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.

GeForce GTX TITAN Z

2014

Why buy it

✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 8 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 12 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
811.6% HIGHER MSRP
$2,999 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.9 vs 26.9 G3D/$ ($2,999 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
❌25% higher power demand at 375W vs 300W.

Radeon R9 390

2015

Why buy it

✅Costs $2,670 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $2,999 MSRP).
✅Delivers 816.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 26.9 vs 2.9 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $2,999 MSRP).
✅Draws 300W instead of 375W, a 75W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 8 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

GeForce GTX TITAN Z

2014

Radeon R9 390

2015

Why buy it

✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 8 GB).

Why buy it

✅Costs $2,670 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $2,999 MSRP).
✅Delivers 816.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 26.9 vs 2.9 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $2,999 MSRP).
✅Draws 300W instead of 375W, a 75W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 12 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
811.6% HIGHER MSRP
$2,999 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.9 vs 26.9 G3D/$ ($2,999 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
❌25% higher power demand at 375W vs 300W.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 8 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon R9 390 better than GeForce GTX TITAN Z?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 8,811 vs 8,855 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer Radeon R9 390 is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, FSR upscaling, plus much lower power draw (300W vs 375W).

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

GeForce GTX TITAN Z is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting more VRAM at 12 GB instead of 8 GB and the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling. That extra memory headroom makes it the safer pick for newer games, heavier textures, and higher settings over time.

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

Radeon R9 390 can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $329 MSRP. Radeon R9 390 is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. Radeon R9 390 is about $2,670 cheaper on MSRP at $329 MSRP versus $2,999 MSRP, and you are getting 0.5% higher G3D Mark. GeForce GTX TITAN Z is the more forward-looking alternative, so it still has a real case if you care more about future-proofing than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

When does GeForce GTX TITAN Z make more sense than Radeon R9 390?

Yes. GeForce GTX TITAN Z 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 future-proofing and staying closer to $2,999 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Radeon R9 390. The trade-off is that Radeon R9 390 currently gives you 0.5% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 816.1%.

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.

GeForce GTX TITAN Z Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 390 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX TITAN Z	Radeon R9 390
1080p
low	118 FPS	105 FPS
medium	101 FPS	89 FPS
high	86 FPS	73 FPS
ultra	58 FPS	49 FPS
1440p
low	96 FPS	89 FPS
medium	81 FPS	75 FPS
high	62 FPS	55 FPS
ultra	42 FPS	36 FPS
4K
low	38 FPS	36 FPS
medium	34 FPS	32 FPS
high	21 FPS	20 FPS
ultra	18 FPS	17 FPS

Open GeForce GTX TITAN Z Open Radeon R9 390

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX TITAN Z	Radeon R9 390
1080p
low	129 FPS	198 FPS
medium	107 FPS	173 FPS
high	89 FPS	143 FPS
ultra	66 FPS	111 FPS
1440p
low	89 FPS	138 FPS
medium	66 FPS	110 FPS
high	52 FPS	88 FPS
ultra	38 FPS	67 FPS
4K
low	41 FPS	61 FPS
medium	33 FPS	50 FPS
high	30 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	24 FPS	36 FPS

Open GeForce GTX TITAN Z Open Radeon R9 390

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX TITAN Z	Radeon R9 390
1080p
low	396 FPS	398 FPS
medium	317 FPS	319 FPS
high	264 FPS	266 FPS
ultra	198 FPS	199 FPS
1440p
low	297 FPS	299 FPS
medium	238 FPS	239 FPS
high	198 FPS	199 FPS
ultra	149 FPS	149 FPS
4K
low	198 FPS	199 FPS
medium	159 FPS	159 FPS
high	132 FPS	133 FPS
ultra	99 FPS	100 FPS

