Radeon 680M vs Radeon R9 M390X

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

Radeon 680M

2023

Why buy it

✅More future proof: RDNA 2.0 (2020−2025) on 6nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 50W instead of 75W, a 25W reduction.
✅More future proof: RDNA 2.0 (2020−2025) on 6nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 7.1 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $550 MSRP).

Radeon R9 M390X

2015

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 7.1 vs 0 G3D/$ ($550 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌50% higher power demand at 75W vs 50W.

Radeon 680M

2023

Radeon R9 M390X

2015

Why buy it

✅More future proof: RDNA 2.0 (2020−2025) on 6nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 50W instead of 75W, a 25W reduction.
✅More future proof: RDNA 2.0 (2020−2025) on 6nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 7.1 vs 0 G3D/$ ($550 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 7.1 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $550 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌50% higher power demand at 75W vs 50W.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon R9 M390X better than Radeon 680M?

Yes. Radeon R9 M390X is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 3,895 vs 3,836 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Radeon R9 M390X is a 2015 card with FSR upscaling, while Radeon 680M is a 2023 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Radeon 680M is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2023 generation instead of 2015, 100.0% more ray-tracing hardware, and a 6nm process instead of 28nm. That makes it the safer long-run choice for modern games.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

Radeon R9 M390X can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $550 MSRP. Radeon R9 M390X is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. Radeon R9 M390X is priced in an unclear MSRP range at $550 MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 1.5% higher G3D Mark. Radeon 680M is the newer 2023 card, so it still has a real case if you care more about newer architecture, lower power draw (50W vs 75W), and future-proofing than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

When does Radeon 680M make more sense than Radeon R9 M390X?

Yes. Radeon 680M is still an excellent gaming GPU in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It makes more sense if your priority is newer architecture, lower power draw (50W vs 75W), future-proofing, and staying closer to an unclear MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Radeon R9 M390X. The trade-off is that Radeon R9 M390X currently gives you 1.5% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

Radeon 680M Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 M390X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Radeon 680M	Radeon R9 M390X
1080p
low	127 FPS	81 FPS
medium	113 FPS	69 FPS
high	94 FPS	57 FPS
ultra	70 FPS	37 FPS
1440p
low	111 FPS	71 FPS
medium	93 FPS	62 FPS
high	76 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	57 FPS	29 FPS
4K
low	47 FPS	26 FPS
medium	44 FPS	24 FPS
high	32 FPS	16 FPS
ultra	28 FPS	14 FPS

Open Radeon 680M Open Radeon R9 M390X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Radeon 680M	Radeon R9 M390X
1080p
low	161 FPS	91 FPS
medium	128 FPS	69 FPS
high	95 FPS	57 FPS
ultra	63 FPS	40 FPS
1440p
low	107 FPS	54 FPS
medium	82 FPS	38 FPS
high	62 FPS	29 FPS
ultra	45 FPS	21 FPS
4K
low	54 FPS	22 FPS
medium	43 FPS	16 FPS
high	34 FPS	12 FPS
ultra	22 FPS	9 FPS

Open Radeon 680M Open Radeon R9 M390X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Radeon 680M	Radeon R9 M390X
1080p
low	173 FPS	175 FPS
medium	138 FPS	140 FPS
high	115 FPS	117 FPS
ultra	86 FPS	88 FPS
1440p
low	129 FPS	131 FPS
medium	104 FPS	105 FPS
high	86 FPS	88 FPS
ultra	65 FPS	66 FPS
4K
low	86 FPS	88 FPS
medium	69 FPS	70 FPS
high	58 FPS	58 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	44 FPS

Open Radeon 680M Open Radeon R9 M390X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Radeon 680M	Radeon R9 M390X
1080p
low	173 FPS	172 FPS
medium	138 FPS	140 FPS
high	115 FPS	117 FPS
ultra	86 FPS	88 FPS
1440p
low	129 FPS	122 FPS
medium	104 FPS	102 FPS
high	86 FPS	88 FPS
ultra	65 FPS	66 FPS
4K
low	86 FPS	72 FPS
medium	69 FPS	56 FPS
high	58 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	30 FPS

Open Radeon 680M Open Radeon R9 M390X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon 680M and Radeon R9 M390X

Radeon 680M

The Radeon 680M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 3 2023. It features the RDNA 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 2000 MHz to 2200 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 6 nm process technology. It features 12 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,836 points.

Radeon R9 M390X

The Radeon R9 M390X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 5 2015. It features the GCN 3.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 723 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,895 points.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon 680M scores 3,836 and the Radeon R9 M390X reaches 3,895 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon 680M is built on RDNA 2.0 while the Radeon R9 M390X uses GCN 3.0, both on 6 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 768 (Radeon 680M) vs 2,048 (Radeon R9 M390X). Raw compute: 3.379 TFLOPS (Radeon 680M) vs 2.961 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 M390X).

Feature	Radeon 680M	Radeon R9 M390X
G3D Mark Score	3,836	3,895+2%
Architecture	RDNA 2.0	GCN 3.0
Process Node	6 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	768	2048+167%
Compute (TFLOPS)	3.379 TFLOPS+14%	2.961 TFLOPS
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	48	128+167%
L1 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling + RSR	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon 680M	Radeon R9 M390X
Upscaling Tech	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	AMD Anti-Lag	AMD Anti-Lag

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The Radeon 680M comes with 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 M390X has 4 GB. The Radeon R9 M390X offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: System vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (Radeon 680M) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon R9 M390X) — the Radeon 680M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon 680M	Radeon R9 M390X
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	4 GB+100%
Memory Type	Shared	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	System	160 GB/s
Bus Width	System	256-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB

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Power & Dimensions

The Radeon 680M draws 50W versus the Radeon R9 M390X's 75W — a 40% difference. The Radeon 680M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon 680M) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M390X). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs Mobile.