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.

GeForce RTX 3070

2020

Why buy it

✅+269.5% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 47.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 30.2 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

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

Radeon R9 380

2015

Why buy it

✅Costs $300 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (6,000 vs 22,172).
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 30.2 vs 44.4 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3070

2020

Radeon R9 380

2015

Why buy it

✅+269.5% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Delivers 47.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 30.2 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅Costs $300 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

Trade-offs

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (6,000 vs 22,172).
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 30.2 vs 44.4 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3070 better than Radeon R9 380?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3070 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 22,172 vs 6,000 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3070 is a 2020 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Radeon R9 380 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?

GeForce RTX 3070 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2020 generation instead of 2015, 269.5% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 4 GB, and the stronger feature stack with DLSS Super Resolution instead of FSR upscaling. That leaves it with more room for heavier textures, tougher ray tracing loads, and higher-end 1440p or 4K gaming over the next few years.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

GeForce RTX 3070 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce RTX 3070 is about 150.8% more expensive on MSRP at $499 MSRP versus $199 MSRP, and you are getting 269.5% higher G3D Mark. Radeon R9 380 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is Radeon R9 380 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon R9 380 is 2015 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM, 6,000 in G3D Mark, and FSR upscaling. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

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.

GeForce RTX 3070 Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 380 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon R9 380
1080p
low	158 FPS	101 FPS
medium	140 FPS	87 FPS
high	123 FPS	70 FPS
ultra	104 FPS	41 FPS
1440p
low	134 FPS	88 FPS
medium	109 FPS	77 FPS
high	96 FPS	55 FPS
ultra	86 FPS	31 FPS
4K
low	80 FPS	28 FPS
medium	67 FPS	26 FPS
high	52 FPS	17 FPS
ultra	45 FPS	15 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3070 Open Radeon R9 380

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon R9 380
1080p
low	470 FPS	128 FPS
medium	405 FPS	98 FPS
high	327 FPS	78 FPS
ultra	277 FPS	52 FPS
1440p
low	294 FPS	72 FPS
medium	246 FPS	52 FPS
high	213 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	27 FPS
4K
low	141 FPS	27 FPS
medium	120 FPS	19 FPS
high	105 FPS	15 FPS
ultra	83 FPS	11 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3070 Open Radeon R9 380

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon R9 380
1080p
low	885 FPS	270 FPS
medium	712 FPS	216 FPS
high	619 FPS	180 FPS
ultra	499 FPS	135 FPS
1440p
low	692 FPS	202 FPS
medium	557 FPS	162 FPS
high	473 FPS	135 FPS
ultra	374 FPS	101 FPS
4K
low	479 FPS	135 FPS
medium	388 FPS	108 FPS
high	330 FPS	90 FPS
ultra	249 FPS	68 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3070 Open Radeon R9 380

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon R9 380
1080p
low	600 FPS	171 FPS
medium	527 FPS	142 FPS
high	433 FPS	128 FPS
ultra	385 FPS	103 FPS
1440p
low	489 FPS	121 FPS
medium	433 FPS	102 FPS
high	339 FPS	91 FPS
ultra	297 FPS	69 FPS
4K
low	292 FPS	71 FPS
medium	270 FPS	57 FPS
high	238 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	200 FPS	32 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3070 Open Radeon R9 380

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3070 and Radeon R9 380

GeForce RTX 3070

The GeForce RTX 3070 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 1 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1500 MHz to 1725 MHz. It has 5888 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 220W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 46 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 22,172 points. Launch price was $499.

Radeon R9 380

The Radeon R9 380 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 18 2015. It features the GCN 3.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 970 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 220W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,000 points. Launch price was $199.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3070 scores 22,172 versus the Radeon R9 380's 6,000 — the GeForce RTX 3070 leads by 269.5%. The GeForce RTX 3070 is built on Ampere while the Radeon R9 380 uses GCN 3.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 5,888 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 1,792 (Radeon R9 380). Raw compute: 20.31 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 3.476 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 380). Boost clocks: 1725 MHz vs 970 MHz.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon R9 380
G3D Mark Score	22,172+270%	6,000
Architecture	Ampere	GCN 3.0
Process Node	8 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	5888+229%	1792
Compute (TFLOPS)	20.31 TFLOPS+484%	3.476 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1725 MHz+78%	970 MHz
ROPs	96+200%	32
TMUs	184+64%	112
L1 Cache	5.8 MB+1218%	0.44 MB
L2 Cache	4 MB+700%	0.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3070 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon R9 380 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon R9 380
Upscaling Tech	DLSS 2 Super Resolution	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 3070 comes with 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 380 has 4 GB. The GeForce RTX 3070 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 448 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 182.4 GB/s (Radeon R9 380) — a 145.6% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3070. Bus width: 256-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon R9 380) — the GeForce RTX 3070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon R9 380
VRAM Capacity	8 GB+100%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	448 GB/s+146%	182.4 GB/s
Bus Width	256-bit	256-bit
L2 Cache	4 MB+700%	0.5 MB

🎬

Media & Encoding

Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs H.264,H.265 (Radeon R9 380).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon R9 380
Encoder	NVENC 7th gen	—
Decoder	NVDEC 5th gen	—
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9	H.264,H.265

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3070 draws 220W versus the Radeon R9 380's 220W — a 0% difference. The Radeon R9 380 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 650W (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 500W (Radeon R9 380). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 2x 6-pin.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3070	Radeon R9 380
TDP	220W	220W
Recommended PSU	650W	500W-23%
Power Connector	8-pin	2x 6-pin
Length	242mm	—
Height	112mm	—
Slots	2	—
Temp (Load)	75°C	—
Perf/Watt	100.8+269%	27.3

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 3070 launched at $499 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 380 launched at $199. The Radeon R9 380 costs 60.1% less ($300 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 44.4 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 30.2 (Radeon R9 380) — the GeForce RTX 3070 offers 47% better value. The GeForce RTX 3070 is the newer GPU (2020 vs 2015).