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 M380

2015

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
279.7% HIGHER MSRP
$300 MSRPvs$79 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 9.2 vs 33.8 G3D/$ ($300 MSRP vs $79 MSRP).
❌50% higher power demand at 75W vs 50W.

Radeon RX 550

2017

Why buy it

✅Costs $221 less on MSRP ($79 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
✅Delivers 269% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 33.8 vs 9.2 G3D/$ ($79 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon R9 M380: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon R9 M380 is already obsolete for modern gaming.
✅Draws 50W instead of 75W, a 25W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2017-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

Radeon R9 M380

2015

Radeon RX 550

2017

Why buy it

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

Why buy it

✅Costs $221 less on MSRP ($79 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
✅Delivers 269% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 33.8 vs 9.2 G3D/$ ($79 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon R9 M380: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon R9 M380 is already obsolete for modern gaming.
✅Draws 50W instead of 75W, a 25W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
279.7% HIGHER MSRP
$300 MSRPvs$79 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 9.2 vs 33.8 G3D/$ ($300 MSRP vs $79 MSRP).
❌50% higher power demand at 75W vs 50W.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2017-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon R9 M380 better than Radeon RX 550?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 2,752 vs 2,674 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer Radeon R9 M380 is the overall package: you are getting FSR upscaling.

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

Radeon RX 550 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2017 generation instead of 2015, better frame-generation support with FSR Frame Generation (2023) instead of FSR upscaling, and a 14nm 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 R9 M380 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Radeon R9 M380 is about 279.7% more expensive on MSRP at $300 MSRP versus $79 MSRP, and you are getting 2.9% higher G3D Mark. Radeon RX 550 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

When does Radeon RX 550 make more sense than Radeon R9 M380?

Yes. Radeon RX 550 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 newer architecture, lower power draw (50W vs 75W), future-proofing, and staying closer to $79 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Radeon R9 M380. The trade-off is that Radeon R9 M380 currently gives you 2.9% higher G3D Mark. Radeon RX 550 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 M380 Benchmark Check

Radeon RX 550 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Radeon R9 M380	Radeon RX 550
1080p
low	39 FPS	51 FPS
medium	25 FPS	33 FPS
high	18 FPS	24 FPS
ultra	10 FPS	12 FPS
1440p
low	27 FPS	35 FPS
medium	17 FPS	22 FPS
high	9 FPS	12 FPS
ultra	5 FPS	6 FPS
4K
low	10 FPS	11 FPS
medium	6 FPS	7 FPS
high	4 FPS	4 FPS
ultra	3 FPS	3 FPS

Open Radeon R9 M380 Open Radeon RX 550

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Radeon R9 M380	Radeon RX 550
1080p
low	54 FPS	82 FPS
medium	28 FPS	50 FPS
high	20 FPS	37 FPS
ultra	13 FPS	22 FPS
1440p
low	26 FPS	24 FPS
medium	15 FPS	17 FPS
high	9 FPS	12 FPS
ultra	7 FPS	8 FPS
4K
low	7 FPS	7 FPS
medium	5 FPS	5 FPS
high	4 FPS	4 FPS
ultra	2 FPS	3 FPS

Open Radeon R9 M380 Open Radeon RX 550

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Radeon R9 M380	Radeon RX 550
1080p
low	124 FPS	120 FPS
medium	99 FPS	96 FPS
high	83 FPS	80 FPS
ultra	62 FPS	60 FPS
1440p
low	93 FPS	90 FPS
medium	74 FPS	72 FPS
high	62 FPS	60 FPS
ultra	46 FPS	45 FPS
4K
low	62 FPS	60 FPS
medium	50 FPS	48 FPS
high	41 FPS	40 FPS
ultra	31 FPS	30 FPS

Open Radeon R9 M380 Open Radeon RX 550

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Radeon R9 M380	Radeon RX 550
1080p
low	110 FPS	120 FPS
medium	86 FPS	96 FPS
high	65 FPS	80 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	60 FPS
1440p
low	61 FPS	90 FPS
medium	48 FPS	72 FPS
high	40 FPS	60 FPS
ultra	28 FPS	45 FPS
4K
low	35 FPS	60 FPS
medium	25 FPS	48 FPS
high	20 FPS	40 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	27 FPS

Open Radeon R9 M380 Open Radeon RX 550

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon R9 M380 and Radeon RX 550

Radeon R9 M380

The Radeon R9 M380 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 5 2015. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 900 MHz to 1000 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,752 points.

Radeon RX 550

The Radeon RX 550 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 20 2017. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1100 MHz to 1183 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,674 points. Launch price was $79.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 M380 scores 2,752 and the Radeon RX 550 reaches 2,674 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 M380 is built on GCN 2.0 while the Radeon RX 550 uses GCN 4.0, both on 28 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 768 (Radeon R9 M380) vs 512 (Radeon RX 550). Raw compute: 1.536 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 M380) vs 1.211 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 550). Boost clocks: 1000 MHz vs 1183 MHz.

Feature	Radeon R9 M380	Radeon RX 550
G3D Mark Score	2,752+3%	2,674
Architecture	GCN 2.0	GCN 4.0
Process Node	28 nm	14 nm
Shading Units	768+50%	512
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.536 TFLOPS+27%	1.211 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1000 MHz	1183 MHz+18%
ROPs	16	16
TMUs	48+50%	32
L1 Cache	192 KB+50%	128 KB
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 550 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 M380 lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.

Feature	Radeon R9 M380	Radeon RX 550
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)

Both cards feature 4 GB of GDDR5. Memory bandwidth: 96 GB/s (Radeon R9 M380) vs 112 GB/s (Radeon RX 550) — a 16.7% advantage for the Radeon RX 550. Bus width: 128-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 256 KB (Radeon R9 M380) vs 512 KB (Radeon RX 550) — the Radeon RX 550 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon R9 M380	Radeon RX 550
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	96 GB/s	112 GB/s+17%
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (12_0) (Radeon R9 M380) vs 12_0 (Radeon RX 550). Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 3.

Feature	Radeon R9 M380	Radeon RX 550
DirectX	12 (12_0)	12_0
Max Displays	3	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 3.0 (Radeon R9 M380) vs VCE 3.4 (Radeon RX 550). Decoder: UVD 6.0 vs UVD 6.3. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265 (HEVC),MPEG-2,VC-1,MPEG-4 (Radeon R9 M380) vs H.264,H.265 (Radeon RX 550).

Feature	Radeon R9 M380	Radeon RX 550
Encoder	VCE 3.0	VCE 3.4
Decoder	UVD 6.0	UVD 6.3
Codecs	H.264,H.265 (HEVC),MPEG-2,VC-1,MPEG-4	H.264,H.265

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 M380 draws 75W versus the Radeon RX 550's 50W — a 40% difference. The Radeon RX 550 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon R9 M380) vs 300W (Radeon RX 550). Power connectors: Mobile vs None. Card length: 0mm vs 155mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots.

Feature	Radeon R9 M380	Radeon RX 550
TDP	75W	50W-33%
Recommended PSU	350W	300W-14%
Power Connector	Mobile	None
Length	0mm	155mm
Height	0mm	—
Slots	0-100%	2
Temp (Load)	85	—
Perf/Watt	36.7	53.5+46%

💰

Value Analysis

The Radeon R9 M380 launched at $300 MSRP, while the Radeon RX 550 launched at $79. The Radeon RX 550 costs 73.7% less ($221 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 9.2 (Radeon R9 M380) vs 33.8 (Radeon RX 550) — the Radeon RX 550 offers 267.4% better value. The Radeon RX 550 is the newer GPU (2017 vs 2015).