AMD Radeon R9 290 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti is the faster card by roughly 7%. Here is how the two compare across every spec that matters for gaming.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti wins — about 7% faster in gaming workloads
Specification AMD Radeon R9 290 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti
Performance score 14/100 15/100
Tier D D
VRAM 4 GB 3 GB
Power draw (TDP) 275 W 250 W
Launch MSRP $399 $699
Performance per $100 3.5 2.1
Release year 2013 2013
DLSS — No — No
FSR ✓ Yes ✓ Yes
XeSS — No — No
Ray tracing — No — No

Which should you buy?

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti is the stronger performer of the two, and it is the default choice if raw frame rate is what you care about. The AMD Radeon R9 290 carries more VRAM (4GB vs 3GB), which matters at 1440p and above and for texture-heavy titles. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti draws 25W less, so it is easier on your power supply and case cooling — check the PSU calculator before committing. On launch pricing, the AMD Radeon R9 290 offers better performance per dollar.