7
20
26.1
2020 Marvel's Avengers
19
24.3
12
15.6
2020 Godfall
27
34.2
17
21.9
2020 Cyberpunk 2077
19
24.7
12
15.8
2019 Apex Legends
37
46.9
21
26.8
2019 Anthem
25
32.2
14
18.4
2019 Far Cry New Dawn
36
46.2
21
26.4
2019 Resident Evil 2
38
47.9
24
30.7
2019 Metro Exodus
19
24.7
12
15.8
2019 World War Z
42
53.3
21
27.4
2019 Gears of War 5
26
33.5
17
21.5
2019 F1 2019
32
41.0
21
26.3
2019 GreedFall
30
37.7
19
24.2
2019 Borderlands 3
20
25.7
13
16.5
2019 Call of Duty Modern Warfare
40
50.8
26
32.5
2019 Red Dead Redemption 2
17
22.2
11
14.2
2019 Need For Speed: Heat
26
33.5
17
21.5
2018 Forza Horizon 4
24
31.0
25
32.0
2018 Hitman 2
16
21.0
17
22.0
2018 Just Cause 4
27
33.8
17
21.7
2018 Monster Hunter: World
27
34.5
17
22.1
2018 Strange Brigade
41
51.8
26
33.2
2017 PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
24
31.0
18
23.0
2017 Fortnite Battle Royale
19
23.8
20
25.2
2017 Need For Speed: Payback
36
45.8
23
29.4
2017 For Honor
39
49.3
25
31.6
2017 Project CARS 2
33
42.3
21
27.1
2017 Forza Motorsport 7
52
65.6
33
42.0
2016 Overwatch
31
39.9
33
41.3
2016 Dishonored 2
29
37.4
19
24.0
2015 Grand Theft Auto V
27
34.4
17
21.7
2015 Total War: Attila
23
29.2
14
17.7
2015 Rocket League
84
105.8
54
67.8
2015 Need For Speed
42
52.9
27
33.9
2015 Project CARS
40
50.1
25
32.1
2015 Rainbow Six Siege
62
77.5
39
49.7
2014 Dragon Age: Inquisition
41
51.3
25
32.3
2014 GRID Autosport
54
68.0
42
53.0
2014 Shadow of Mordor
50
63.7
19
24.4
2014 The Talos Principle
48
60.8
30
38.5
2013 Crysis 3
39
49.9
28
35.3
2013 Battlefield 4
38
47.6
25
31.4
2012 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
112
141.0
72
90.4
2009 League of Legends
141
176.3
90
113.0

3440x1440

AMD Radeon R9 290X
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960
Year Game Frames Per Second
2019 Apex Legends
30
40.1
17
22.9
2019 Anthem
20
26.6
11
15.2
2019 Far Cry New Dawn
28
37.8
16
21.6
2019 Resident Evil 2
29
38.3
18
24.5
2019 Metro Exodus
16
21.5
10
13.7
2019 World War Z
34
44.9
17
23.1
2019 Gears of War 5
22
29.3
14
18.8
2019 F1 2019
27
35.9
17
23.0
2019 GreedFall
21
28.5
13
18.2
2019 Borderlands 3
15
20.9
10
13.4
2019 Call of Duty Modern Warfare
32
43.4
21
27.8
2019 Red Dead Redemption 2
14
19.4
9
12.4
2019 Need For Speed: Heat
22
29.3
14
18.8
2018 Forza Horizon 4
21
27.8
21
28.4
2018 Hitman 2
13
18.2
14
18.7
2018 Just Cause 4
20
27.5
13
17.7
2018 Monster Hunter: World
20
27.3
13
17.5
2018 Strange Brigade
32
42.8
20
27.4
2017 PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
19
26.2
14
19.3
2017 Fortnite Battle Royale
15
19.8
15
20.6
2017 Need For Speed: Payback
31
41.5
20
26.6
2017 For Honor
30
39.6
19
25.4
2017 Project CARS 2
31
41.5
20
26.6
2017 Forza Motorsport 7
49
64.5
31
41.4
2016 Overwatch
24
32.2
25
33.3
2016 Dishonored 2
27
35.8
17
23.0
2015 Rocket League
63
83.0
40
53.2
2015 Need For Speed
35
47.1
22
30.2
2015 Project CARS
34
45.6
22
29.3
2015 Rainbow Six Siege
46
60.7
29
38.9
2012 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
108
143.3
69
91.9
2009 League of Legends
100
132.0
64
84.6

