Arc A550M vs Radeon R9 390

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.

Arc A550M

2022

Why buy it

✅More future proof: Generation 12.7 (2022−2023) on 6nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 60W instead of 300W, a 240W reduction.
✅More future proof: Generation 12.7 (2022−2023) on 6nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 26.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Radeon R9 390

2015

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 26.9 vs 0 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌400% higher power demand at 300W vs 60W.

Arc A550M

2022

Radeon R9 390

2015

Why buy it

✅More future proof: Generation 12.7 (2022−2023) on 6nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 60W instead of 300W, a 240W reduction.
✅More future proof: Generation 12.7 (2022−2023) on 6nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 26.9 vs 0 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 26.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌400% higher power demand at 300W vs 60W.

Quick Answers

So, is Arc A550M better than Radeon R9 390?

Yes. Arc A550M is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 9,000 vs 8,855 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Arc A550M is a 2022 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, while Radeon R9 390 is a 2015 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?

Arc A550M is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2022 generation instead of 2015, the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling, and a 6nm 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?

Arc A550M is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Arc A550M is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $329 MSRP, and you are getting 1.6% higher G3D Mark. Radeon R9 390 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is Radeon R9 390 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon R9 390 is 2015 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM, 8,855 in G3D Mark, and FSR upscaling. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

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.

Arc A550M Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 390 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Arc A550M	Radeon R9 390
1080p
low	109 FPS	105 FPS
medium	95 FPS	89 FPS
high	80 FPS	73 FPS
ultra	56 FPS	49 FPS
1440p
low	89 FPS	89 FPS
medium	77 FPS	75 FPS
high	59 FPS	55 FPS
ultra	40 FPS	36 FPS
4K
low	37 FPS	36 FPS
medium	34 FPS	32 FPS
high	26 FPS	20 FPS
ultra	23 FPS	17 FPS

Open Arc A550M Open Radeon R9 390

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Arc A550M	Radeon R9 390
1080p
low	212 FPS	198 FPS
medium	172 FPS	173 FPS
high	127 FPS	143 FPS
ultra	101 FPS	111 FPS
1440p
low	153 FPS	138 FPS
medium	124 FPS	110 FPS
high	99 FPS	88 FPS
ultra	77 FPS	67 FPS
4K
low	92 FPS	61 FPS
medium	74 FPS	50 FPS
high	60 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	45 FPS	36 FPS

Open Arc A550M Open Radeon R9 390

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Arc A550M	Radeon R9 390
1080p
low	405 FPS	398 FPS
medium	324 FPS	319 FPS
high	270 FPS	266 FPS
ultra	202 FPS	199 FPS
1440p
low	304 FPS	299 FPS
medium	243 FPS	239 FPS
high	202 FPS	199 FPS
ultra	152 FPS	149 FPS
4K
low	202 FPS	199 FPS
medium	162 FPS	159 FPS
high	135 FPS	133 FPS
ultra	101 FPS	100 FPS

Open Arc A550M Open Radeon R9 390

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Arc A550M	Radeon R9 390
1080p
low	162 FPS	224 FPS
medium	133 FPS	193 FPS
high	113 FPS	156 FPS
ultra	94 FPS	132 FPS
1440p
low	119 FPS	170 FPS
medium	101 FPS	146 FPS
high	86 FPS	113 FPS
ultra	71 FPS	92 FPS
4K
low	72 FPS	95 FPS
medium	59 FPS	75 FPS
high	47 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	45 FPS

Open Arc A550M Open Radeon R9 390

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Arc A550M and Radeon R9 390

Arc A550M

The Arc A550M is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2022. It features the Generation 12.7 architecture. The core clock ranges from 900 MHz to 2050 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 60W. Manufactured using 6 nm process technology. It features 16 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,000 points.

Radeon R9 390

The Radeon R9 390 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 18 2015. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,855 points. Launch price was $329.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Arc A550M scores 9,000 and the Radeon R9 390 reaches 8,855 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Arc A550M is built on Generation 12.7 while the Radeon R9 390 uses GCN 2.0, both on 6 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,048 (Arc A550M) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 390). Raw compute: 8.397 TFLOPS (Arc A550M) vs 5.12 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 390). Boost clocks: 2050 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	Arc A550M	Radeon R9 390
G3D Mark Score	9,000+2%	8,855
Architecture	Generation 12.7	GCN 2.0
Process Node	6 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2048	2560+25%
Compute (TFLOPS)	8.397 TFLOPS+64%	5.12 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	2050 MHz+105%	1000 MHz
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	128	160+25%
L1 Cache	3 MB+376%	0.63 MB
L2 Cache	8 MB+700%	1 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Arc A550M	Radeon R9 390
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	Standard	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The Arc A550M comes with 4 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 390 has 8 GB. The Radeon R9 390 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 224 GB/s (Arc A550M) vs 320 GB/s (Radeon R9 390) — a 42.9% advantage for the Radeon R9 390. Bus width: 128-bit vs 512-bit. L2 Cache: 8 MB (Arc A550M) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 390) — the Arc A550M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Arc A550M	Radeon R9 390
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	8 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	224 GB/s	320 GB/s+43%
Bus Width	128-bit	512-bit+300%
L2 Cache	8 MB+700%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (Arc A550M) vs 12.0 (Radeon R9 390). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.

Feature	Arc A550M	Radeon R9 390
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12.0
Vulkan	1.3+8%	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	6+50%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: QuickSync (Xe) (Arc A550M) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 390). Decoder: QuickSync (Xe) vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,AV1,VP9 (Arc A550M) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 390).

Feature	Arc A550M	Radeon R9 390
Encoder	QuickSync (Xe)	VCE 2.0
Decoder	QuickSync (Xe)	UVD 4.2
Codecs	H.264,H.265,AV1,VP9	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Arc A550M draws 60W versus the Radeon R9 390's 300W — a 133.3% difference. The Arc A550M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Arc A550M) vs 750W (Radeon R9 390). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 275mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 85 vs 95°C.

Feature	Arc A550M	Radeon R9 390
TDP	60W-80%	300W
Recommended PSU	500W-33%	750W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	0mm	275mm
Height	0mm	109mm
Slots	0-100%	2
Temp (Load)	85-11%	95°C
Perf/Watt	150.0+408%	29.5