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 390X

2015

Why buy it

✅Costs $220 less on MSRP ($429 MSRP vs $649 MSRP).
✅Delivers 49.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 21.6 vs 14.5 G3D/$ ($429 MSRP vs $649 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.
❌42.1% longer card at 277mm vs 195mm.

Radeon R9 Fury X

2015

Why buy it

✅Measures 195mm instead of 277mm, a 82mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
51.3% HIGHER MSRP
$649 MSRPvs$429 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 14.5 vs 21.6 G3D/$ ($649 MSRP vs $429 MSRP).

Radeon R9 390X

2015

Radeon R9 Fury X

2015

Why buy it

✅Costs $220 less on MSRP ($429 MSRP vs $649 MSRP).
✅Delivers 49.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 21.6 vs 14.5 G3D/$ ($429 MSRP vs $649 MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).

Why buy it

✅Measures 195mm instead of 277mm, a 82mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌42.1% longer card at 277mm vs 195mm.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌
51.3% HIGHER MSRP
$649 MSRPvs$429 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 14.5 vs 21.6 G3D/$ ($649 MSRP vs $429 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon R9 Fury X 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 9,278 vs 9,382 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer Radeon R9 Fury X is the overall package: you are getting FSR upscaling.

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

Radeon R9 390X is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 4 GB. 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 Fury X is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Radeon R9 Fury X is about 51.3% more expensive on MSRP at $649 MSRP versus $429 MSRP, and you are getting 1.1% higher G3D Mark. Radeon R9 390X really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

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

Yes. Radeon R9 390X 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 $429 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Radeon R9 Fury X. The trade-off is that Radeon R9 Fury X currently gives you 1.1% higher G3D Mark. Radeon R9 390X 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 390X Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 Fury X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Radeon R9 390X	Radeon R9 Fury X
1080p
low	105 FPS	117 FPS
medium	89 FPS	104 FPS
high	73 FPS	85 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	53 FPS
1440p
low	89 FPS	98 FPS
medium	75 FPS	86 FPS
high	55 FPS	63 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	39 FPS
4K
low	36 FPS	34 FPS
medium	32 FPS	31 FPS
high	20 FPS	23 FPS
ultra	17 FPS	20 FPS

Open Radeon R9 390X Open Radeon R9 Fury X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Radeon R9 390X	Radeon R9 Fury X
1080p
low	187 FPS	261 FPS
medium	165 FPS	219 FPS
high	137 FPS	173 FPS
ultra	107 FPS	143 FPS
1440p
low	131 FPS	186 FPS
medium	106 FPS	151 FPS
high	85 FPS	125 FPS
ultra	65 FPS	98 FPS
4K
low	60 FPS	101 FPS
medium	50 FPS	81 FPS
high	45 FPS	65 FPS
ultra	37 FPS	49 FPS

Open Radeon R9 390X Open Radeon R9 Fury X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Radeon R9 390X	Radeon R9 Fury X
1080p
low	418 FPS	422 FPS
medium	334 FPS	338 FPS
high	278 FPS	281 FPS
ultra	209 FPS	211 FPS
1440p
low	313 FPS	317 FPS
medium	251 FPS	253 FPS
high	209 FPS	211 FPS
ultra	157 FPS	158 FPS
4K
low	209 FPS	211 FPS
medium	167 FPS	169 FPS
high	139 FPS	141 FPS
ultra	104 FPS	106 FPS

Open Radeon R9 390X Open Radeon R9 Fury X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Radeon R9 390X	Radeon R9 Fury X
1080p
low	230 FPS	197 FPS
medium	199 FPS	164 FPS
high	160 FPS	148 FPS
ultra	136 FPS	117 FPS
1440p
low	171 FPS	137 FPS
medium	148 FPS	118 FPS
high	115 FPS	107 FPS
ultra	94 FPS	85 FPS
4K
low	98 FPS	82 FPS
medium	78 FPS	68 FPS
high	62 FPS	56 FPS
ultra	48 FPS	42 FPS

Open Radeon R9 390X Open Radeon R9 Fury X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

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

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.

Radeon R9 Fury X

The Radeon R9 Fury X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 24 2015. It features the GCN 3.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1050 MHz. It has 4096 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 275W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,382 points. Launch price was $649.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 390X scores 9,278 and the Radeon R9 Fury X reaches 9,382 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 390X is built on GCN 2.0 while the Radeon R9 Fury X uses GCN 3.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,816 (Radeon R9 390X) vs 4,096 (Radeon R9 Fury X). Raw compute: 5.914 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 390X) vs 8.602 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 Fury X). Boost clocks: 1050 MHz vs 1050 MHz.

Feature	Radeon R9 390X	Radeon R9 Fury X
G3D Mark Score	9,278	9,382+1%
Architecture	GCN 2.0	GCN 3.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2816	4096+45%
Compute (TFLOPS)	5.914 TFLOPS	8.602 TFLOPS+45%
Boost Clock	1050 MHz	1050 MHz
ROPs	64	64
TMUs	176	256+45%
L1 Cache	0.69 MB	1 MB+45%
L2 Cache	1 MB	2 MB+100%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon R9 390X	Radeon R9 Fury X
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)

The Radeon R9 390X comes with 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 Fury X has 4 GB. The Radeon R9 390X offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 384 GB/s (Radeon R9 390X) vs 512 GB/s (Radeon R9 Fury X) — a 33.3% advantage for the Radeon R9 Fury X. Bus width: 512-bit vs 4096-bit. L2 Cache: 1 MB (Radeon R9 390X) vs 2 MB (Radeon R9 Fury X) — the Radeon R9 Fury X has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon R9 390X	Radeon R9 Fury X
VRAM Capacity	8 GB+100%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	HBM
Memory Bandwidth	384 GB/s	512 GB/s+33%
Bus Width	512-bit	4096-bit+700%
L2 Cache	1 MB	2 MB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

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

Feature	Radeon R9 390X	Radeon R9 Fury X
DirectX	12 (12_0)	12.0
Vulkan	1.2	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 390X) vs VCE 3.0 (Radeon R9 Fury X). Decoder: UVD 4.2 vs UVD 6.0. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Radeon R9 390X) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (Radeon R9 Fury X).

Feature	Radeon R9 390X	Radeon R9 Fury X
Encoder	VCE 2.0	VCE 3.0
Decoder	UVD 4.2	UVD 6.0
Codecs	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 390X draws 275W versus the Radeon R9 Fury X's 275W — a 0% difference. The Radeon R9 Fury X is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (Radeon R9 390X) vs 600W (Radeon R9 Fury X). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs 2x 8-pin. Card length: 277mm vs 195mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 80 vs 60°C.

Feature	Radeon R9 390X	Radeon R9 Fury X
TDP	275W	275W
Recommended PSU	750W	600W-20%
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	2x 8-pin
Length	277mm	195mm
Height	129mm	115mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	80	60°C-25%
Perf/Watt	33.7	34.1+1%

💰

Value Analysis

The Radeon R9 390X launched at $429 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 Fury X launched at $649. The Radeon R9 390X costs 33.9% less ($220 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 21.6 (Radeon R9 390X) vs 14.5 (Radeon R9 Fury X) — the Radeon R9 390X offers 49% better value.