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AMD Radeon R9 M290X

AMD Radeon R9 M290X

The AMD Radeon R9 M290X is a 28nm DirectX 12 graphics card based on the GCN (Graphics Core Next) architecture. Built primarily for large laptops, the advanced card is positioned near the top of the high-end category as of Q1/2014. Its performance and feature set are identical to the HD 8970M, as the M290X shares the same core and features the same clock rates.

The design of the Radeon R9 M290 series has its roots to the Pitcairn chip as found on the desktop Radeon HD 7870. The M290X in particular is similar to its desktop Radeon HD 7870 counterpart with 1280 1D shader cores and 80 texture units, but has a core clock of only 900 MHz (boost) versus the 1000 MHz clock of the HD 7870. Compared to the HD 7970M, the M290X shares the same base clock rate but with a 50 MHz higher Turbo clock for a 6% increase (1.01 TFLOPS vs. 1.07 TFLOPS) in raw SP calculations. As a result, general performance of the M290X is somewhere between the 7850 and 7870 desktop Radeon cards.

As mentioned before, the M290X is just a rebrand of the HD 8970M with identical performance. When compared to mobile Nvidia GPUs, the M290X performs a bit below the GeForce GTX 780M and slightly above the Nvidia GeForce GTX 680M. Therefore, almost all demanding games of 2013 will run fluently on very high details and 1080p resolution.

Features of the M290X include the new UVD3 video decoder for decoding MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, VC-1, MPEG-2, Flash, Multi-View Codec (MVC) and MPEG-4 part 2 (DivX, xVid) HD videos directly from the AMD GPU.

The M290 series also supports automatic graphics switching between the integrated GPU and discrete GPU. Called Enduro, the technology supersedes AMD's Dynamic Switchable Graphics and is similar to Nvidia's Optimus. Furthermore, the M290X can directly support up to 6 connected monitors using Eyefinity Technology if Enduro is disabled.

Other features of the M290 series include ZeroCore for reducing power consumption when the display is turned off. Power Gating, however, is not supported according to AMD. PowerTune allows automatic overclocking and underclocking of the graphics card as long as the GPU is within its TDP range. For example, the chip may be underclocked when running FurMark and OCCT, but will overclock in certain games like Lost Planet, Crysis or Resident Evil 5.

The integrated HD audio processor is able to transmit HD Audio (TrueHD or DTS Master Audio) over HDMI and DisplayPort (e.g., for Blu-Ray videos). Additionally, it now allows audio to output simultaneously and in parallel to multiple devices with the new Discrete Digital Multipoint Audio (DDMA) feature.

Power consumption of the M290X is in the same ballpark as the GeForce GTX 780M. The subsequently large heat output suits the GPU as an option only for large laptops or DTRs (desktop replacements) equipped with relatively powerful cooling solutions.

Radeon R9 M200 Series

Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire compare 2560 @ 0.85 - 0.9 GHz2x 256 Bit @ 4800 MHz
Radeon R9 M295X compare 2048 @ 0.85 GHz256 Bit @ 5448 MHz
Radeon R9 M290X 1280 @ 0.85 - 0.9 GHz256 Bit @ 4800 MHz
Radeon R9 M280X compare 896 @ 0.9 - 1 GHz128 Bit @ 5500 MHz
Radeon R9 M275 compare 640 @ 0.93 GHz128 Bit @ 4500 MHz
Radeon R9 M270 compare 640 @ 0.73 GHz128 Bit @ 4500 MHz
Radeon R9 M265X compare 640 @ 0.63 GHz128 Bit @ 4000 MHz
CodenameNeptune
ArchitectureGCN
Pipelines1280 - unified
Core Speed850 - 900 (Boost) MHz
Memory Speed4800 MHz
Memory Bus Width256 Bit
Memory TypeGDDR5
Max. Amount of Memory4 GB
Shared Memoryno
APIDirectX 12 (FL 11_1), Shader 5.0, OpenGL 4.3
Power Consumption100 Watt
Transistor Count2.8 Billion
technology28 nm
Features2304 GLOPS SP, 144 DP Compute Power, 154 GB/s Memory Bandwidth, 80 TMUs, 32 ROPs, 20 Compute Units (OpenCL 1.2), 212 mm2 Die Size, PCIe 3.0 x16
Notebook Sizelarge
Date of Announcement07.01.2014
Link to Manufacturer Pagewww.amd.com

Benchmarks

Performance Rating - 3DMark 11 + Fire Strike + Time Spy
2.4 pt (7%)
3DMark Vantage
3DM Vant. Perf. total +
3DM Vant. Perf. GPU no PhysX +
Cinebench R11.5 Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64 Bit +
- Range of benchmark values for this graphics card
- Average benchmark values for this graphics card
* Smaller numbers mean a higher performance

Game Benchmarks

The following benchmarks stem from our benchmarks of review laptops. The performance depends on the used graphics memory, clock rate, processor, system settings, drivers, and operating systems. So the results don't have to be representative for all laptops with this GPU. For detailed information on the benchmark results, click on the fps number.

