R9 290X vs Radeon 780M
Head-to-head specifications
| Metric | R9 290X | Radeon 780M | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 1,970 | 3,100 | -36.5% |
| Avg FPS @ 1080p | 33 | 45 | -26.7% |
| Avg FPS @ 1440p | 18 | 25 | -28.0% |
| Avg FPS @ 4K | 9 | 10 | -10.0% |
| FP32 compute (TFLOPS) | 5.6 | 0.1 | +4,230.8% |
| VRAM | 4 GB GDDR5 | 0 MB Shared | — |
| Memory bandwidth (GB/s) | 448 | 102 | +337.5% |
| TDP (W) | 290 | 15 | — |
- Radeon 780M averages 25 fps at 1440p versus 18 fps — about 28% faster.
- Radeon 780M draws less power (15W vs 290W).
Verdict: R9 290X or Radeon 780M?
R9 290X advantages
- Video memory (+100%)
- Memory bandwidth (+77%)
Radeon 780M advantages
- 1440p gaming (+28%)
- 4K gaming (+10%)
- Synthetic benchmark performance (+36%)
- Power efficiency (+95%)
Which should you choose?
- Choose the R9 290X if you play the latest titles at high textures or do GPU-accelerated work.
- Choose the Radeon 780M if you game at 1440p.
- Choose the R9 290X if you work with high-resolution textures or memory-bound workloads.
R9 290X vs Radeon 780M: which should you choose?
R9 290X — AMD desktop graphics card (2013, GCN 2.0) with 4 GB of GDDR5, averaging 18 fps at 1440p; launched at $549.
Radeon 780M — AMD integrated graphics processor (2023, RDNA 3.0) with 0 MB of Shared, averaging 25 fps at 1440p.
R9 290X vs Radeon 780M: Radeon 780M is faster for gaming. Radeon 780M averages 25 fps at 1440p versus 18 fps — about 28% faster. Radeon 780M draws less power (15W vs 290W).
1080p, 1440p and 4K
At 1440p — the most common enthusiast resolution — the Radeon 780M averages 25 fps against 18. At 4K (9 vs 10 fps) VRAM (4GB vs 0MB) and memory bandwidth matter more.
Power and value
Board power is 290 W versus 15 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 R9 290X better than the Radeon 780M?
Radeon 780M takes the overall edge, though R9 290X wins in specific areas worth weighing. Radeon 780M averages 25 fps at 1440p versus 18 fps — about 28% faster.
What is the main difference between the R9 290X and the Radeon 780M?
Radeon 780M averages 25 fps at 1440p versus 18 fps — about 28% faster. Radeon 780M draws less power (15W vs 290W).
Which should I choose?
Choose the R9 290X if you play the latest titles at high textures or do GPU-accelerated work. Choose the Radeon 780M 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.