AMD Radeon R9 M290X vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only directly comparable benchmark in the database is Geekbench OpenCL, and the result is decisive. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 scores 90,334, while the AMD Radeon R9 M290X scores 22,028. That puts the RTX 5050 a full 75.6% ahead, a massive generational gap that dwarfs any architectural refinement. In this single head-to-head test, the RTX 5050 holds the only win, with no benchmark victories recorded for the R9 M290X.

Looking at the broader database context, the R9 M290X has an average benchmark score of 23,276, while the RTX 5050 averages 21,035. This is a curious inversion: the older card has a higher average score even though it loses the OpenCL test badly. The explanation lies in the different test suites each card is measured on. The R9 M290X only has two recorded scores, both from Geekbench, and both are relatively strong for its era. The RTX 5050 has ten recorded scores, including several Passmark tests that drag its average down. For example, the RTX 5050 scores only 103 in Passmark DirectX 10, 150 in DirectX 11, and 66 in DirectX 12, while its Passmark G3D score is 17,326 and its compute score is 9,184. These low legacy API scores pull the average lower, even though the card is clearly far more powerful.

The percentile rankings tell a similar story. The R9 M290X sits at the 68th percentile of all GPUs in the database, while the RTX 5050 sits at the 66th percentile. Both are mid-to-upper tier products, but the R9 M290X is slightly higher in percentile despite being a much older design. This is because the percentile is computed relative to all GPUs ever tested, and the R9 M290X’s small benchmark set happens to be favorable. In contrast, the RTX 5050’s comprehensive benchmark suite includes several low scores that reflect its performance on legacy DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 workloads, which are not representative of modern gaming.

The only head-to-head that exists is Geekbench OpenCL, and it is not close. The RTX 5050 delivers a 75.6% higher score, translating to roughly four times the raw compute throughput in that workload. For any user comparing these two cards, that single metric is the most telling. The R9 M290X may hold its own in older, less demanding tests, but the RTX 5050 is categorically faster in modern compute.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the only direct head-to-head benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 wins Geekbench OpenCL with a score of 90,334 versus 22,028 for the AMD Radeon R9 M290X, a delta of 75.6%.

Q: Do the average benchmark scores match the head-to-head result?

A: No. The R9 M290X has a higher average benchmark score of 23,276 compared to the RTX 5050’s 21,035, but the RTX 5050 has a much larger test suite that includes low legacy DirectX scores.

Q: What is the percentile ranking of each GPU?

A: The R9 M290X ranks in the 68th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 5050 ranks in the 66th percentile, despite the RTX 5050 being far faster in OpenCL.

Q: Which GPU has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The RTX 5050 has a bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s, more than double the R9 M290X’s 153.6 GB/s, and it uses 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus versus 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus.

Q: Does the RTX 5050 support modern features like ray tracing?

A: Yes, the RTX 5050 has 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the R9 M290X has no RT or tensor cores and only supports DirectX 12 (11_1).

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is enormous, representing a decade of silicon evolution. The AMD Radeon R9 M290X is built on the Neptune chip with GCN 1.0 architecture, a design that debuted in the "Gem System (R9 M200)" generation. It is fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC, with 2,800 million transistors packed into a 212 mm² die. That yields a transistor density of 13.2 million per square millimeter. The RTX 5050, in contrast, uses the GB207 chip with Blackwell 2.0 architecture from the GeForce 50-series, built on a 5 nm process, also at TSMC. It packs 16,900 million transistors into a smaller 149 mm² die, achieving a density of 113.4 million per square millimeter.

The compute capabilities are a stark contrast. The R9 M290X has 1,280 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. Its pixel rate is 28.80 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 72.00 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance at 2.304 TFLOPS. The RTX 5050 has 2,560 shading units, also 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, but its pixel rate jumps to 82.30 GPixel/s and its texture rate to 205.8 GTexel/s, with FP32 at 13.17 TFLOPS. The RTX 5050 also supports FP16 at 13.17 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio, while the R9 M290X has no recorded FP16 capability.

The most significant architectural additions to the RTX 5050 are the 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores, which enable ray tracing and AI acceleration. The R9 M290X has none of these. On the API front, the R9 M290X supports DirectX 12 (11_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.170. The RTX 5050 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The newer card also has a PCIe 5.0 x8 interface, while the R9 M290X uses PCIe 3.0 x16.

The RTX 5050 is built for modern rendering pipelines. Its 5 nm process allows for substantially higher clocks, with a base of 2,317 MHz and boost of 2,572 MHz, compared to the R9 M290X’s base of 850 MHz and boost of 900 MHz. That clock speed advantage, combined with more shaders, explains the huge compute delta.

