Radeon 540 vs Radeon R9 M290X
In this comparison between Radeon 540 and Radeon R9 M290X you will find out which graphics card performs better in today's games. Bear in mind that third-party versions may have more efficient cooling and higher clock speeds. This will increase cards' performance, though not by much. In addition to raw power you should also take into account the dimensions. Thicker models simply will not fit into a small mini-ITX case. The resolution of your monitor also affects the choice, since 4K gameplay requires a more powerful GPU. And don't overspend on the graphics card. Other parts of your build may also need to be upgraded, save some money for the CPU or power supply. For some people Radeon 540 will be the best choice, for others Radeon R9 M290X will be their preference. Study the comparison tables below and make your choice.
Radeon 540
Radeon R9 M290X is a Laptop Graphics Card
Note: Radeon R9 M290X 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 Radeon R9 M290X here:
Main Specs
| Radeon 540 | Radeon R9 M290X | |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 50 Watt | 100 Watt |
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x8 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| Supplementary power connectors | None | None |
| Memory type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 2 GB | 4 GB |
| Display Connectors | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort | No outputs |
| Check Price |
- Radeon R9 M290X has 100% more power consumption, than Radeon 540.
- Radeon 540 is connected by PCIe 3.0 x8, and Radeon R9 M290X uses PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.
- Radeon R9 M290X has 2 GB more memory, than Radeon 540.
- Radeon 540 is used in Desktops, and Radeon R9 M290X - in Laptops.
- Radeon 540 is build with GCN 4.0 architecture, and Radeon R9 M290X - with GCN.
- Core clock speed of Radeon 540 is 250 MHz higher, than Radeon R9 M290X.
- Radeon 540 is manufactured by 14 nm process technology, and Radeon R9 M290X - by 28 nm process technology.
- Memory clock speed of Radeon 540 is 5800 MHz higher, than Radeon R9 M290X.
Game benchmarks
| high / 1080p | 6−7 | 16−18 |
| ultra / 1080p | 3−4 | 10−11 |
| QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 4−5 |
| 4K / 2160p | − | 4−5 |
| low / 720p | 14−16 | 30−35 |
| medium / 1080p | 7−8 | 20−22 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M290X in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 150% more, than Radeon 540. | ||
| high / 1080p | 10−12 | 24−27 |
| ultra / 1080p | 9−10 | 21−24 |
| QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 9−10 |
| 4K / 2160p | − | 6−7 |
| low / 720p | 21−24 | 55−60 |
| medium / 1080p | 10−12 | 27−30 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M290X in Battlefield 5 is 153% more, than Radeon 540. | ||
| low / 768p | 45−50 | 45−50 |
| high / 1080p | 45−50 | − |
| QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 0−1 |
| Radeon 540 and Radeon R9 M290X have the same average FPS in Call of Duty: Warzone. | ||
| low / 768p | 120−130 | 210−220 |
| medium / 768p | 100−110 | 180−190 |
| ultra / 1080p | 50−55 | 100−110 |
| QHD / 1440p | 27−30 | 55−60 |
| 4K / 2160p | − | 30−35 |
| high / 768p | 75−80 | 150−160 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M290X in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is 85% more, than Radeon 540. | ||
| low / 768p | 55−60 | 55−60 |
| ultra / 1080p | 16−18 | 40−45 |
| medium / 1080p | 45−50 | 45−50 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M290X in Cyberpunk 2077 is 22% more, than Radeon 540. | ||
| low / 768p | 75−80 | 110−120 |
| medium / 768p | 55−60 | 95−100 |
| ultra / 1080p | 30−35 | 65−70 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M290X in Dota 2 is 69% more, than Radeon 540. | ||
| high / 1080p | 7−8 | 18−20 |
| ultra / 1080p | 7−8 | 18−20 |
| QHD / 1440p | − | 16−18 |
| 4K / 2160p | 3−4 | 6−7 |
