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

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 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.
❌
83.8% HIGHER MSRP
$329 MSRPvs$179 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 26.9 vs 49.4 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $179 MSRP).
❌172.7% higher power demand at 300W vs 110W.

Radeon RX 5500

2019

Why buy it

✅Costs $150 less on MSRP ($179 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Delivers 83.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 49.4 vs 26.9 G3D/$ ($179 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅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 110W instead of 300W, a 190W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.

Radeon R9 390

2015

Radeon RX 5500

2019

Why buy it

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).

Why buy it

✅Costs $150 less on MSRP ($179 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Delivers 83.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 49.4 vs 26.9 G3D/$ ($179 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅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 110W instead of 300W, a 190W 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.
❌
83.8% HIGHER MSRP
$329 MSRPvs$179 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 26.9 vs 49.4 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $179 MSRP).
❌172.7% higher power demand at 300W vs 110W.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon R9 390 better than Radeon RX 5500?

Yes. Radeon R9 390 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 8,855 vs 8,837 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Radeon R9 390 is a 2015 card with FSR upscaling, while Radeon RX 5500 is a 2019 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation. 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 5500 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2019 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 R9 390 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Radeon R9 390 is about 83.8% more expensive on MSRP at $329 MSRP versus $179 MSRP, and you are getting 0.2% higher G3D Mark. Radeon RX 5500 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

When does Radeon RX 5500 make more sense than Radeon R9 390?

Yes. Radeon RX 5500 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 (110W vs 300W), future-proofing, and staying closer to $179 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Radeon R9 390. The trade-off is that Radeon R9 390 currently gives you 0.2% higher G3D Mark. Radeon RX 5500 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 RX 5500 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 5500
1080p
low	105 FPS	84 FPS
medium	89 FPS	72 FPS
high	73 FPS	60 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	39 FPS
1440p
low	89 FPS	74 FPS
medium	75 FPS	64 FPS
high	55 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	31 FPS
4K
low	36 FPS	28 FPS
medium	32 FPS	27 FPS
high	20 FPS	18 FPS
ultra	17 FPS	16 FPS

Open Radeon R9 390 Open Radeon RX 5500

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 5500
1080p
low	198 FPS	106 FPS
medium	173 FPS	74 FPS
high	143 FPS	51 FPS
ultra	111 FPS	34 FPS
1440p
low	138 FPS	73 FPS
medium	110 FPS	45 FPS
high	88 FPS	33 FPS
ultra	67 FPS	24 FPS
4K
low	61 FPS	34 FPS
medium	50 FPS	24 FPS
high	45 FPS	19 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	14 FPS

Open Radeon R9 390 Open Radeon RX 5500

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 5500
1080p
low	398 FPS	349 FPS
medium	319 FPS	304 FPS
high	266 FPS	238 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	198 FPS
1440p
low	299 FPS	285 FPS
medium	239 FPS	239 FPS
high	199 FPS	199 FPS
ultra	149 FPS	149 FPS
4K
low	199 FPS	176 FPS
medium	159 FPS	151 FPS
high	133 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	74 FPS

Open Radeon R9 390 Open Radeon RX 5500

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 5500
1080p
low	224 FPS	140 FPS
medium	193 FPS	113 FPS
high	156 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	132 FPS	81 FPS
1440p
low	170 FPS	103 FPS
medium	146 FPS	85 FPS
high	113 FPS	73 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	59 FPS
4K
low	95 FPS	60 FPS
medium	75 FPS	48 FPS
high	59 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	45 FPS	29 FPS

Open Radeon R9 390 Open Radeon RX 5500

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon R9 390 and Radeon RX 5500

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 5500

The Radeon RX 5500 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 7 2019. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1845 MHz. It has 1408 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 110W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,837 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 390 scores 8,855 and the Radeon RX 5500 reaches 8,837 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 390 is built on GCN 2.0 while the Radeon RX 5500 uses RDNA 1.0, both on 28 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (Radeon R9 390) vs 1,408 (Radeon RX 5500). Raw compute: 5.12 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 390) vs 5.196 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 5500). Boost clocks: 1000 MHz vs 1845 MHz.

Feature	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 5500
G3D Mark Score	8,855	8,837
Architecture	GCN 2.0	RDNA 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	7 nm
Shading Units	2560+82%	1408
Compute (TFLOPS)	5.12 TFLOPS	5.196 TFLOPS+1%
Boost Clock	1000 MHz	1845 MHz+85%
ROPs	64+100%	32
TMUs	160+82%	88
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 5500 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 5500
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 5500 has 4 GB. The Radeon R9 390 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 320 GB/s (Radeon R9 390) vs 224 GB/s (Radeon RX 5500) — a 42.9% advantage for the Radeon R9 390. Bus width: 512-bit vs 128-bit.

Feature	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 5500
VRAM Capacity	8 GB+100%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	320 GB/s+43%	224 GB/s
Bus Width	512-bit+300%	128-bit

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.0 (Radeon R9 390) vs 12.1 (Radeon RX 5500). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.

Feature	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 5500
DirectX	12.0	12.1
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 VCN 2.0 (Radeon RX 5500). 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 5500).

Feature	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 5500
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 5500's 110W — a 92.7% difference. The Radeon RX 5500 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (Radeon R9 390) vs 450W (Radeon RX 5500). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 275mm vs 180mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 95°C vs 75°C.

Feature	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 5500
TDP	300W	110W-63%
Recommended PSU	750W	450W-40%
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	8-pin
Length	275mm	180mm
Height	109mm	110mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	95°C	75°C-21%
Perf/Watt	29.5	80.3+172%

💰

Value Analysis

The Radeon R9 390 launched at $329 MSRP, while the Radeon RX 5500 launched at $179. The Radeon RX 5500 costs 45.6% less ($150 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 26.9 (Radeon R9 390) vs 49.4 (Radeon RX 5500) — the Radeon RX 5500 offers 83.6% better value. The Radeon RX 5500 is the newer GPU (2019 vs 2015).