Arc 7-Core iGPU vs Radeon R9 390X

CPU

GPU

Arc 7-Core iGPU

2023Boost: 2200 MHz

Popular choices:

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Radeon R9 390X

2015Boost: 1050 MHz

Popular choices:

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Performance Spectrum - GPU

Arc 7-Core iGPU

Shared 15

9,349

+0.8%

9,278

0.0%

Radeon R9 M295X

Radeon R9 380X

Radeon RX 470 (móvel)

About G3D Mark

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 7-Core iGPU

2023

Why buy it

✅Costs $230 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $429 MSRP).
✅Delivers 117.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 47.0 vs 21.6 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $429 MSRP).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon R9 390X: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon R9 390X is already legacy-tier future-proofing.
✅Draws 15W instead of 275W, a 260W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with Unknown vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, Unknown of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.

Radeon R9 390X

2015

Why buy it

✅100+% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs Unknown).

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
115.6% HIGHER MSRP
$429 MSRPvs$199 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 21.6 vs 47.0 G3D/$ ($429 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌1733.3% higher power demand at 275W vs 15W.

Arc 7-Core iGPU

2023

Radeon R9 390X

2015

Why buy it

✅Costs $230 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $429 MSRP).
✅Delivers 117.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 47.0 vs 21.6 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $429 MSRP).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon R9 390X: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon R9 390X is already legacy-tier future-proofing.
✅Draws 15W instead of 275W, a 260W reduction.

Why buy it

✅100+% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs Unknown).

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with Unknown vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, Unknown of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
115.6% HIGHER MSRP
$429 MSRPvs$199 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 21.6 vs 47.0 G3D/$ ($429 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌1733.3% higher power demand at 275W vs 15W.

Quick Answers

So, is Arc 7-Core iGPU better than Radeon R9 390X?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 9,349 vs 9,278 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer Arc 7-Core iGPU is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, no meaningful modern upscaling stack, plus much lower power draw (15W vs 275W).

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

Arc 7-Core iGPU is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2023 generation instead of 2015, the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling, and a 5nm 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 7-Core iGPU can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $199 MSRP. Arc 7-Core iGPU is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. Arc 7-Core iGPU is about $230 cheaper on MSRP at $199 MSRP versus $429 MSRP, and you are getting 0.8% higher G3D Mark. Moving to $199 MSRP gets you newer hardware, lower power draw (15W vs 275W), and no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

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

Yes. Radeon R9 390X is still a strong gaming card in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. Price is really the swing factor here. If you find it at or below $429 MSRP, it remains a very sensible buy. Arc 7-Core iGPU is still the safer recommendation for most fresh builds because it offers a cleaner overall package with newer hardware and no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

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 7-Core iGPU Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 390X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Arc 7-Core iGPU	Radeon R9 390X
1080p
low	88 FPS	105 FPS
medium	76 FPS	89 FPS
high	56 FPS	73 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	49 FPS
1440p
low	70 FPS	89 FPS
medium	61 FPS	75 FPS
high	41 FPS	55 FPS
ultra	26 FPS	36 FPS
4K
low	27 FPS	36 FPS
medium	25 FPS	32 FPS
high	16 FPS	20 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	17 FPS

Open Arc 7-Core iGPU Open Radeon R9 390X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Arc 7-Core iGPU	Radeon R9 390X
1080p
low	169 FPS	187 FPS
medium	139 FPS	165 FPS
high	107 FPS	137 FPS
ultra	80 FPS	107 FPS
1440p
low	123 FPS	131 FPS
medium	96 FPS	106 FPS
high	76 FPS	85 FPS
ultra	59 FPS	65 FPS
4K
low	73 FPS	60 FPS
medium	57 FPS	50 FPS
high	45 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	32 FPS	37 FPS

