Radeon R9 290 vs GeForce GTX 1050 Ti

Speed and memory

In our performance index the Radeon R9 290 scores 6 and the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti scores 5.5, which makes the Radeon R9 290 about 9% faster. That is a small gap, below what most people notice without a frame counter.

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 ELDEN RING (20 against 18 fps), and the smallest is in Minecraft: Java Edition (112 against 104 fps). Games that are light enough to run above 200 fps on both cards show little difference at all.

Power and value

The Radeon R9 290 is rated at 250 W and the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti at 75 W. With a mid-range processor that means a power supply of about 650 W for the first and 450 W for the second. A gap of 175 W shows up in heat and fan noise, and in your electricity use over a few years.

At launch the Radeon R9 290 cost $399 and the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti $139. Per dollar, the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti gave more performance (4.0 points per $100 against 1.5). Current prices differ, so run the same sum on what you can actually buy today.

Which one to buy

Choose the Radeon R9 290 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 GeForce GTX 1050 Ti if the price gap matters more than the 9% speed difference, or if you want lower power draw and a quieter PC. Whichever you pick, check reviews for the games you play, because two cards with similar scores can differ in individual titles.