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

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 26.9 vs 0 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌100% higher power demand at 300W vs 150W.

Radeon RX 5600M

2020

Why buy it

✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
✅More future proof: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 150W instead of 300W, a 150W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 6 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

Radeon RX 5600M

2020

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 26.9 vs 0 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).

Why buy it

✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
✅More future proof: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 150W instead of 300W, a 150W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌100% higher power demand at 300W vs 150W.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 6 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).

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon RX 5600M better than Radeon R9 390?

Yes. Radeon RX 5600M is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 8,857 vs 8,855 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Radeon RX 5600M is a 2020 card with FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation, 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?

Radeon RX 5600M is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2020 generation instead of 2015, better frame-generation support with FSR Frame Generation (2023) instead of FSR upscaling, and a 7nm 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 RX 5600M is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Radeon RX 5600M is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $329 MSRP, and you are getting 0.0% 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.

Radeon R9 390 Benchmark Check

Radeon RX 5600M Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 5600M
1080p
low	135 FPS	103 FPS
medium	115 FPS	90 FPS
high	94 FPS	73 FPS
ultra	57 FPS	44 FPS
1440p
low	113 FPS	92 FPS
medium	96 FPS	81 FPS
high	70 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	42 FPS	34 FPS
4K
low	39 FPS	30 FPS
medium	36 FPS	28 FPS
high	22 FPS	19 FPS
ultra	19 FPS	16 FPS

Open Radeon R9 390 Open Radeon RX 5600M

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 5600M
1080p
low	198 FPS	220 FPS
medium	173 FPS	186 FPS
high	143 FPS	134 FPS
ultra	111 FPS	100 FPS
1440p
low	138 FPS	149 FPS
medium	110 FPS	121 FPS
high	88 FPS	90 FPS
ultra	67 FPS	64 FPS
4K
low	61 FPS	80 FPS
medium	50 FPS	65 FPS
high	45 FPS	51 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	35 FPS

Open Radeon R9 390 Open Radeon RX 5600M

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 5600M
1080p
low	398 FPS	399 FPS
medium	319 FPS	319 FPS
high	266 FPS	266 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	199 FPS
1440p
low	299 FPS	299 FPS
medium	239 FPS	239 FPS
high	199 FPS	199 FPS
ultra	149 FPS	149 FPS
4K
low	199 FPS	199 FPS
medium	159 FPS	159 FPS
high	133 FPS	133 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	100 FPS

Open Radeon R9 390 Open Radeon RX 5600M

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 5600M
1080p
low	224 FPS	283 FPS
medium	193 FPS	242 FPS
high	156 FPS	207 FPS
ultra	132 FPS	162 FPS
1440p
low	170 FPS	211 FPS
medium	146 FPS	191 FPS
high	113 FPS	158 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	122 FPS
4K
low	95 FPS	119 FPS
medium	75 FPS	101 FPS
high	59 FPS	85 FPS
ultra	45 FPS	65 FPS

Open Radeon R9 390 Open Radeon RX 5600M

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon R9 390 and Radeon RX 5600M

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 RX 5600M

The Radeon RX 5600M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in July 7 2020. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1035 MHz to 1265 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,857 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 390 scores 8,855 and the Radeon RX 5600M reaches 8,857 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 390 is built on GCN 2.0 while the Radeon RX 5600M uses RDNA 1.0, both on 28 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (Radeon R9 390) vs 2,304 (Radeon RX 5600M). Raw compute: 5.12 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 390) vs 5.829 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 5600M). Boost clocks: 1000 MHz vs 1265 MHz.

Feature	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 5600M
G3D Mark Score	8,855	8,857
Architecture	GCN 2.0	RDNA 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	7 nm
Shading Units	2560+11%	2304
Compute (TFLOPS)	5.12 TFLOPS	5.829 TFLOPS+14%
Boost Clock	1000 MHz	1265 MHz+27%
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	160+11%	144
L2 Cache	1 MB	3 MB+200%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 5600M is support for FSR Frame Generation. This allows it to generate entire frames using AI/Algorithms, essentially doubling the frame rate in CPU-bound scenarios or heavy ray-tracing titles. The Radeon R9 390 lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.

Feature	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 5600M
Upscaling Tech	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	FSR Frame Generation
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	AMD Anti-Lag	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The Radeon R9 390 comes with 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon RX 5600M has 6 GB. The Radeon R9 390 offers 33.3% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 320 GB/s (Radeon R9 390) vs 288 GB/s (Radeon RX 5600M) — a 11.1% advantage for the Radeon R9 390. Bus width: 512-bit vs 192-bit. L2 Cache: 1 MB (Radeon R9 390) vs 3 MB (Radeon RX 5600M) — the Radeon RX 5600M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 5600M
VRAM Capacity	8 GB+33%	6 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	320 GB/s+11%	288 GB/s
Bus Width	512-bit+167%	192-bit
L2 Cache	1 MB	3 MB+200%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.0 (Radeon R9 390) vs 12.1 (Radeon RX 5600M). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.

Feature	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 5600M
DirectX	12.0	12.1
Vulkan	1.2	1.3+8%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	6+50%	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 390) vs VCN 2.0 (Radeon RX 5600M). Decoder: UVD 4.2 vs VCN 2.0. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 390) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Radeon RX 5600M).

Feature	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 5600M
Encoder	VCE 2.0	VCN 2.0
Decoder	UVD 4.2	VCN 2.0
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 390 draws 300W versus the Radeon RX 5600M's 150W — a 66.7% difference. The Radeon RX 5600M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (Radeon R9 390) vs 500W (Radeon RX 5600M). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 275mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 95°C vs 90°C.

Feature	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 5600M
TDP	300W	150W-50%
Recommended PSU	750W	500W-33%
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	275mm	0mm
Height	109mm	0mm
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	95°C	90°C-5%
Perf/Watt	29.5	59.0+100%