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 R9 380

2015

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
47.4% HIGHER MSRP
$199 MSRPvs$135 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 30.2 vs 44.3 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $135 MSRP).
❌340% higher power demand at 220W vs 50W.

RTX A400

2024

Why buy it

✅Costs $64 less on MSRP ($135 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
✅Delivers 47% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.3 vs 30.2 G3D/$ ($135 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 50W instead of 220W, a 170W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Radeon R9 380

2015

RTX A400

2024

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Why buy it

✅Costs $64 less on MSRP ($135 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
✅Delivers 47% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.3 vs 30.2 G3D/$ ($135 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 50W instead of 220W, a 170W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
47.4% HIGHER MSRP
$199 MSRPvs$135 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 30.2 vs 44.3 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $135 MSRP).
❌340% higher power demand at 220W vs 50W.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon R9 380 better than RTX A400?

Yes. Radeon R9 380 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 6,000 vs 5,983 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Radeon R9 380 is a 2015 card with FSR upscaling, while RTX A400 is a 2024 model from an older generation with no meaningful modern upscaling stack. 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?

RTX A400 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2024 generation instead of 2015, the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling, and a 8nm process instead of 28nm. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.

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

Radeon R9 380 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Radeon R9 380 is about 47.4% more expensive on MSRP at $199 MSRP versus $135 MSRP, and you are getting 0.3% higher G3D Mark. RTX A400 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

When does RTX A400 make more sense than Radeon R9 380?

Yes. RTX A400 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 220W), future-proofing, and staying closer to $135 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Radeon R9 380. The trade-off is that Radeon R9 380 currently gives you 0.3% higher G3D Mark. RTX A400 still holds the G3D-per-dollar lead, so the performance win comes with a real value premium.

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 R9 380 Benchmark Check

RTX A400 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Radeon R9 380	RTX A400
1080p
low	101 FPS	45 FPS
medium	87 FPS	31 FPS
high	70 FPS	23 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	11 FPS
1440p
low	88 FPS	36 FPS
medium	77 FPS	22 FPS
high	55 FPS	12 FPS
ultra	31 FPS	6 FPS
4K
low	28 FPS	11 FPS
medium	26 FPS	8 FPS
high	17 FPS	5 FPS
ultra	15 FPS	3 FPS

Open Radeon R9 380 Open RTX A400

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Radeon R9 380	RTX A400
1080p
low	138 FPS	77 FPS
medium	105 FPS	50 FPS
high	83 FPS	33 FPS
ultra	56 FPS	24 FPS
1440p
low	77 FPS	48 FPS
medium	55 FPS	26 FPS
high	40 FPS	20 FPS
ultra	29 FPS	15 FPS
4K
low	28 FPS	23 FPS
medium	19 FPS	14 FPS
high	15 FPS	11 FPS
ultra	11 FPS	8 FPS

Open Radeon R9 380 Open RTX A400

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Radeon R9 380	RTX A400
1080p
low	270 FPS	269 FPS
medium	216 FPS	215 FPS
high	180 FPS	179 FPS
ultra	135 FPS	135 FPS
1440p
low	202 FPS	202 FPS
medium	162 FPS	162 FPS
high	135 FPS	135 FPS
ultra	101 FPS	101 FPS
4K
low	135 FPS	135 FPS
medium	108 FPS	108 FPS
high	90 FPS	90 FPS
ultra	68 FPS	67 FPS

Open Radeon R9 380 Open RTX A400

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Radeon R9 380	RTX A400
1080p
low	171 FPS	147 FPS
medium	142 FPS	117 FPS
high	128 FPS	99 FPS
ultra	103 FPS	79 FPS
1440p
low	121 FPS	108 FPS
medium	102 FPS	87 FPS
high	91 FPS	74 FPS
ultra	69 FPS	58 FPS
4K
low	71 FPS	63 FPS
medium	57 FPS	50 FPS
high	46 FPS	40 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	29 FPS

Open Radeon R9 380 Open RTX A400

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon R9 380 and RTX A400

Radeon R9 380

The Radeon R9 380 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 18 2015. It features the GCN 3.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 970 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 220W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,000 points. Launch price was $199.

RTX A400

The RTX A400 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 16 2024. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 727 MHz to 1762 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 6 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,983 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 380 scores 6,000 and the RTX A400 reaches 5,983 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 380 is built on GCN 3.0 while the RTX A400 uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 1,792 (Radeon R9 380) vs 768 (RTX A400). Raw compute: 3.476 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 380) vs 2.706 TFLOPS (RTX A400). Boost clocks: 970 MHz vs 1762 MHz.

Feature	Radeon R9 380	RTX A400
G3D Mark Score	6,000	5,983
Architecture	GCN 3.0	Ampere
Process Node	28 nm	8 nm
Shading Units	1792+133%	768
Compute (TFLOPS)	3.476 TFLOPS+28%	2.706 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	970 MHz	1762 MHz+82%
ROPs	32+100%	16
TMUs	112+367%	24

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The RTX A400 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon R9 380 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	Radeon R9 380	RTX A400
Upscaling Tech	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	AMD Anti-Lag	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 4 GB of video memory. Bus width: 256-bit vs 128-bit.

Feature	Radeon R9 380	RTX A400
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Bus Width	256-bit+100%	128-bit

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 380 draws 220W versus the RTX A400's 50W — a 125.9% difference. The RTX A400 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon R9 380) vs 350W (RTX A400). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered.

Feature	Radeon R9 380	RTX A400
TDP	220W	50W-77%
Recommended PSU	500W	350W-30%
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	PCIe-powered
Perf/Watt	27.3	119.7+338%

💰

Value Analysis

The Radeon R9 380 launched at $199 MSRP, while the RTX A400 launched at $135. The RTX A400 costs 32.2% less ($64 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 30.2 (Radeon R9 380) vs 44.3 (RTX A400) — the RTX A400 offers 46.7% better value. The RTX A400 is the newer GPU (2024 vs 2015).