The Crew

The Crew

2014
low 1280x720
60  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
59.9  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
59.9  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
40.5  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
low 1024x768
132.1  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
94.7  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
42.4  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
27.6  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Far Cry 4

Far Cry 4

2014
low 1024x768
76.1  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
70.7  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
49.1  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
41.4  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
low 1024x768
44.7  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
39  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
24.4  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
18.1  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings med..
low 1024x768
75.1  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
54.8  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
54  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
33.8  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
low 1024x768
152.7  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
76.5  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
48.9  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
44  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
F1 2014

F1 2014

2014
low 1024x768
0 (!)  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
0 (!)  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
0 (!)  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
0 (!)  fps    + Compare
low 1024x768
56.8  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
55  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
41.8  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
low 1024x768
83.4  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
76.1  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
43.3  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
39.2  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
low 1024x768
140.4  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
120.5  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
73.4  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
57.1  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
low 1280x720
151  fps    + Compare
med. 1344x756
102.8  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
50.8  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
37.1  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Fifa 15

Fifa 15

2014
low 1280x720
194.4  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
184.9  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
111.3  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Sims 4

Sims 4

2014
low 1024x768
111.6  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
81.6  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
59.7  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
57  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
low 1024x768
97.6  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
58.1  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
49.3  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
39.7  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
low 1024x768
211.5  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
112.6  fps    + Compare
high 1920x1080
95.7  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
62  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Titanfall

Titanfall

2014
low 1024x768
60  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
60  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
60  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
58.9  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Thief

Thief

2014
low 1024x768
51.1  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
48  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
45.3  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
34  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
low 1024x768
71.7  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
41.4  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
22  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
16.4  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings med..
low 1024x768
58.6  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
55.9  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
44.7  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
33.2  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
low 1024x768
93  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
81.6  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
73.9  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
38.7  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
low 1280x720
49.2  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
43.4  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
38.7  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
35.2  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Dota 2

Dota 2

2013
low 1024x768
118.2  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
115.2  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
102.6  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
GRID 2

GRID 2

2013
low 1024x768
129.5  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
90  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
86  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
60.3  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
low 1024x768
84  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
77.4  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
60  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
33.1  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
low 1280x720
164.6  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
140  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
124.7  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
46.8  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
low 1024x768
287.5  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
193.9  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
137.3  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
62.7  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
Crysis 3

Crysis 3

2013
low 1024x768
107.8  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
72.8  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
48.2  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
22.8  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
Far Cry 3

Far Cry 3

2012
high 1366x768
61.9  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
29  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings high.
low 1024x768
60  fps    + Compare
med. 1366x768
56.3  fps    + Compare
high 1366x768
49.4  fps    + Compare
ultra 1920x1080
37.3  fps    + Compare
» With all tested laptops playable in detail settings ultra.
lowmed.highultraQHD4K
The Crew6059.959.940.5
Dragon Age: Inquisition132.194.742.427.6
Far Cry 476.170.749.141.4
Assassin's Creed Unity44.73924.418.1
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare75.154.85433.8
Civilization: Beyond Earth152.776.548.944
F1 20140000
The Evil Within56.85541.8
Ryse: Son of Rome83.476.143.339.2
Alien: Isolation140.4120.573.457.1
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor151102.850.837.1
Fifa 15194.4184.9111.3
Sims 4111.681.659.757
Risen 3: Titan Lords97.658.149.339.7
GRID: Autosport211.5112.695.762
Titanfall60606058.9
Thief51.14845.334
X-Plane 10.2571.741.42216.4
Call of Duty: Ghosts58.655.944.733.2
Battlefield 49381.673.938.7
Saints Row IV49.243.438.735.2
Dota 2118.2115.2102.6
GRID 2129.5908660.3
Metro: Last Light8477.46033.1
BioShock Infinite164.6140124.746.8
Tomb Raider287.5193.9137.362.7
Crysis 3107.872.848.222.8
Far Cry 361.929
Hitman: Absolution6056.349.437.3
< 30 fps
< 60 fps
< 120 fps
≥ 120 fps

5
13
9

10
13
3
2
15
7
3
5
17
5






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Notebook reviews with AMD Radeon R9 M290X graphics card

Review Clevo P150SM (One K56-4N) Barebones Notebook

Review Clevo P150SM (One K56-4N) Barebones Notebook

Repeater. With the Radeon R9 M290X, AMD competes with old technology. Learn in our review whether the deluxe model can keep up with high-end products from Nvidi...
Intel Core i7-4700MQ | AMD Radeon R9 M290X | 15.60" | 3.1 kg

MSI GX70 3CC-222XPL: AMD A10-5750M, 17.30", 3.9 kg
  External Review » MSI GX70 3CC-222XPL

MSI GX60-3CC87FD: AMD A10-5750M, 15.60", 3.5 kg
  External Review » MSI GX60-3CC87FD

Alienware 17, Radeon R9 M290X: Intel Core i7-4710MQ, 17.30", 4.1 kg
  External Review » Alienware 17, Radeon R9 M290X

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Playable games for each graphics card and their average FPS results.

Class 1

Class 2

Radeon PRO W6600M *

Class 3

UHD Graphics 32EUs
UHD Graphics 750

Class 4

Class 5

* Approximate position of the graphics adapter