GeForce GTX 850M vs Radeon R9 290X

When choosing between GeForce GTX 850M and Radeon R9 290X, it is worth examining the specifications of the models in detail. Do they meet the recommended requirements of modern games and software? Storage capacity, form factor, TDP, available ports, warranty and manufacturer support are all important. For example, the size of a PC case can limit the maximum thickness and length of the card. Often, instead of the factory overclocked card and RGB backlight, it is better to choose a reference model with a more efficient GPU. And make sure that your current power supply unit has the correct connection pins (using adapters is not recommended). This GPUs compare tool is meant to help you to choose the best graphics card for your build. Let's find out the difference between GeForce GTX 850M and Radeon R9 290X.

GeForce GTX 850M is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: GeForce GTX 850M is only used in laptop graphics. It has lower GPU clock speed compared to the desktop variant, which results in lower power consumption, but also 10-30% lower gaming performance. Check available laptop models with GeForce GTX 850M here:

Main Specs

  GeForce GTX 850M Radeon R9 290X
Power consumption (TDP) 45 Watt 250 Watt
Interface PCIe 3.0 x16 PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 1 x 6-pin + 1 x 8-pin
Memory type DDR3, GDDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 4 GB 4 GB
Display Connectors No outputs 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort
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  • Radeon R9 290X has 455% more power consumption, than GeForce GTX 850M.
  • Both video cards are using PCIe 3.0 x16 interface connection to a motherboard.
  • GeForce GTX 850M and Radeon R9 290X have maximum RAM of 4 GB.
  • GeForce GTX 850M is used in Laptops, and Radeon R9 290X - in Desktops.
  • GeForce GTX 850M is build with Maxwell architecture, and Radeon R9 290X - with GCN.
  • GeForce GTX 850M and Radeon R9 290X are manufactured by 28 nm process technology.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 12−14 35−40
ultra / 1080p 8−9 24−27
QHD / 1440p 2−3 18−20
4K / 2160p 10−11
low / 720p 27−30 60−65
medium / 1080p 16−18 45−50
The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 290X in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 192% more, than GeForce GTX 850M.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 850M Radeon R9 290X
Architecture Maxwell GCN
Code name N15P-GT Hawaii XT
Type Laptop Desktop
Release date 12 March 2014 24 October 2013
Pipelines 640 2816
Boost Clock 947 MHz
Transistor count 1,870 million 6,200 million
Manufacturing process technology 28 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 36.08 176.0
Floating-point performance 1,155 gflops 5,632 gflops
Length 275 mm
Memory bus width 128 Bit 512 Bit
Memory clock speed 1250 MHz
Memory bandwidth 80.0 GB/s 320 GB/s
Shared memory - -
DirectX 12 (11_0)
Shader Model 5.1 6.3
OpenGL 4.5 4.6
OpenCL 1.1 2.0
Vulkan 1.1.126 +
CUDA +
Monero / XMR (CryptoNight) 0.76 kh/s
FreeSync +
CUDA cores 640
Bus support PCI Express 2.0, PCI Express 3.0 PCIe 3.0
SLI options +
HDMI + +
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 153 Mh/s 623 Mh/s
Laptop size medium sized
Standard memory configuration DDR3 or GDDR5
eDP 1.2 signal support Up to 3840x2160
LVDS signal support Up to 1920x1200
DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) support Up to 3840x2160
HDCP content protection +
7.1 channel HD audio on HDMI +
TrueHD and DTS-HD audio bitstreaming +
H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder +
Optimus +
Eyefinity +
HD3D +
TrueAudio +
Design reference
DisplayPort support +
CrossFire +
DDMA audio +
Decred / DCR (Decred) 1.07 Gh/s
Ethereum / ETH (DaggerHashimoto) 1.8 Mh/s 25.75 Mh/s
Zcash / ZEC (Equihash) 350 Sol/s
AppAcceleration +
LiquidVR +
TressFX +
UVD +
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