Radeon HD 8970M vs Radeon R9 M290X
In this comparison between Radeon HD 8970M 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 HD 8970M will be the best choice, for others Radeon R9 M290X will be their preference. Study the comparison tables below and make your choice.
Radeon HD 8970M and Radeon R9 M290X are Laptop Graphics Cards
Note: Radeon HD 8970M and Radeon R9 M290X are only used in laptop graphics. They have 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 HD 8970M or Radeon R9 M290X here:
Main Specs
Radeon HD 8970M
Radeon R9 M290X
Power consumption (TDP)
100 Watt
100 Watt
Interface
PCIe 3.0 x16
PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors
None
Memory type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount
4 GB
4 GB
Display Connectors
No outputs
No outputs
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Both graphics cards have the same power consumption of 100 Watt.
Both video cards are using PCIe 3.0 x16 interface connection to a motherboard.
Radeon HD 8970M and Radeon R9 M290X have maximum RAM of 4 GB.
Both cards are used in Laptops.
Radeon HD 8970M and Radeon R9 M290X are build with GCN architecture.
Both graphics cards have the same core clock speed.
Radeon HD 8970M and Radeon R9 M290X are manufactured by 28 nm process technology.
Memory clock speed of Radeon HD 8970M is 3600 MHz higher, than Radeon R9 M290X.
Game benchmarks
Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Battlefield 5
Call of Duty: Warzone
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Cyberpunk 2077
Dota 2
Far Cry 5
Fortnite
Forza Horizon 4
Grand Theft Auto V
Metro Exodus
Minecraft
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS
Red Dead Redemption 2
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
World of Tanks
high / 1080p
20−22
16−18
ultra / 1080p
12−14
10−11
QHD / 1440p
6−7
4−5
4K / 2160p
5−6
4−5
low / 720p
35−40
30−35
medium / 1080p
24−27
20−22
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 20% more, than Radeon R9 M290X.
high / 1080p
30−35
24−27
ultra / 1080p
27−30
21−24
QHD / 1440p
10−12
9−10
4K / 2160p
7−8
6−7
low / 720p
65−70
55−60
medium / 1080p
35−40
27−30
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Battlefield 5 is 20% more, than Radeon R9 M290X.
low / 768p
50−55
45−50
QHD / 1440p
0−1
0−1
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Call of Duty: Warzone is 10% more, than Radeon R9 M290X.
low / 768p
230−240
210−220
medium / 768p
200−210
180−190
ultra / 1080p
110−120
100−110
QHD / 1440p
85−90
55−60
4K / 2160p
45−50
30−35
high / 768p
160−170
150−160
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is 13% more, than Radeon R9 M290X.
low / 768p
60−65
55−60
ultra / 1080p
50−55
40−45
medium / 1080p
55−60
45−50
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Cyberpunk 2077 is 16% more, than Radeon R9 M290X.
low / 768p
120−130
110−120
medium / 768p
100−110
95−100
ultra / 1080p
75−80
65−70
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Dota 2 is 9% more, than Radeon R9 M290X.
high / 1080p
24−27
18−20
ultra / 1080p
21−24
18−20
QHD / 1440p
18−20
16−18
4K / 2160p
7−8
6−7
low / 720p
50−55
40−45
medium / 1080p
24−27
21−24
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Far Cry 5 is 19% more, than Radeon R9 M290X.
high / 1080p
30−35
27−30
ultra / 1080p
24−27
21−24
QHD / 1440p
14−16
16−18
low / 720p
120−130
100−110
medium / 1080p
70−75
55−60
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Fortnite is 17% more, than Radeon R9 M290X.
high / 1080p
30−35
27−30
ultra / 1080p
24−27
21−24
QHD / 1440p
12−14
10−11
4K / 2160p
12−14
10−11
low / 720p
65−70
55−60
medium / 1080p
35−40
30−35
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Forza Horizon 4 is 14% more, than Radeon R9 M290X.
low / 768p
100−110
90−95
medium / 768p
90−95
80−85
high / 1080p
40−45
30−35
ultra / 1080p
16−18
12−14
QHD / 1440p
6−7
4−5
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Grand Theft Auto V is 15% more, than Radeon R9 M290X.
high / 1080p
12−14
10−11
ultra / 1080p
10−11
8−9
4K / 2160p
2−3
3−4
low / 720p
35−40
30−35
medium / 1080p
16−18
14−16
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Metro Exodus is 14% more, than Radeon R9 M290X.
low / 768p
120−130
110−120
medium / 1080p
110−120
100−110
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Minecraft is 9% more, than Radeon R9 M290X.
high / 1080p
−
24−27
ultra / 1080p
14−16
18−20
low / 720p
70−75
60−65
medium / 1080p
18−20
24−27
Radeon HD 8970M and Radeon R9 M290X have the same average FPS in PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS.
high / 1080p
14−16
14−16
ultra / 1080p
10−11
10−11
QHD / 1440p
1−2
0−1
4K / 2160p
1−2
−
low / 720p
35−40
30−35
medium / 1080p
20−22
16−18
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in Red Dead Redemption 2 is 16% more, than Radeon R9 M290X.
low / 768p
70−75
60−65
medium / 768p
45−50
35−40
high / 1080p
24−27
21−24
ultra / 1080p
14−16
12−14
4K / 2160p
8−9
8−9
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 8970M in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is 17% more, than Radeon R9 M290X.
low / 768p
90−95
100−110
medium / 768p
60−65
60−65
ultra / 1080p
40−45
35−40
high / 768p
55−60
55−60
The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M290X in World of Tanks is 3% more, than Radeon HD 8970M.
Full Specs
Radeon HD 8970M
Radeon R9 M290X
Architecture
GCN
GCN
Code name
Neptune
Neptune
Type
Laptop
Laptop
Release date
15 May 2013
7 January 2014
Pipelines
1280
1280
Core clock speed
850 MHz
850 MHz
Boost Clock
900 MHz
900 MHz
Transistor count
2,800 million
2,800 million
Manufacturing process technology
28 nm
28 nm
Texture fill rate
72.00
72.00
Floating-point performance
2,304 gflops
2,304 gflops
Memory bus width
256 Bit
256 Bit
Memory clock speed
4800 MHz
1200 MHz
Memory bandwidth
153.6 GB/s
153.6 GB/s
Shared memory
-
-
DirectX
12 (11_1)
Shader Model
5.1
5.1
OpenGL
4.6
4.4
OpenCL
1.2
Not Listed
Vulkan
1.2.131
FreeSync
+
Bus support
PCIe 3.0 x16
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256)
273 Mh/s
300 Mh/s
Laptop size
large
large
Eyefinity
+
HD3D
+
PowerTune
+
DualGraphics
+
ZeroCore
+
Switchable graphics
+
Mantle
+
Compute units
20
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