3840x2160

AMD Radeon R9 290X
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960
Year Game Frames Per Second
2023 Resident Evil 4
18
26.8
11
16.4
2023 A Plague Tale: Requiem
10
15.7
6
9.5
2023 Hogwarts Legacy
10
15.7
6
9.5
2023 The Last of Us Part I
6
8.9
3
5.5
2023 Forspoken
5
8.1
3
4.9
2023 The Callisto Protocol
5
7.2
3
4.4
2023 Dead Space
6
8.9
3
5.5
2023 Baldur's Gate 3
12
17.9
7
10.9
2023 Armored Core VI
12
17.9
7
10.9
2023 Immortals of Aveum
4
5.8
2
3.5
2023 Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart
9
13.4
5
8.2
2023 Remnant II
4
6.7
2
4.1
2023 Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
6
9.8
4
6.0
2023 Atomic Heart
8
12.1
5
7.4
2023 Starfield
5
8.1
3
4.9
2022 Elden Ring
10
15.4
6
9.9
2022 God of War
15
21.6
9
13.9
2022 Overwatch 2
27
39.1
17
25.1
2022 F1 22
12
17.9
7
10.9
2022 Dying Light 2
12
17.9
7
10.9
2022 Total War: Warhammer III
14
20.1
8
12.3
2022 Spider-Man Remastered
21
31.3
13
19.1
2022 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
12
17.9
7
10.9
2021 Forza Horizon 5
15
21.9
9
14.0
2021 Halo Infinite
10
15.5
6
9.9
2021 Battlefield 2042
13
19.7
8
12.7
2021 Hitman 3
15
22.4
9
13.6
2021 Far Cry 6
13
19.2
8
11.7
2021 Guardians of the Galaxy
14
20.1
8
12.3
2020 Watch Dogs: Legion
15
22.4
9
13.6
2020 Assassin's Creed Valhalla
10
15.5
6
9.9
2020 Microsoft Flight Simulator
8
12.0
5
7.7
2020 Valorant
57
82.5
37
52.9
2020 Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
13
19.0
8
12.2
2020 Death Stranding
17
24.7
11
15.9
2020 Marvel's Avengers
8
12.8
5
8.2
2020 Godfall
11
16.3
7
10.4
2020 Cyberpunk 2077
11
16.2
7
10.4
2019 Apex Legends
19
28.0
11
16.0
2019 Anthem
12
17.5
7
10.0
2019 Far Cry New Dawn
17
24.5
9
14.0
2019 Resident Evil 2
16
23.6
10
15.1
2019 Metro Exodus
10
15.5
6
9.9
2019 World War Z
21
30.7
11
15.8
2019 Gears of War 5
14
21.2
9
13.6
2019 F1 2019
18
26.1
11
16.7
2019 GreedFall
10
15.5
6
9.9
2019 Borderlands 3
9
13.4
6
8.6
2019 Call of Duty Modern Warfare
21
30.3
13
19.4
2019 Red Dead Redemption 2
9
14.1
6
9.0
2019 Need For Speed: Heat
14
21.2
9
13.6
2018 Forza Horizon 4
14
21.0
14
21.0
2018 Hitman 2
9
13.0
9
13.0
2018 Just Cause 4
12
17.6
7
11.3
2018 Monster Hunter: World
11
16.6
7
10.6
2018 Strange Brigade
19
28.2
12
18.1
2017 PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
12
18.0
9
13.0
2017 Fortnite Battle Royale
9
13.3
9
13.3
2017 Need For Speed: Payback
22
31.7
14
20.3
2017 For Honor
17
24.7
11
15.8
2017 Project CARS 2
24
35.2
15
22.6
2017 Forza Motorsport 7
38
55.0
24
35.3
2016 Overwatch
14
20.3
14
21.0
2016 Dishonored 2
20
29.6
13
19.0
2015 Rocket League
34
49.4
22
31.6
2015 Need For Speed
24
35.2
15
22.6
2015 Project CARS
24
35.2
15
22.6
2015 Rainbow Six Siege
25
36.0
16
23.1
2012 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
88
126.9
56
81.4
2009 League of Legends
49
70.5
31
45.2
R9 290X vs GTX 960 with i7-3770K vs i7-4790K at 1080p and ultra vs ultra settings
R9 290X vs GTX 960 with i7-3770K vs i7-4790K at 1440p and ultra vs ultra settings
R9 290X vs GTX 960 with i7-3770K vs i7-4790K at 4K and ultra vs ultra settings

