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 390

2015

Why buy it

✅Costs $100 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $429 MSRP).
✅Delivers 24.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 26.9 vs 21.6 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $429 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Radeon R9 390X

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 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
30.4% HIGHER MSRP
$429 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 21.6 vs 26.9 G3D/$ ($429 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Radeon R9 390

2015

Radeon R9 390X

2015

Why buy it

✅Costs $100 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $429 MSRP).
✅Delivers 24.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 26.9 vs 21.6 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $429 MSRP).

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
30.4% HIGHER MSRP
$429 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 21.6 vs 26.9 G3D/$ ($429 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon R9 390X better than Radeon R9 390?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 8,855 vs 9,278 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer Radeon R9 390X is the overall package: you are getting FSR upscaling.

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

Radeon R9 390 is the safer long-term GPU choice because it gives you the stronger overall hardware and feature outlook for modern games.

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

Radeon R9 390X is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Radeon R9 390X is about 30.4% more expensive on MSRP at $429 MSRP versus $329 MSRP, and you are getting 4.8% higher G3D Mark. Radeon R9 390 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

When does Radeon R9 390 make more sense than Radeon R9 390X?

Yes. Radeon R9 390 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 $329 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Radeon R9 390X. The trade-off is that Radeon R9 390X currently gives you 4.8% higher G3D Mark. Radeon R9 390 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 390 Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 390X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Radeon R9 390	Radeon R9 390X
1080p
low	105 FPS	105 FPS
medium	89 FPS	89 FPS
high	73 FPS	73 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	49 FPS
1440p
low	89 FPS	89 FPS
medium	75 FPS	75 FPS
high	55 FPS	55 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	36 FPS
4K
low	36 FPS	36 FPS
medium	32 FPS	32 FPS
high	20 FPS	20 FPS
ultra	17 FPS	17 FPS

Open Radeon R9 390 Open Radeon R9 390X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Radeon R9 390	Radeon R9 390X
1080p
low	198 FPS	187 FPS
medium	173 FPS	165 FPS
high	143 FPS	137 FPS
ultra	111 FPS	107 FPS
1440p
low	138 FPS	131 FPS
medium	110 FPS	106 FPS
high	88 FPS	85 FPS
ultra	67 FPS	65 FPS
4K
low	61 FPS	60 FPS
medium	50 FPS	50 FPS
high	45 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	37 FPS

Open Radeon R9 390 Open Radeon R9 390X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Radeon R9 390	Radeon R9 390X
1080p
low	398 FPS	418 FPS
medium	319 FPS	334 FPS
high	266 FPS	278 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	209 FPS
1440p
low	299 FPS	313 FPS
medium	239 FPS	251 FPS
high	199 FPS	209 FPS
ultra	149 FPS	157 FPS
4K
low	199 FPS	209 FPS
medium	159 FPS	167 FPS
high	133 FPS	139 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	104 FPS

Open Radeon R9 390 Open Radeon R9 390X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Radeon R9 390	Radeon R9 390X
1080p
low	224 FPS	230 FPS
medium	193 FPS	199 FPS
high	156 FPS	160 FPS
ultra	132 FPS	136 FPS
1440p
low	170 FPS	171 FPS
medium	146 FPS	148 FPS
high	113 FPS	115 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	94 FPS
4K
low	95 FPS	98 FPS
medium	75 FPS	78 FPS
high	59 FPS	62 FPS
ultra	45 FPS	48 FPS

Open Radeon R9 390 Open Radeon R9 390X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon R9 390 and Radeon R9 390X

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.

Radeon R9 390X

The Radeon R9 390X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 18 2015. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1050 MHz. It has 2816 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 275W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,278 points. Launch price was $429.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 390 scores 8,855 and the Radeon R9 390X reaches 9,278 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 390 is built on GCN 2.0 while the Radeon R9 390X uses GCN 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,560 (Radeon R9 390) vs 2,816 (Radeon R9 390X). Raw compute: 5.12 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 390) vs 5.914 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 390X). Boost clocks: 1000 MHz vs 1050 MHz.

Feature	Radeon R9 390	Radeon R9 390X
G3D Mark Score	8,855	9,278+5%
Architecture	GCN 2.0	GCN 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2560	2816+10%
Compute (TFLOPS)	5.12 TFLOPS	5.914 TFLOPS+16%
Boost Clock	1000 MHz	1050 MHz+5%
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	160	176+10%
L1 Cache	640 KB	704 KB+10%
L2 Cache	1 MB	1 MB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon R9 390	Radeon R9 390X
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 8 GB of GDDR5. Memory bandwidth: 320 GB/s (Radeon R9 390) vs 384 GB/s (Radeon R9 390X) — a 20% advantage for the Radeon R9 390X. Bus width: 512-bit vs 512-bit.

Feature	Radeon R9 390	Radeon R9 390X
VRAM Capacity	8 GB	8 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	320 GB/s	384 GB/s+20%
Bus Width	512-bit	512-bit
L2 Cache	1 MB	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.0 (Radeon R9 390) vs 12 (12_0) (Radeon R9 390X). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.

Feature	Radeon R9 390	Radeon R9 390X
DirectX	12.0	12 (12_0)
Vulkan	1.2	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	6+50%	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 390) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 390X). Decoder: UVD 4.2 vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 390) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Radeon R9 390X).

Feature	Radeon R9 390	Radeon R9 390X
Encoder	VCE 2.0	VCE 2.0
Decoder	UVD 4.2	UVD 4.2
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 390 draws 300W versus the Radeon R9 390X's 275W — a 8.7% difference. The Radeon R9 390X is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (Radeon R9 390) vs 750W (Radeon R9 390X). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 275mm vs 277mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 95°C vs 80.

Feature	Radeon R9 390	Radeon R9 390X
TDP	300W	275W-8%
Recommended PSU	750W	750W
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	275mm	277mm
Height	109mm	129mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	95°C	80-16%
Perf/Watt	29.5	33.7+14%

💰

Value Analysis

The Radeon R9 390 launched at $329 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 390X launched at $429. The Radeon R9 390 costs 23.3% less ($100 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 26.9 (Radeon R9 390) vs 21.6 (Radeon R9 390X) — the Radeon R9 390 offers 24.5% better value.