GeForce GTX 965M SLI vs Radeon R9 290

When choosing between GeForce GTX 965M SLI and Radeon R9 290, 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 965M SLI and Radeon R9 290.

GeForce GTX 965M SLI is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: GeForce GTX 965M SLI 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 965M SLI here:

Main Specs

  GeForce GTX 965M SLI Radeon R9 290
Power consumption (TDP) 275 Watt
Interface PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 2x 4 GB 4 GB
Display Connectors 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort
  Check Price Check Price
  • Radeon R9 290 has 2 GB more memory, than GeForce GTX 965M SLI.
  • GeForce GTX 965M SLI is used in Laptops, and Radeon R9 290 - in Desktops.
  • GeForce GTX 965M SLI is build with Maxwell architecture, and Radeon R9 290 - with GCN 2.0.
  • Core clock speed of Radeon R9 290 is 23 MHz higher, than GeForce GTX 965M SLI.
  • GeForce GTX 965M SLI and Radeon R9 290 are manufactured by 28 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of GeForce GTX 965M SLI and Radeon R9 290 is 5000 MHz.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 35−40 40−45
ultra / 1080p 21−24 27−30
QHD / 1440p 16−18 21−24
4K / 2160p 10−11 12−14
low / 720p 60−65 65−70
medium / 1080p 40−45 50−55
The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 290 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 15% more, than GeForce GTX 965M SLI.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 965M SLI Radeon R9 290
Architecture Maxwell GCN 2.0
Code name Hawaii
Type Laptop Desktop
Release date 5 January 2015 5 November 2013
Pipelines 2048 2560
Core clock speed 924 MHz 947 MHz
Boost Clock 950 MHz
Transistor count 2x 5200 Million 6,200 million
Manufacturing process technology 28 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 151.5
Floating-point performance 4,849 gflops
Length 275 mm
Memory bus width 128 Bit 512 Bit
Memory clock speed 5000 MHz 5000 MHz
Memory bandwidth 320.0 GB/s
Shared memory -
DirectX DirectX 12_1, Shader 5.0 12 (12_0)
Shader Model 6.3
OpenGL 4.6
OpenCL 2.0
Vulkan 1.2.131
CUDA +
SLI options +
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 545 Mh/s
Laptop size large
Optimus +
Ethereum / ETH (DaggerHashimoto) 30 Mh/s
Zcash / ZEC (Equihash) 285 Sol/s
  Check Price Check Price