AMD Radeon R9 290X / i7-3770K

At 1440p, R9 290X can hit 50-60 fps on pretty much everything at ultra, just without antialiasing, less ambient occlusion and turned down shadows. It is worth noting that the R9 290X is a very power hungry card and requires a decent power supply unit. It is important to know that R9 290X 's max load temperature is very high and might require custom cooling solutions. This combination between R9 290X and Intel Core i7-3770K @ 3.50GHz has less than 8% bottleneck in many games and is perfect match to avoid FPS loss. This combination between R9 290X and Intel Core i7-3770K @ 3.50GHz is a perfect match to avoid FPS loss. With current 4096 MB RAM, the R9 290X can have very few memory-related bottlenecks in more modern games.
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NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 / i7-4790K

With current 2048 MB RAM, the GTX 960 can have serious memory-related bottlenecks in more modern games. With current 2048 MB RAM, the GTX 960 can have very few memory-related bottlenecks in more modern games.
View Current Price List

R9 290X vs GTX 960 Specifications Comparison

Board Design

R9 290X GTX 960
Board NumberC671PG301
Length10.83 inches 275 mm9.5 inches 241 mm
Outputs2x DVI1x HDMI1x DisplayPort1x DVI1x HDMI3x DisplayPort
Power Connectors1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin1x 6-pin
Slot WidthDual-slotDual-slot
TDP290 W120 W

Clock Speeds

R9 290X GTX 960
GPU Clock1000 MHz1127 MHz
Memory Clock1250 MHz 5000 MHz effective1753 MHz 7012 MHz effective

Graphics Card

R9 290X GTX 960
Bus InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
GenerationVolcanic Islands (R9 200)GeForce 900
Launch Price549 USD199 USD
ProductionEnd-of-lifeActive
Release DateOct 24th, 2013Jan 22nd, 2015

Graphics Features

R9 290X GTX 960
DirectX12.0 (12_0)12.0 (12_1)
OpenCL21.2
OpenGL4.64.6
Shader Model66.1
Vulkan1.1.821.1.82

Graphics Processor

R9 290X GTX 960
ArchitectureGCN 2.0Maxwell 2.0
Die Size438 mm²228 mm²
GPU NameHawaiiGM206
GPU VariantHawaii XT (215-0852000)GM206-300-A1
Process Size28 nm28 nm
Transistors6,200 million2,940 million

Memory

R9 290X GTX 960
Bandwidth320.0 GB/s112.2 GB/s
Memory Bus512 bit128 bit
Memory Size4096 MB2048 MB
Memory TypeGDDR5GDDR5

Render Config

R9 290X GTX 960
ROPs6432
Shading Units28161024
TMUs17664

Theoretical Performance

R9 290X GTX 960
FP32 (float) performance5,632 GFLOPS2,413 GFLOPS
FP64 (double) performance704.0 GFLOPS (1:8)75.39 GFLOPS (1:32)
Pixel Rate64.00 GPixel/s37.70 GPixel/s
Texture Rate176.0 GTexel/s75.39 GTexel/s
What to Consider Before Buying a Graphics Card

What to Consider Before Buying a Graphics Card

If you have been planning to upgrade your system by purchasing a new graphics card. Then there are some important factors to consider.
Resolution VS Quality: Impact on Game Performance

Resolution VS Quality: Impact on Game Performance

What affects game performance? Clarity or Details?

Ultra VS High Quality Settings in PC Games

Ultra VS High Quality Settings in PC Games

Every player has a different notion about the ideal setting for PC games. But in most cases, opting for a High quality graphics configuration is the way to go.

What are CPU or GPU Bottlenecks?

What are CPU or GPU Bottlenecks?

Are you getting sudden frame drops? you might have a bottleneck.
What is the acceptable FPS speed for me?

What is the acceptable FPS speed for me?

For some games, you can still enjoy great garphics at lower frame rates.
GPU Hierarchy
GPU Hierarchy
GPU Compare
GPU Compare
CPU Hierarchy
CPU Compare
Laptop Hierarchy
Gaming Laptops
Monitor Hierarchy
Gaming Monitors
Headset Hierarchy
Gaming Headsets

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