Radeon HD 6850 vs Radeon R9 290X
When comparing Radeon HD 6850 and Radeon R9 290X, we look primarily at benchmarks and game tests. But it is not only about the numbers. Often you can find third-party models with higher clock speeds, better cooling, or a customizable RGB lighting. Not all of them will have all the features you need. Another thing to consider is the port selection. Most graphics cards have at least one DisplayPort and HDMI interface, but some monitors require DVI. Before you buy, check the TDP of the graphics card - this characteristic will help you estimate the consumption of the graphics card. You may even have to upgrade your PSU to meet its requirements. An important factor when choosing between Radeon HD 6850 and Radeon R9 290X is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.
Main Specs
Radeon HD 6850
Radeon R9 290X
Power consumption (TDP)
127 Watt
250 Watt
Interface
PCIe 2.0 x16
PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors
1x 6-pin
1 x 6-pin + 1 x 8-pin
Memory type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount
1 GB
4 GB
Display Connectors
2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort
2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort
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Radeon R9 290X has 96% more power consumption, than Radeon HD 6850.
Radeon HD 6850 is connected by PCIe 2.0 x16, and Radeon R9 290X uses PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.
Radeon R9 290X has 3 GB more memory, than Radeon HD 6850.
Both cards are used in Desktops.
Radeon HD 6850 is build with TeraScale 2 architecture, and Radeon R9 290X - with GCN.
Radeon HD 6850 is manufactured by 40 nm process technology, and Radeon R9 290X - by 28 nm process technology.
Radeon R9 290X is 77 mm longer, than Radeon HD 6850.
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
9−10
35−40
ultra / 1080p
5−6
24−27
QHD / 1440p
0−1
18−20
4K / 2160p
−
10−11
low / 720p
21−24
60−65
medium / 1080p
12−14
45−50
The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 290X in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 258% more, than Radeon HD 6850.
high / 1080p
16−18
60−65
ultra / 1080p
14−16
50−55
QHD / 1440p
0−1
35−40
4K / 2160p
−
18−20
low / 720p
35−40
110−120
medium / 1080p
16−18
65−70
The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 290X in Battlefield 5 is 252% more, than Radeon HD 6850.
low / 768p
45−50
50−55
QHD / 1440p
0−1
0−1
The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 290X in Call of Duty: Warzone is 10% more, than Radeon HD 6850.
low / 768p
160−170
250−260
medium / 768p
130−140
220−230
ultra / 1080p
70−75
190−200
QHD / 1440p
40−45
110−120
4K / 2160p
30−33
70−75
high / 768p
100−110
210−220
The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 290X in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is 96% more, than Radeon HD 6850.
low / 768p
55−60
60−65
ultra / 1080p
27−30
−
medium / 1080p
45−50
55−60
The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 290X in Cyberpunk 2077 is 15% more, than Radeon HD 6850.
low / 768p
90−95
120−130
medium / 768p
70−75
110−120
ultra / 1080p
45−50
100−110
The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 290X in Dota 2 is 64% more, than Radeon HD 6850.
high / 1080p
10−12
45−50
ultra / 1080p
10−11
45−50
QHD / 1440p
−
30−35
4K / 2160p
4−5
16−18
low / 720p
24−27
85−90
medium / 1080p
12−14
50−55
The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 290X in Far Cry 5 is 316% more, than Radeon HD 6850.
high / 1080p
18−20
65−70
ultra / 1080p
12−14
50−55
QHD / 1440p
−
30−35
4K / 2160p
−
27−30
low / 720p
75−80
180−190
medium / 1080p
30−35
120−130
The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 290X in Fortnite is 205% more, than Radeon HD 6850.
high / 1080p
16−18
65−70
ultra / 1080p
14−16
45−50
QHD / 1440p
4−5
35−40
4K / 2160p
−
24−27
low / 720p
35−40
110−120
medium / 1080p
18−20
70−75
The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 290X in Forza Horizon 4 is 277% more, than Radeon HD 6850.
low / 768p
65−70
140−150
medium / 768p
55−60
130−140
high / 1080p
18−20
75−80
ultra / 1080p
8−9
30−35
QHD / 1440p
0−1
24−27
The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 290X in Grand Theft Auto V is 155% more, than Radeon HD 6850.
high / 1080p
6−7
27−30
ultra / 1080p
4−5
21−24
QHD / 1440p
−
18−20
4K / 2160p
1−2
9−10
low / 720p
18−20
70−75
medium / 1080p
8−9
35−40
The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 290X in Metro Exodus is 325% more, than Radeon HD 6850.
low / 768p
100−110
130−140
ultra / 1080p
90−95
−
medium / 1080p
95−100
120−130
The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 290X in Minecraft is 28% more, than Radeon HD 6850.
high / 1080p
18−20
−
ultra / 1080p
14−16
14−16
low / 720p
40−45
100−110
medium / 1080p
20−22
18−20
The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 290X in PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS is 76% more, than Radeon HD 6850.
high / 1080p
12−14
27−30
ultra / 1080p
8−9
18−20
QHD / 1440p
0−1
12−14
4K / 2160p
−
8−9
low / 720p
18−20
70−75
medium / 1080p
12−14
35−40
The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 290X in Red Dead Redemption 2 is 200% more, than Radeon HD 6850.
low / 768p
35−40
140−150
medium / 768p
21−24
90−95
high / 1080p
12−14
50−55
ultra / 1080p
8−9
27−30
4K / 2160p
7−8
16−18
The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 290X in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is 294% more, than Radeon HD 6850.
low / 768p
90−95
90−95
medium / 768p
50−55
60−65
ultra / 1080p
24−27
55−60
high / 768p
40−45
−
The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 290X in World of Tanks is 25% more, than Radeon HD 6850.
Full Specs
Radeon HD 6850
Radeon R9 290X
Architecture
TeraScale 2
GCN
Code name
Barts
Hawaii XT
Type
Desktop
Desktop
Release date
21 October 2010
24 October 2013
Pipelines
960
2816
Boost Clock
947 MHz
Transistor count
1,700 million
6,200 million
Manufacturing process technology
40 nm
28 nm
Texture fill rate
37.20
176.0
Floating-point performance
1,488.0 gflops
5,632 gflops
Length
198 mm
275 mm
Memory bus width
256 Bit
512 Bit
Memory clock speed
1250 MHz
Memory bandwidth
128.0 GB/s
320 GB/s
Shared memory
-
Shader Model
5.0
6.3
OpenGL
4.4
4.6
OpenCL
1.2
2.0
Vulkan
+
Monero / XMR (CryptoNight)
0.76 kh/s
FreeSync
+
Bus support
AGP
PCIe 3.0
HDMI
+
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256)
139 Mh/s
623 Mh/s
Eyefinity
+
+
HD3D
+
TrueAudio
+
Design
reference
reference
DisplayPort support
+
CrossFire
+
+
DDMA audio
+
Decred / DCR (Decred)
1.07 Gh/s
Ethereum / ETH (DaggerHashimoto)
25.75 Mh/s
Zcash / ZEC (Equihash)
350 Sol/s
AppAcceleration
+
LiquidVR
+
TressFX
+
UVD
+
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