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

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

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.
❌
65.3% HIGHER MSRP
$329 MSRPvs$199 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 26.9 vs 45.6 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌130.8% higher power demand at 300W vs 130W.

Radeon RX 5500 XT

2019

Why buy it

✅Costs $130 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Delivers 69.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 45.6 vs 26.9 G3D/$ ($199 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 130W instead of 300W, a 170W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Radeon R9 390

2015

Radeon RX 5500 XT

2019

Why buy it

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

Why buy it

✅Costs $130 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Delivers 69.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 45.6 vs 26.9 G3D/$ ($199 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 130W instead of 300W, a 170W 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.
❌
65.3% HIGHER MSRP
$329 MSRPvs$199 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 26.9 vs 45.6 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
❌130.8% higher power demand at 300W vs 130W.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Quick Answers

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

Yes. Radeon RX 5500 XT is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 9,080 vs 8,855 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Radeon RX 5500 XT is a 2019 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 5500 XT 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 RX 5500 XT can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $199 MSRP. Radeon RX 5500 XT is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. Radeon RX 5500 XT is about $130 cheaper on MSRP at $199 MSRP versus $329 MSRP, and you are getting 2.5% higher G3D Mark. Moving to $199 MSRP gets you newer hardware, lower power draw (130W vs 300W), and FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation.

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

Yes. Radeon R9 390 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 $329 MSRP, it remains a very sensible buy. Radeon RX 5500 XT is still the safer recommendation for most fresh builds because it offers a cleaner overall package with newer hardware and FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation.

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 XT Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 5500 XT
1080p
low	105 FPS	129 FPS
medium	89 FPS	113 FPS
high	73 FPS	99 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	83 FPS
1440p
low	89 FPS	117 FPS
medium	75 FPS	96 FPS
high	55 FPS	81 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	70 FPS
4K
low	36 FPS	66 FPS
medium	32 FPS	59 FPS
high	20 FPS	41 FPS
ultra	17 FPS	36 FPS

Open Radeon R9 390 Open Radeon RX 5500 XT

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 5500 XT
1080p
low	184 FPS	135 FPS
medium	162 FPS	102 FPS
high	134 FPS	73 FPS
ultra	103 FPS	48 FPS
1440p
low	131 FPS	91 FPS
medium	106 FPS	63 FPS
high	85 FPS	47 FPS
ultra	65 FPS	35 FPS
4K
low	60 FPS	43 FPS
medium	50 FPS	33 FPS
high	45 FPS	27 FPS
ultra	36 FPS	20 FPS

Open Radeon R9 390 Open Radeon RX 5500 XT

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 5500 XT
1080p
low	398 FPS	409 FPS
medium	319 FPS	327 FPS
high	266 FPS	272 FPS
ultra	199 FPS	204 FPS
1440p
low	299 FPS	306 FPS
medium	239 FPS	245 FPS
high	199 FPS	204 FPS
ultra	149 FPS	153 FPS
4K
low	199 FPS	204 FPS
medium	159 FPS	163 FPS
high	133 FPS	136 FPS
ultra	100 FPS	102 FPS

Open Radeon R9 390 Open Radeon RX 5500 XT

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 5500 XT
1080p
low	224 FPS	373 FPS
medium	193 FPS	317 FPS
high	156 FPS	262 FPS
ultra	132 FPS	204 FPS
1440p
low	170 FPS	306 FPS
medium	146 FPS	245 FPS
high	113 FPS	196 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	153 FPS
4K
low	95 FPS	151 FPS
medium	75 FPS	118 FPS
high	59 FPS	104 FPS
ultra	45 FPS	88 FPS

Open Radeon R9 390 Open Radeon RX 5500 XT

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

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

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 XT

The Radeon RX 5500 XT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in December 12 2019. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1607 MHz to 1845 MHz. It has 1408 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 130W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,080 points. Launch price was $169.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 390 scores 8,855 and the Radeon RX 5500 XT reaches 9,080 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 390 is built on GCN 2.0 while the Radeon RX 5500 XT uses RDNA 1.0, both on 28 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (Radeon R9 390) vs 1,408 (Radeon RX 5500 XT). Raw compute: 5.12 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 390) vs 5.196 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 5500 XT). Boost clocks: 1000 MHz vs 1845 MHz.

Feature	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 5500 XT
G3D Mark Score	8,855	9,080+3%
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
L2 Cache	1 MB	2 MB+100%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 5500 XT 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 XT
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 8 GB of video memory. Memory bandwidth: 320 GB/s (Radeon R9 390) vs 224 GB/s (Radeon RX 5500 XT) — a 42.9% advantage for the Radeon R9 390. Bus width: 512-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 1 MB (Radeon R9 390) vs 2 MB (Radeon RX 5500 XT) — the Radeon RX 5500 XT has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 5500 XT
VRAM Capacity	8 GB	8 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	320 GB/s+43%	224 GB/s
Bus Width	512-bit+300%	128-bit
L2 Cache	1 MB	2 MB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.0 (Radeon R9 390) vs 12.1 (Radeon RX 5500 XT). 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 XT
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 XT). 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 XT).

Feature	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 5500 XT
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 XT's 130W — a 79.1% difference. The Radeon RX 5500 XT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (Radeon R9 390) vs 450W (Radeon RX 5500 XT). 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 XT
TDP	300W	130W-57%
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	69.8+137%

💰

Value Analysis

The Radeon R9 390 launched at $329 MSRP, while the Radeon RX 5500 XT launched at $199. The Radeon RX 5500 XT costs 39.5% less ($130 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 26.9 (Radeon R9 390) vs 45.6 (Radeon RX 5500 XT) — the Radeon RX 5500 XT offers 69.5% better value. The Radeon RX 5500 XT is the newer GPU (2019 vs 2015).