Specification Differences

The specifications that differ are numerous, and they are summarized below:

• Process Node: The R9 M290X uses 28 nm, while the RTX 5050 uses 5 nm.
• Transistors: 2,800 million (R9 M290X) versus 16,900 million (RTX 5050).
• Die Size: 212 mm² (R9 M290X) versus 149 mm² (RTX 5050).
• Transistor Density: 13.2M / mm² (R9 M290X) versus 113.4M / mm² (RTX 5050).
• Base Clock: 850 MHz (R9 M290X) versus 2,317 MHz (RTX 5050).
• Boost Clock: 900 MHz (R9 M290X) versus 2,572 MHz (RTX 5050).
• Memory Clock: 1200 MHz, 4.8 Gbps effective (R9 M290X) versus 2500 MHz, 20 Gbps effective (RTX 5050).
• Memory Size: 4 GB (R9 M290X) versus 8 GB (RTX 5050).
• Memory Type: GDDR5 (R9 M290X) versus GDDR6 (RTX 5050).
• Memory Bus Width: 256 bit (R9 M290X) versus 128 bit (RTX 5050).
• Memory Bandwidth: 153.6 GB/s (R9 M290X) versus 320.0 GB/s (RTX 5050).
• Shading Units: 1,280 (R9 M290X) versus 2,560 (RTX 5050).
• TMUs: 80 (both, but listed separately).
• ROPs: 32 (both).
• RT Cores: None (R9 M290X) versus 20 (RTX 5050).
• Tensor Cores: None (R9 M290X) versus 80 (RTX 5050).
• Pixel Rate: 28.80 GPixel/s (R9 M290X) versus 82.30 GPixel/s (RTX 5050).
• Texture Rate: 72.00 GTexel/s (R9 M290X) versus 205.8 GTexel/s (RTX 5050).
• FP32: 2.304 TFLOPS (R9 M290X) versus 13.17 TFLOPS (RTX 5050).
• FP16: Not available (R9 M290X) versus 13.17 TFLOPS (RTX 5050).
• TDP: 100 W (R9 M290X) versus 130 W (RTX 5050).
• Slot Width: MXM Module (R9 M290X) versus Dual-slot (RTX 5050).
• Power Connectors: None (R9 M290X) versus 1x 8-pin (RTX 5050).
• Suggested PSU: None (R9 M290X) versus 300 W (RTX 5050).
• Bus Interface: PCIe 3.0 x16 (R9 M290X) versus PCIe 5.0 x8 (RTX 5050).
• Display Outputs: Portable Device Dependent (R9 M290X) versus 1x HDMI 2.1b, 3x DisplayPort 2.1b (RTX 5050).
• DirectX Support: 12 (11_1) (R9 M290X) versus 12 Ultimate (12_2) (RTX 5050).
• Vulkan Support: 1.2.170 (R9 M290X) versus 1.4 (RTX 5050).
• Production Status: End-of-life (R9 M290X) versus Active (RTX 5050).
• Release Date: 2014-01-08 (R9 M290X) versus 2025-06-30 (RTX 5050).
• Launch MSRP: None (R9 M290X) versus 249 USD (RTX 5050).
• Predecessor/Successor: Solar System / Polaris Mobile (R9 M290X) versus GeForce 40 / GeForce 60 (RTX 5050).

Where Each One Wins

The Radeon R9 M290X wins in the narrow sense of average benchmark score and percentile ranking, but this is a statistical artifact. Its average score of 23,276 is higher than the RTX 5050’s 21,035, and it sits at the 68th percentile versus the RTX 5050’s 66th. For anyone running older compute workloads, the R9 M290X still delivers a respectable Geekbench OpenCL score of 22,028, which is only 75.6% below the RTX 5050. In its own generation, the R9 M290X was a capable solution for laptops, with a 100 W TDP and no external power connectors, making it fit for MXM modules.

The RTX 5050 wins decisively in every modern workload. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 90,334 is the headline, showing a 75.6% advantage. In addition, the RTX 5050’s dedicated RT cores and tensor cores enable ray tracing and DLSS-style features that the R9 M290X cannot perform at all. The 8 GB VRAM compared to 4 GB doubles the memory capacity, and the 320.0 GB/s bandwidth versus 153.6 GB/s is a major advantage for high-resolution textures. The RTX 5050 also supports modern standards, including DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, which the older card cannot. The 5 nm process and 2,572 MHz boost clock allow it to achieve 13.17 TFLOPS FP32, a 5.7x improvement over the R9 M290X’s 2.304 TFLOPS.

In terms of use cases, the R9 M290X is only relevant for legacy applications that do not rely on modern APIs. Its GCN 1.0 architecture and 28 nm process are long obsolete, and its production status is end-of-life. The RTX 5050 is the clear choice for gamers and professionals who need current features, high frame rates, and support for upcoming software. It is an active product with a launch MSRP of 249 USD, and its 130 W TDP is modest for the performance it delivers. The only scenario where the R9 M290X wins is one where a system is restricted to PCIe 3.0, has no power connector available, and only uses OpenCL workloads from that era, but even then, the RTX 5050’s compute dominance is overwhelming. The database confirms that the RTX 5050 is the superior product in every meaningful modern performance metric.