| low / 720p | 16−18 | 40−45 |
| medium / 1080p | 8−9 | 21−24 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M290X in Far Cry 5 is 162% more, than Radeon 540. | ||
| high / 1080p | 14−16 | 27−30 |
| ultra / 1080p | 10−11 | 21−24 |
| QHD / 1440p | − | 16−18 |
| low / 720p | 55−60 | 100−110 |
| medium / 1080p | 20−22 | 55−60 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M290X in Fortnite is 103% more, than Radeon 540. | ||
| high / 1080p | 10−12 | 27−30 |
| ultra / 1080p | 10−11 | 21−24 |
| QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 10−11 |
| 4K / 2160p | − | 10−11 |
| low / 720p | 24−27 | 55−60 |
| medium / 1080p | 12−14 | 30−35 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M290X in Forza Horizon 4 is 133% more, than Radeon 540. | ||
| low / 768p | 50−55 | 90−95 |
| medium / 768p | 40−45 | 80−85 |
| high / 1080p | 10−12 | 30−35 |
| ultra / 1080p | 6−7 | 12−14 |
| QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 4−5 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M290X in Grand Theft Auto V is 96% more, than Radeon 540. | ||
| high / 1080p | 4−5 | 10−11 |
| ultra / 1080p | 3−4 | 8−9 |
| 4K / 2160p | 0−1 | 3−4 |
| low / 720p | 10−12 | 30−35 |
| medium / 1080p | 6−7 | 14−16 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M290X in Metro Exodus is 166% more, than Radeon 540. | ||
| low / 768p | 90−95 | 110−120 |
| high / 1080p | 85−90 | − |
| ultra / 1080p | 75−80 | − |
| medium / 1080p | 90−95 | 100−110 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M290X in Minecraft is 19% more, than Radeon 540. | ||
| high / 1080p | 16−18 | 24−27 |
| ultra / 1080p | 14−16 | 18−20 |
| low / 720p | 30−33 | 60−65 |
| medium / 1080p | 16−18 | 24−27 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M290X in PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS is 65% more, than Radeon 540. | ||
| high / 1080p | − | 14−16 |
| ultra / 1080p | 7−8 | 10−11 |
| QHD / 1440p | 0−1 | 0−1 |
| low / 720p | 10−12 | 30−35 |
| medium / 1080p | 10−11 | 16−18 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M290X in Red Dead Redemption 2 is 122% more, than Radeon 540. | ||
| low / 768p | 21−24 | 60−65 |
| medium / 768p | 14−16 | 35−40 |
| high / 1080p | 8−9 | 21−24 |
| ultra / 1080p | 6−7 | 12−14 |
| 4K / 2160p | − | 8−9 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M290X in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is 153% more, than Radeon 540. | ||
| low / 768p | 85−90 | 100−110 |
| medium / 768p | 40−45 | 60−65 |
| ultra / 1080p | 18−20 | 35−40 |
| high / 768p | 35−40 | 55−60 |
| The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M290X in World of Tanks is 41% more, than Radeon 540. | ||
Full Specs
| Radeon 540 | Radeon R9 M290X | |
| Architecture | GCN 4.0 | GCN |
| Code name | Lexa | Neptune |
| Type | Desktop | Laptop |
| Release date | 26 March 2019 | 7 January 2014 |
| Pipelines | 512 | 1280 |
| Core clock speed | 1100 MHz | 850 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1124 MHz | 900 MHz |
| Transistor count | 2,200 million | 2,800 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 14 nm | 28 nm |
| Texture fill rate | 35.97 | 72.00 |
| Floating-point performance | 2,304 gflops | |
| Length | 145 mm | |
| Memory bus width | 64 Bit | 256 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 7000 MHz | 1200 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 56 GB/s | 153.6 GB/s |
| Shared memory | - | |
| DirectX | 12 (12_0) | |
| Shader Model | 6.4 | 5.1 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.4 |
| OpenCL | 2.0 | Not Listed |
| Vulkan | 1.2.131 | |
| FreeSync | + | |
| Bus support | PCIe 3.0 x16 | |
| Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) | 300 Mh/s | |
| Laptop size | large | |
| Eyefinity | + | |
| HD3D | + | |
| PowerTune | + | |
| DualGraphics | + | |
| ZeroCore | + | |
| Switchable graphics | + | |
| Mantle | + | |
| Compute units | 20 | |
| Check Price |