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 380X

2015

Why buy it

✅45.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $571 less on MSRP ($229 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
✅Delivers 257% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 26.8 vs 7.5 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌25% higher power demand at 250W vs 200W.
❌22000% longer card at 221mm vs 1mm.

Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire

2014

Why buy it

✅Draws 200W instead of 250W, a 50W reduction.
✅Measures 1mm instead of 221mm, a 220mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 380X across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
249.3% HIGHER MSRP
$800 MSRPvs$229 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 7.5 vs 26.8 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).

Radeon R9 380X

2015

Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire

2014

Why buy it

✅45.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $571 less on MSRP ($229 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).
✅Delivers 257% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 26.8 vs 7.5 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $800 MSRP).

Why buy it

✅Draws 200W instead of 250W, a 50W reduction.
✅Measures 1mm instead of 221mm, a 220mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌25% higher power demand at 250W vs 200W.
❌22000% longer card at 221mm vs 1mm.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 380X across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
249.3% HIGHER MSRP
$800 MSRPvs$229 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 7.5 vs 26.8 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon R9 380X better than Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire?

Yes. Radeon R9 380X is the better GPU overall here. You are getting 45.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 2.2% higher PassMark G3D performance. It also comes from 2015 instead of 2014, which helps its case as the more complete modern gaming card.

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

Radeon R9 380X is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2015 generation instead of 2014. 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 380X is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. Radeon R9 380X is about $571 cheaper on MSRP at $229 MSRP versus $800 MSRP, and you are getting 45.4% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 2.2% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 257%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around $800 MSRP, even if Radeon R9 380X is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

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 380X Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Radeon R9 380X	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
1080p
low	78 FPS	38 FPS
medium	67 FPS	32 FPS
high	54 FPS	22 FPS
ultra	35 FPS	14 FPS
1440p
low	68 FPS	31 FPS
medium	60 FPS	24 FPS
high	43 FPS	15 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	9 FPS
4K
low	25 FPS	11 FPS
medium	23 FPS	9 FPS
high	15 FPS	6 FPS
ultra	13 FPS	5 FPS

Open Radeon R9 380X Open Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Radeon R9 380X	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
1080p
low	133 FPS	103 FPS
medium	105 FPS	74 FPS
high	86 FPS	53 FPS
ultra	61 FPS	35 FPS
1440p
low	78 FPS	56 FPS
medium	58 FPS	34 FPS
high	44 FPS	23 FPS
ultra	31 FPS	17 FPS
4K
low	31 FPS	20 FPS
medium	23 FPS	13 FPS
high	18 FPS	10 FPS
ultra	13 FPS	8 FPS

Open Radeon R9 380X Open Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Radeon R9 380X	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
1080p
low	276 FPS	270 FPS
medium	221 FPS	216 FPS
high	184 FPS	180 FPS
ultra	138 FPS	135 FPS
1440p
low	207 FPS	202 FPS
medium	166 FPS	162 FPS
high	138 FPS	135 FPS
ultra	103 FPS	101 FPS
4K
low	138 FPS	135 FPS
medium	110 FPS	108 FPS
high	92 FPS	90 FPS
ultra	69 FPS	68 FPS

Open Radeon R9 380X Open Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Radeon R9 380X	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
1080p
low	135 FPS	118 FPS
medium	112 FPS	92 FPS
high	97 FPS	63 FPS
ultra	83 FPS	42 FPS
1440p
low	100 FPS	72 FPS
medium	83 FPS	52 FPS
high	72 FPS	39 FPS
ultra	58 FPS	27 FPS
4K
low	60 FPS	38 FPS
medium	47 FPS	27 FPS
high	37 FPS	20 FPS
ultra	26 FPS	14 FPS

Open Radeon R9 380X Open Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon R9 380X and Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire

Radeon R9 380X

The Radeon R9 380X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 19 2015. It features the GCN 3.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 970 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,131 points. Launch price was $229.

Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire

The Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 1 2014. It features the GCN architecture. The core clock ranges from 850 MHz to 900 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,000 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 380X scores 6,131 and the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire reaches 6,000 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 380X is built on GCN 3.0 while the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire uses GCN, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,048 (Radeon R9 380X) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire). Boost clocks: 970 MHz vs 900 MHz.

Feature	Radeon R9 380X	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
G3D Mark Score	6,131+2%	6,000
Architecture	GCN 3.0	GCN
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2048	2560+25%
Boost Clock	970 MHz+8%	900 MHz
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon R9 380X	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
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

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 4 GB of GDDR5. Memory bandwidth: 106 GB/s (Radeon R9 380X) vs 307.2 GB/s (Dual) (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire) — a 189.8% advantage for the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire. Bus width: 128-bit vs 512-bit (Dual).

Feature	Radeon R9 380X	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	106 GB/s	307.2 GB/s (Dual)+190%
Bus Width	128-bit	512-bit (Dual)+300%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (12_0) (Radeon R9 380X) vs 12 (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 0.

Feature	Radeon R9 380X	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
DirectX	12 (12_0)	12
Max Displays	4	0

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 3.0 (Radeon R9 380X) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire). Decoder: UVD 6.0 vs UVD 3.1.

Feature	Radeon R9 380X	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
Encoder	VCE 3.0	VCE 1.0
Decoder	UVD 6.0	UVD 3.1
Codecs	H.264,H.265,MPEG-2,MPEG-4,VC-1	—

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 380X draws 250W versus the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire's 200W — a 22.2% difference. The Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon R9 380X) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs Mobile. Card length: 221mm vs 1mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.

Feature	Radeon R9 380X	Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire
TDP	250W	200W-20%
Recommended PSU	500W	350W-30%
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	Mobile
Length	221mm	1mm
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	75	—
Perf/Watt	24.5	30.0+22%

💰

Value Analysis

The Radeon R9 380X launched at $229 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire launched at $800. The Radeon R9 380X costs 71.4% less ($571 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 26.8 (Radeon R9 380X) vs 7.5 (Radeon R9 M290X Crossfire) — the Radeon R9 380X offers 257.3% better value. The Radeon R9 380X is the newer GPU (2015 vs 2014).