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 380X

2015

Why buy it

✅10.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 26.8 vs 0 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌194.1% higher power demand at 250W vs 85W.

Radeon RX 5500M

2019

Why buy it

✅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 85W instead of 250W, a 165W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 380X across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 26.8 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $229 MSRP).

Radeon R9 380X

2015

Radeon RX 5500M

2019

Why buy it

✅10.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 26.8 vs 0 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Why buy it

✅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 85W instead of 250W, a 165W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌194.1% higher power demand at 250W vs 85W.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 380X across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 26.8 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $229 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon R9 380X better than Radeon RX 5500M?

Yes. Radeon R9 380X is clearly the better overall GPU here. Radeon R9 380X averages 10.0% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 6,131 vs 5,954 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Radeon R9 380X is a 2015 card with FSR upscaling, while Radeon RX 5500M 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 5500M 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 380X is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. Radeon R9 380X is priced in an unclear MSRP range at $229 MSRP versus an unclear MSRP, and you are getting 10.0% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 3.0% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%. Radeon RX 5500M is the newer 2019 card, so it still has a real case if you care more about newer architecture, lower power draw (85W vs 250W), and future-proofing than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

When does Radeon RX 5500M make more sense than Radeon R9 380X?

Yes. Radeon RX 5500M 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 (85W vs 250W), future-proofing, and staying closer to an unclear MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Radeon R9 380X. The trade-off is that Radeon R9 380X currently gives you 3.0% higher G3D Mark and 10.0% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 100+%.

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 380X Benchmark Check

Radeon RX 5500M Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Radeon R9 380X	Radeon RX 5500M
1080p
low	78 FPS	92 FPS
medium	67 FPS	83 FPS
high	54 FPS	68 FPS
ultra	35 FPS	56 FPS
1440p
low	68 FPS	86 FPS
medium	60 FPS	75 FPS
high	43 FPS	59 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	49 FPS
4K
low	25 FPS	42 FPS
medium	23 FPS	39 FPS
high	15 FPS	27 FPS
ultra	13 FPS	24 FPS

Open Radeon R9 380X Open Radeon RX 5500M

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Radeon R9 380X	Radeon RX 5500M
1080p
low	133 FPS	128 FPS
medium	105 FPS	96 FPS
high	86 FPS	68 FPS
ultra	61 FPS	45 FPS
1440p
low	78 FPS	84 FPS
medium	58 FPS	58 FPS
high	44 FPS	43 FPS
ultra	31 FPS	32 FPS
4K
low	31 FPS	38 FPS
medium	23 FPS	29 FPS
high	18 FPS	23 FPS
ultra	13 FPS	17 FPS

Open Radeon R9 380X Open Radeon RX 5500M

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Radeon R9 380X	Radeon RX 5500M
1080p
low	276 FPS	268 FPS
medium	221 FPS	214 FPS
high	184 FPS	179 FPS
ultra	138 FPS	134 FPS
1440p
low	207 FPS	201 FPS
medium	166 FPS	161 FPS
high	138 FPS	134 FPS
ultra	103 FPS	100 FPS
4K
low	138 FPS	134 FPS
medium	110 FPS	107 FPS
high	92 FPS	89 FPS
ultra	69 FPS	64 FPS

Open Radeon R9 380X Open Radeon RX 5500M

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Radeon R9 380X	Radeon RX 5500M
1080p
low	135 FPS	262 FPS
medium	112 FPS	204 FPS
high	97 FPS	174 FPS
ultra	83 FPS	134 FPS
1440p
low	100 FPS	201 FPS
medium	83 FPS	161 FPS
high	72 FPS	130 FPS
ultra	58 FPS	100 FPS
4K
low	60 FPS	97 FPS
medium	47 FPS	75 FPS
high	37 FPS	66 FPS
ultra	26 FPS	53 FPS

Open Radeon R9 380X Open Radeon RX 5500M

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon R9 380X and Radeon RX 5500M

Radeon R9 380X

The Radeon R9 380X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 19 2015. It features the GCN 3.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 970 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,131 points. Launch price was $229.

Radeon RX 5500M

The Radeon RX 5500M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 7 2019. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1375 MHz to 1645 MHz. It has 1408 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 85W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,954 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 380X scores 6,131 and the Radeon RX 5500M reaches 5,954 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 380X is built on GCN 3.0 while the Radeon RX 5500M uses RDNA 1.0, both on 28 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 2,048 (Radeon R9 380X) vs 1,408 (Radeon RX 5500M). Raw compute: 3.973 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 380X) vs 4.632 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 5500M). Boost clocks: 970 MHz vs 1645 MHz.

Feature	Radeon R9 380X	Radeon RX 5500M
G3D Mark Score	6,131+3%	5,954
Architecture	GCN 3.0	RDNA 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	7 nm
Shading Units	2048+45%	1408
Compute (TFLOPS)	3.973 TFLOPS	4.632 TFLOPS+17%
Boost Clock	970 MHz	1645 MHz+70%
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	128+45%	88
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	2 MB+300%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 5500M 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 380X lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.

Feature	Radeon R9 380X	Radeon RX 5500M
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 video memory. Memory bandwidth: 106 GB/s (Radeon R9 380X) vs 224 GB/s (Radeon RX 5500M) — a 111.3% advantage for the Radeon RX 5500M. Bus width: 128-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (Radeon R9 380X) vs 2 MB (Radeon RX 5500M) — the Radeon RX 5500M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon R9 380X	Radeon RX 5500M
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	106 GB/s	224 GB/s+111%
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	2 MB+300%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (12_0) (Radeon R9 380X) vs 12 (Radeon RX 5500M). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.

Feature	Radeon R9 380X	Radeon RX 5500M
DirectX	12 (12_0)	12
Vulkan	1.3+8%	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4+33%	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 3.0 (Radeon R9 380X) vs VCN 2.0 (Radeon RX 5500M). Decoder: UVD 6.0 vs VCN 2.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,MPEG-2,MPEG-4,VC-1 (Radeon R9 380X) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP9 (Radeon RX 5500M).

Feature	Radeon R9 380X	Radeon RX 5500M
Encoder	VCE 3.0	VCN 2.0
Decoder	UVD 6.0	VCN 2.0
Codecs	H.264,H.265,MPEG-2,MPEG-4,VC-1	H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 380X draws 250W versus the Radeon RX 5500M's 85W — a 98.5% difference. The Radeon RX 5500M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon R9 380X) vs 350W (Radeon RX 5500M). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 221mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 75°C.

Feature	Radeon R9 380X	Radeon RX 5500M
TDP	250W	85W-66%
Recommended PSU	500W	350W-30%
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	221mm	0mm
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	75	75°C
Perf/Watt	24.5	70.0+186%