GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q vs Radeon R9 M390X

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.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (G3D Mark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money. The GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q is positioned at rank 76 and the Radeon R9 M390X is on rank 416, so the GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.•
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q

#25

Radeon RX 7600M XT

MSRP: $329|Avg: $300

91%

#66

Radeon RX 550X (móvel)

MSRP: $35|Avg: $35

221%

#68

GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $150

201%

#69

GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $100

200%

#73

GeForce GTX 1050 (Mobile)

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $50

182%

#74

Radeon RX 6300

MSRP: $60|Avg: $40

181%

#76

GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#78

Radeon HD 8970M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $170

99%

#82

Arc 7-Core iGPU

MSRP: $199|Avg: N/A

96%

#86

Radeon RX 560 (móvel)

MSRP: $99|Avg: $50

93%

Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

Performance Per Dollar Radeon R9 M390X

#406

Radeon RX 550X (móvel)

MSRP: $35|Avg: $35

1533%

#408

GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $150

1390%

#409

GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $100

1386%

#413

GeForce GTX 1050 (Mobile)

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $50

1261%

#414

Radeon RX 6300

MSRP: $60|Avg: $40

1252%

#416

Radeon R9 M390X

MSRP: $550|Avg: $120

100%

#417

Arc 8-Core iGPU

MSRP: $503|Avg: $400

98%

#418

Mobility Radeon HD 4670

MSRP: $67|Avg: $20

98%

#419

Radeon HD 8570D + HD 8570 Dual

MSRP: $150|Avg: $15

97%

#420

Radeon R9 M385

MSRP: $300|Avg: $60

97%

#421

Radeon R5 235

MSRP: $49|Avg: $49

97%

#422

Radeon R9 M375X

MSRP: $250|Avg: $50

97%

#423

Radeon HD 6620G

MSRP: $50|Avg: $10

96%

#424

Radeon R5 310

MSRP: $49|Avg: $15

96%

#425

Radeon HD 7690M XT

MSRP: $150|Avg: $40

95%

#426

Radeon HD 7600G

MSRP: $50|Avg: $10

94%

#427

Radeon R7 A265

MSRP: $149|Avg: $149

94%

#428

Radeon R9 M470

MSRP: $350|Avg: $80

94%

#429

Radeon R9 M385X

MSRP: $300|Avg: $300

94%

#431

Mobility Radeon HD 5570

MSRP: $80|Avg: $20

93%

Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

Performance Comparison

About G3D Mark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

⚠️ Generational Difference

The GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q uses modern memory architecture. The GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q likely supports modern features like Ray Tracing, Tensor Cores, and DLSS/FSR upscaling, which act as force multipliers for performance. The Radeon R9 M390X lacks this hardware feature set, limiting its longevity in modern titles despite any raw power similarities.

🚀 Performance Leadership

The GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q is the superior choice for raw performance. It leads with a 0.8% higher G3D Mark score. However, the Radeon R9 M390X offers more VRAM, which may be beneficial for texture-heavy scenarios at higher resolutions.

Insight	GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q	Radeon R9 M390X
Performance	✅Leading raw performance (+0.8%)	❌Lower raw frame rates (-0.8%)
Longevity	🛑Obsolete Architecture (2018 / Pascal (2016−2021))	🛑Obsolete Architecture (2015 / GCN 3.0 (2014−2019))
Ecosystem	Supports FSR Upscaling	Supports FSR Upscaling
VRAM	❌ Less VRAM capacity	✅ More VRAM (+100%)
Efficiency	Normal Efficiency	Normal Efficiency
Case Fit	—	—

💎 Value Proposition

While current pricing data is unavailable, the GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q remains the clear technical winner. Check real-time availability to determine if the performance gap justifies the market price.

Performance Check

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 7800X3D 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 GTX 1050 Max-Q Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 M390X Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q and Radeon R9 M390X

GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q

The GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 3 2018. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1190 MHz to 1328 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,925 points.

Radeon R9 M390X

The Radeon R9 M390X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 5 2015. It features the GCN 3.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 723 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,895 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q scores 3,925 and the Radeon R9 M390X reaches 3,895 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q is built on Pascal while the Radeon R9 M390X uses GCN 3.0, both on 14 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 640 (GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q) vs 2,048 (Radeon R9 M390X). Raw compute: 1.7 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q) vs 2.961 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 M390X).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q	Radeon R9 M390X
G3D Mark Score	3,925	3,895
Architecture	Pascal	GCN 3.0
Process Node	14 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	640	2048+220%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.7 TFLOPS	2.961 TFLOPS+74%
ROPs	16	32+100%
TMUs	40	128+220%
L1 Cache	240 KB	512 KB+113%
L2 Cache	1 MB+100%	0.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q	Radeon R9 M390X
Upscaling Tech	FSR 2.1 (Compatible)	FSR 1.0 (Software)
Frame Generation	FSR 3 (Compatible)	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	Standard	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q comes with 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 M390X has 4 GB. The Radeon R9 M390X offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 112.1 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q) vs 160 GB/s (Radeon R9 M390X) — a 42.7% advantage for the Radeon R9 M390X. Bus width: 128-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon R9 M390X) — the GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q	Radeon R9 M390X
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	4 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	112.1 GB/s	160 GB/s+43%
Bus Width	128-bit	256-bit+100%
L2 Cache	1 MB+100%	0.5 MB

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q draws 75W versus the Radeon R9 M390X's 75W — a 0% difference. The Radeon R9 M390X is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M390X). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs Mobile.