GTX 1660 Mobile vs R9 290
Head-to-head specifications
| Metric | GTX 1660 Mobile | R9 290 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 1,494 | 1,697 | -12.0% |
| Avg FPS @ 1080p | 29 | 31 | -6.5% |
| Avg FPS @ 1440p | 16 | 17 | -5.9% |
| Avg FPS @ 4K | 8 | 9 | -11.1% |
| FP32 compute (TFLOPS) | 4.3 | 4.9 | -12.0% |
| VRAM | 6 GB GDDR5 | 4 GB GDDR5 | — |
| Memory bandwidth (GB/s) | 168 | 448 | -62.5% |
| TDP (W) | 72 | 275 | — |
- R9 290 averages 17 fps at 1440p versus 16 fps — about 6% faster.
- GTX 1660 Mobile draws less power (72W vs 275W).
Verdict: GTX 1660 Mobile or R9 290?
GTX 1660 Mobile advantages
- Video memory (+33%)
- Power efficiency (+74%)
R9 290 advantages
- 1440p gaming (+6%)
- 4K gaming (+11%)
- Synthetic benchmark performance (+12%)
- Memory bandwidth (+63%)
Which should you choose?
- Choose the GTX 1660 Mobile if you play the latest titles at high textures or do GPU-accelerated work.
- Choose the R9 290 if you game at 1440p.
- Choose the GTX 1660 Mobile if you want lower power draw, heat and noise.
GTX 1660 Mobile vs R9 290: which should you choose?
GTX 1660 Mobile — NVIDIA laptop graphics card (2019, Turing) with 6 GB of GDDR5, averaging 16 fps at 1440p.
R9 290 — AMD desktop graphics card (2013, GCN 2.0) with 4 GB of GDDR5, averaging 17 fps at 1440p; launched at $399.
GTX 1660 Mobile vs R9 290: R9 290 is faster for gaming. R9 290 averages 17 fps at 1440p versus 16 fps — about 6% faster. GTX 1660 Mobile draws less power (72W vs 275W).
1080p, 1440p and 4K
At 1440p — the most common enthusiast resolution — the R9 290 averages 17 fps against 16. At 4K (8 vs 9 fps) VRAM (6GB vs 4GB) and memory bandwidth matter more.
Power and value
Board power is 72 W versus 275 W, which affects PSU headroom, case cooling and noise.
The verdict
Both are credible choices in the graphics card comparison space; the specification table above lays out every metric so you can weigh the trade-offs that matter to you. Pick the one whose strengths line up with how you will actually use it.
Frequently asked questions
Is the GTX 1660 Mobile better than the R9 290?
R9 290 takes the overall edge, though GTX 1660 Mobile wins in specific areas worth weighing. R9 290 averages 17 fps at 1440p versus 16 fps — about 6% faster.
What is the main difference between the GTX 1660 Mobile and the R9 290?
R9 290 averages 17 fps at 1440p versus 16 fps — about 6% faster. GTX 1660 Mobile draws less power (72W vs 275W).
Which should I choose?
Choose the GTX 1660 Mobile if you play the latest titles at high textures or do GPU-accelerated work. Choose the R9 290 if you game at 1440p.
Methodology
Graphics cards are compared on 3DMark Time Spy scores, average gaming frame rates at 1080p/1440p/4K, FP32 compute throughput, VRAM capacity and type, memory bandwidth, board power (TDP) and launch MSRP — plus AI workload throughput (Stable Diffusion iterations/s and local LLM tokens/s) where measured. Vintage and server GPUs without modern benchmark results are compared on specifications only, clearly labelled. Frame rates are averages across a game suite at high settings; specific titles vary.