The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition on Radeon R9 290

Meets recommendedEstimate · medium confidence, ±20%

Yes. The Radeon R9 290 meets The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition's recommended spec. We estimate ~69 fps at 1080p high (range 55–82, medium confidence, ±20%), GPU-limited. For 60 fps at 1440p, use the medium preset (~48 fps on high). Its 4 GB of video memory covers the 3 GB the game recommends. Model estimate, not measured; data updated 2026-09-24.

Estimated FPS by preset

Preset1080p1440p4K
low1178249
medium896237
high694829
ultra553823
Estimate · medium confidence, ±20%

Estimated FPS from our model (v0), based on the game's published requirements and relative GPU/CPU performance. Not measured. Real results vary with drivers, patches, and scenes. Values above 300 fps show as 300+. Data updated 2026-09-24.

Best settings

  • 60 fps at 1080p: high preset
  • 60 fps at 1440p: medium preset
  • 144 fps at 1080p: not reachable

AMD card: use FSR in quality mode before dropping the preset (XeSS also works). DLSS is not available on Radeon.

What limits performance

  • Estimates above: GPU-limited, assuming a processor fast enough not to hold the Radeon R9 290 back.
  • Processor needed for ~69 fps: Core i3-9100F or faster (slowest current desktop CPU our model expects to keep up).
  • With the recommended CPU (Core i5-2400): still GPU-limited at 1080p high, ~69 fps.

Video memory

  • Radeon R9 290: 4 GB
  • Minimum spec: 1 GB (+3 GB headroom)
  • Recommended spec: 3 GB (+1 GB headroom)

Cheapest upgrade for each target

1440p, 60 fps, High

Radeon RX 9050 4GB

~72 fps vs 48 now (est.)

+50% GPU performance

4K, 60 fps, High

GeForce RTX 3060 12GB

~60 fps vs 29 now (est.)

+108% GPU performance

Slowest current desktop card (2020+) that reaches each target in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition; usually the cheapest.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition on popular graphics cards (high preset)

Graphics card1080p1440pvs Radeon R9 290
GeForce GTX 16505740-17%
Radeon R9 2906948—
GeForce GTX 1060 6GB8056+17%
GeForce RTX 2060 6GB12084+75%
Radeon RX 660013192+92%
GeForce RTX 3060 12GB143100+108%
GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU149104+117%
Radeon RX 7600166116+142%
GeForce RTX 4060169118+146%
GeForce RTX 3070197138+188%
GeForce RTX 4070249174+263%
Radeon RX 7800 XT277194+304%
GeForce RTX 5070286200+317%
Radeon RX 9070 XT300+260+442%
GeForce RTX 4080300+270+463%
GeForce RTX 5090300+300++796%

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition on other hardware

More about the Radeon R9 290

Specs and every game it runs →The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition requirements and FPS on popular hardware →Best GPUs for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition →