GeForce GTX 1650 Laptop vs Radeon R9 290

Speed and memory

In our performance index the GeForce GTX 1650 Laptop scores 7 and the Radeon R9 290 scores 6, which makes the GeForce GTX 1650 Laptop about 17% faster. That is a visible but modest gap, usually 5 to 10 fps in a game that runs at 60.

Both cards have 4 GB of video memory, so memory will not separate them.

In our estimates for popular games at 1080p on High, the biggest gap is in Call of Duty (14 against 12 fps), and the smallest is in Red Dead Redemption 2 (26 against 23 fps). Games that are light enough to run above 200 fps on both cards show little difference at all.

Power and value

The GeForce GTX 1650 Laptop is rated at 50 W and the Radeon R9 290 at 250 W. With a mid-range processor that means a power supply of about 450 W for the first and 650 W for the second. A gap of 200 W shows up in heat and fan noise, and in your electricity use over a few years.

We do not have launch prices for both cards, so we cannot compare value. Check current listings for both.

Which one to buy

Choose the GeForce GTX 1650 Laptop if you want the faster card, and it also has at least as much memory. It makes the most sense at 1440p and above, or on a monitor with a high refresh rate.

Choose the Radeon R9 290 if the price gap matters more than the 17% speed difference. Whichever you pick, check reviews for the games you play, because two cards with similar scores can differ in individual titles.