Open GeForce GTX TITAN Z Open Radeon R9 390

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX TITAN Z	Radeon R9 390
1080p
low	271 FPS	224 FPS
medium	232 FPS	193 FPS
high	193 FPS	156 FPS
ultra	150 FPS	132 FPS
1440p
low	200 FPS	170 FPS
medium	174 FPS	146 FPS
high	139 FPS	113 FPS
ultra	103 FPS	92 FPS
4K
low	112 FPS	95 FPS
medium	89 FPS	75 FPS
high	73 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	53 FPS	45 FPS

Open GeForce GTX TITAN Z Open Radeon R9 390

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX TITAN Z and Radeon R9 390

GeForce GTX TITAN Z

The GeForce GTX TITAN Z is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 28 2014. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 705 MHz to 876 MHz. It has 5760 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 375W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,811 points. Launch price was $2,999.

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 GeForce GTX TITAN Z scores 8,811 and the Radeon R9 390 reaches 8,855 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX TITAN Z is built on Kepler while the Radeon R9 390 uses GCN 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 5,760 (GeForce GTX TITAN Z) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 390). Raw compute: 5.046 TFLOPS ×2 (GeForce GTX TITAN Z) vs 5.12 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 390). Boost clocks: 876 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX TITAN Z	Radeon R9 390
G3D Mark Score	8,811	8,855
Architecture	Kepler	GCN 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	5760 ×2+125%	2560
Compute (TFLOPS)	5.046 TFLOPS ×2	5.12 TFLOPS+1%
Boost Clock	876 MHz	1000 MHz+14%
ROPs	48 ×2	64+33%
TMUs	240 ×2+50%	160
L1 Cache	240 KB	640 KB+167%
L2 Cache	1.5 MB+50%	1 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX TITAN Z gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon R9 390 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX TITAN Z	Radeon R9 390
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX TITAN Z comes with 12 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 390 has 8 GB. The GeForce GTX TITAN Z offers 50% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 336 GB/s x2 (GeForce GTX TITAN Z) vs 320 GB/s (Radeon R9 390) — a 950.6% advantage for the GeForce GTX TITAN Z. Bus width: 384-bit x2 vs 512-bit. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX TITAN Z) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 390) — the GeForce GTX TITAN Z has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX TITAN Z	Radeon R9 390
VRAM Capacity	12 GB+50%	8 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	336 GB/s x2+5%	320 GB/s
Bus Width	384-bit x2	512-bit+33%
L2 Cache	1.5 MB+50%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX TITAN Z) vs 12.0 (Radeon R9 390). Vulkan: 1.0 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.

Feature	GeForce GTX TITAN Z	Radeon R9 390
DirectX	12	12.0
Vulkan	1.0	1.2+20%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	6+50%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st gen (GeForce GTX TITAN Z) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 390). Decoder: NVDEC 1st gen vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce GTX TITAN Z) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 390).

Feature	GeForce GTX TITAN Z	Radeon R9 390
Encoder	NVENC 1st gen	VCE 2.0
Decoder	NVDEC 1st gen	UVD 4.2
Codecs	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX TITAN Z draws 375W versus the Radeon R9 390's 300W — a 22.2% difference. The Radeon R9 390 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 700W (GeForce GTX TITAN Z) vs 750W (Radeon R9 390). Power connectors: 2x 8-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 275mm, occupying 3 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 95°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX TITAN Z	Radeon R9 390
TDP	375W	300W-20%
Recommended PSU	700W-7%	750W
Power Connector	2x 8-pin	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	267mm	275mm
Height	111mm	109mm
Slots	3	2-33%
Temp (Load)	80°C-16%	95°C
Perf/Watt	23.5	29.5+26%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX TITAN Z launched at $2999 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 390 launched at $329. The Radeon R9 390 costs 89% less ($2670 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.9 (GeForce GTX TITAN Z) vs 26.9 (Radeon R9 390) — the Radeon R9 390 offers 827.6% better value. The Radeon R9 390 is the newer GPU (2015 vs 2014).