Radeon R7 512 Cores Kaveri vs Radeon R9 M290X

When choosing between Radeon R7 512 Cores Kaveri and Radeon R9 M290X, 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 Radeon R7 512 Cores Kaveri and Radeon R9 M290X.
Radeon R7 512 Cores Kaveri

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 R7 512 Cores Kaveri Radeon R9 M290X
Power consumption (TDP) 100 Watt
Interface PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors None
Memory type GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 4 GB
Display Connectors No outputs
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  • Radeon R7 512 Cores Kaveri is used in Desktops, and Radeon R9 M290X - in Laptops.
  • Radeon R7 512 Cores Kaveri and Radeon R9 M290X are build with GCN architecture.
  • Core clock speed of Radeon R9 M290X is 130 MHz higher, than Radeon R7 512 Cores Kaveri.
  • Radeon R7 512 Cores Kaveri and Radeon R9 M290X are manufactured by 28 nm process technology.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 7−8 16−18
ultra / 1080p 4−5 10−11
QHD / 1440p 0−1 4−5
4K / 2160p 4−5
low / 720p 18−20 30−35
medium / 1080p 9−10 20−22
The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M290X in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 100% more, than Radeon R7 512 Cores Kaveri.

Full Specs

  Radeon R7 512 Cores Kaveri Radeon R9 M290X
Architecture GCN GCN
Code name Kaveri Spectre Neptune
Type Desktop Laptop
Release date 14 January 2014 7 January 2014
Pipelines 512 1280
Core clock speed 720 MHz 850 MHz
Boost Clock 900 MHz
Transistor count 2,800 million
Manufacturing process technology 28 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 72.00
Floating-point performance 2,304 gflops
Memory bus width 256 Bit
Memory clock speed 1200 MHz
Memory bandwidth 153.6 GB/s
Shared memory + -
DirectX DirectX 12 (FL 12_0), Shader 5.2
Shader Model 5.1
OpenGL 4.4
OpenCL Not Listed
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
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