GeForce RTX 4070 Ti vs Radeon R9 390

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 4070 Ti

2023Core: 2310 MHzBoost: 2610 MHz

Popular choices:

VS
AMD

Radeon R9 390

2015Boost: 1000 MHz

Popular choices:

RTX 4070 Ti

Performance Spectrum - GPU

About G3D Mark

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 4070 Ti

2023

Why buy it

  • +256.6% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • Delivers 46.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 39.5 vs 26.9 G3D/$ ($799 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
  • 50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 8 GB).
  • More future proof: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 4nm 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 390

2015

Why buy it

  • Costs $470 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $799 MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (8,855 vs 31,578).
  • Less VRAM, with 8 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
  • Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 26.9 vs 39.5 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $799 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 4070 Ti better than Radeon R9 390?
Yes. GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 31,578 vs 8,855 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is a 2023 card with DLSS 3.5 + 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?
GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2023 generation instead of 2015, 256.6% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 12 GB instead of 8 GB, and better frame-generation support with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023) 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 4070 Ti is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is about 142.9% more expensive on MSRP at $799 MSRP versus $329 MSRP, and you are getting 256.6% higher G3D Mark. Radeon R9 390 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.
Is Radeon R9 390 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?
No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon R9 390 is 2015 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM, 8,855 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.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

PresetGeForce RTX 4070 TiRadeon R9 390
1080p
low188 FPS105 FPS
medium171 FPS89 FPS
high155 FPS73 FPS
ultra135 FPS49 FPS
1440p
low151 FPS89 FPS
medium125 FPS75 FPS
high111 FPS55 FPS
ultra102 FPS36 FPS
4K
low92 FPS36 FPS
medium79 FPS32 FPS
high66 FPS20 FPS
ultra59 FPS17 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce RTX 4070 TiRadeon R9 390
1080p
low664 FPS198 FPS
medium539 FPS173 FPS
high415 FPS143 FPS
ultra366 FPS111 FPS
1440p
low496 FPS138 FPS
medium400 FPS110 FPS
high329 FPS88 FPS
ultra269 FPS67 FPS
4K
low250 FPS61 FPS
medium211 FPS50 FPS
high187 FPS45 FPS
ultra159 FPS36 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce RTX 4070 TiRadeon R9 390
1080p
low921 FPS398 FPS
medium742 FPS319 FPS
high652 FPS266 FPS
ultra569 FPS199 FPS
1440p
low720 FPS299 FPS
medium578 FPS239 FPS
high497 FPS199 FPS
ultra427 FPS149 FPS
4K
low498 FPS199 FPS
medium403 FPS159 FPS
high352 FPS133 FPS
ultra296 FPS100 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce RTX 4070 TiRadeon R9 390
1080p
low879 FPS224 FPS
medium731 FPS193 FPS
high664 FPS156 FPS
ultra600 FPS132 FPS
1440p
low706 FPS170 FPS
medium585 FPS146 FPS
high514 FPS113 FPS
ultra460 FPS92 FPS
4K
low477 FPS95 FPS
medium408 FPS75 FPS
high366 FPS59 FPS
ultra324 FPS45 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 4070 Ti and Radeon R9 390

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 4070 Ti

The GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 3 2023. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 2310 MHz to 2610 MHz. It has 7680 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 285W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. It features 60 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 31,578 points. Launch price was $799.

AMD

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.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti scores 31,578 versus the Radeon R9 390's 8,855 — the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti leads by 256.6%. The GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is built on Ada Lovelace while the Radeon R9 390 uses GCN 2.0, both on 4 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 7,680 (GeForce RTX 4070 Ti) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 390). Raw compute: 40.09 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 4070 Ti) vs 5.12 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 390). Boost clocks: 2610 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

FeatureGeForce RTX 4070 TiRadeon R9 390
G3D Mark Score
31,578+257%
8,855
Architecture
Ada Lovelace
GCN 2.0
Process Node
4 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
7680+200%
2560
Compute (TFLOPS)
40.09 TFLOPS+683%
5.12 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
2610 MHz+161%
1000 MHz
ROPs
80+25%
64
TMUs
240+50%
160
L1 Cache
7.5 MB+1090%
0.63 MB
L2 Cache
48 MB+4700%
1 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is support for DLSS 3.5 + 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.The GeForce RTX 4070 Ti gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon R9 390 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

FeatureGeForce RTX 4070 TiRadeon R9 390
Upscaling Tech
DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
Yes (DLSS 3.5)
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 4070 Ti comes with 12 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 390 has 8 GB. The GeForce RTX 4070 Ti offers 50% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 504 GB/s (GeForce RTX 4070 Ti) vs 320 GB/s (Radeon R9 390) — a 57.5% advantage for the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti. Bus width: 192-bit vs 512-bit. L2 Cache: 48 MB (GeForce RTX 4070 Ti) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 390) — the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 4070 TiRadeon R9 390
VRAM Capacity
12 GB+50%
8 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6X
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
504 GB/s+57%
320 GB/s
Bus Width
192-bit
512-bit+167%
L2 Cache
48 MB+4700%
1 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 4070 Ti) vs 12.0 (Radeon R9 390). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.

FeatureGeForce RTX 4070 TiRadeon R9 390
DirectX
12 Ultimate
12.0
Vulkan
1.3+8%
1.2
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
6+50%
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (8th Gen) (GeForce RTX 4070 Ti) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 390). Decoder: NVDEC (5th Gen) vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: AV1,H.264,H.265,VP9 (GeForce RTX 4070 Ti) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 390).

FeatureGeForce RTX 4070 TiRadeon R9 390
Encoder
NVENC (8th Gen)
VCE 2.0
Decoder
NVDEC (5th Gen)
UVD 4.2
Codecs
AV1,H.264,H.265,VP9
MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 4070 Ti draws 285W versus the Radeon R9 390's 300W — a 5.1% difference. The GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 700W (GeForce RTX 4070 Ti) vs 750W (Radeon R9 390). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 285mm vs 275mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 70°C vs 95°C.

FeatureGeForce RTX 4070 TiRadeon R9 390
TDP
285W-5%
300W
Recommended PSU
700W-7%
750W
Power Connector
8-pin
6-pin + 8-pin
Length
285mm
275mm
Height
112mm
109mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
70°C-26%
95°C
Perf/Watt
110.8+276%
29.5
💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 4070 Ti launched at $799 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 390 launched at $329. The Radeon R9 390 costs 58.8% less ($470 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 39.5 (GeForce RTX 4070 Ti) vs 26.9 (Radeon R9 390) — the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti offers 46.8% better value. The GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is the newer GPU (2023 vs 2015).

FeatureGeForce RTX 4070 TiRadeon R9 390
MSRP
$799
$329-59%
Performance per Dollar
39.5+47%
26.9
Codename
AD104
Grenada
Release
January 3 2023
June 18 2015
Ranking
#11
#296