Open Arc 7-Core iGPU Open Radeon R9 390X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Arc 7-Core iGPU	Radeon R9 390X
1080p
low	312 FPS	418 FPS
medium	270 FPS	334 FPS
high	183 FPS	278 FPS
ultra	154 FPS	209 FPS
1440p
low	237 FPS	313 FPS
medium	212 FPS	251 FPS
high	149 FPS	209 FPS
ultra	119 FPS	157 FPS
4K
low	149 FPS	209 FPS
medium	129 FPS	167 FPS
high	82 FPS	139 FPS
ultra	60 FPS	104 FPS

Open Arc 7-Core iGPU Open Radeon R9 390X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Arc 7-Core iGPU	Radeon R9 390X
1080p
low	155 FPS	230 FPS
medium	122 FPS	199 FPS
high	99 FPS	160 FPS
ultra	81 FPS	136 FPS
1440p
low	112 FPS	171 FPS
medium	89 FPS	148 FPS
high	70 FPS	115 FPS
ultra	58 FPS	94 FPS
4K
low	70 FPS	98 FPS
medium	54 FPS	78 FPS
high	43 FPS	62 FPS
ultra	33 FPS	48 FPS

Open Arc 7-Core iGPU Open Radeon R9 390X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Arc 7-Core iGPU and Radeon R9 390X

Arc 7-Core iGPU

The Arc 7-Core iGPU is manufactured by Intel. It was released in December 14 2023. It features the Xe LPG architecture. The boost clock speed is 2200 MHz. It has 7 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 15W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,349 points.

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 Arc 7-Core iGPU scores 9,349 and the Radeon R9 390X reaches 9,278 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Arc 7-Core iGPU is built on Xe LPG while the Radeon R9 390X uses GCN 2.0, both on 5 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 7 (Arc 7-Core iGPU) vs 2,816 (Radeon R9 390X). Boost clocks: 2200 MHz vs 1050 MHz.

Feature	Arc 7-Core iGPU	Radeon R9 390X
G3D Mark Score	9,349	9,278
Architecture	Xe LPG	GCN 2.0
Process Node	5 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	7	2816+40129%
Boost Clock	2200 MHz+110%	1050 MHz
L1 Cache	1.3 MB+88%	0.69 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Arc 7-Core iGPU	Radeon R9 390X
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 7-Core iGPU comes with 0 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 390X has 8 GB. The Radeon R9 390X offers 100+% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: System vs 512-bit.

Feature	Arc 7-Core iGPU	Radeon R9 390X
VRAM Capacity	Shared	8 GB
Memory Type	Shared	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	System	384 GB/s
Bus Width	System	512-bit

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (Arc 7-Core iGPU) vs 12 (12_0) (Radeon R9 390X). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	Arc 7-Core iGPU	Radeon R9 390X
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12 (12_0)
Vulkan	1.3+8%	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: QuickSync (Arc 7-Core iGPU) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 390X). Decoder: QuickSync vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,AV1,VP9,MPEG-2 (Arc 7-Core iGPU) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Radeon R9 390X).

Feature	Arc 7-Core iGPU	Radeon R9 390X
Encoder	QuickSync	VCE 2.0
Decoder	QuickSync	UVD 4.2
Codecs	H.264,H.265,AV1,VP9,MPEG-2	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Arc 7-Core iGPU draws 15W versus the Radeon R9 390X's 275W — a 179.3% difference. The Arc 7-Core iGPU is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Arc 7-Core iGPU) vs 750W (Radeon R9 390X). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 277mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 95 vs 80.

Feature	Arc 7-Core iGPU	Radeon R9 390X
TDP	15W-95%	275W
Recommended PSU	500W-33%	750W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	0mm	277mm
Height	0mm	129mm
Slots	0-100%	2
Temp (Load)	95	80-16%
Perf/Watt	623.3+1750%	33.7

💰

Value Analysis

The Arc 7-Core iGPU launched at $199 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 390X launched at $429. The Arc 7-Core iGPU costs 53.6% less ($230 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 47.0 (Arc 7-Core iGPU) vs 21.6 (Radeon R9 390X) — the Arc 7-Core iGPU offers 117.6% better value. The Arc 7-Core iGPU is the newer GPU (2023 vs 2015).