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 GTX 1650

2019

Why buy it

✅218.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $151 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
✅Delivers 475.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 52.8 vs 9.2 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon R9 M380: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon R9 M380 is already obsolete for modern gaming.

Trade-offs

❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.

Radeon R9 M380

2015

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1650 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
101.3% HIGHER MSRP
$300 MSRPvs$149 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 9.2 vs 52.8 G3D/$ ($300 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).

GeForce GTX 1650

2019

Radeon R9 M380

2015

Why buy it

✅218.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $151 less on MSRP ($149 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
✅Delivers 475.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 52.8 vs 9.2 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
✅Less risky long-term buy than Radeon R9 M380: it remains the more sensible modern option while Radeon R9 M380 is already obsolete for modern gaming.

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Limited future-proofing: older hardware, 4 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in upcoming AAA games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTX 1650 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
101.3% HIGHER MSRP
$300 MSRPvs$149 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 9.2 vs 52.8 G3D/$ ($300 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1650 better than Radeon R9 M380?

Yes. GeForce GTX 1650 is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce GTX 1650 averages 218.7% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 7,869 vs 2,752 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce GTX 1650 is a 2019 card with no meaningful modern upscaling stack, while Radeon R9 M380 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 GTX 1650 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2019 generation instead of 2015, 185.9% more raw performance headroom, the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling, and a 12nm 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?

GeForce GTX 1650 is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce GTX 1650 is about $151 cheaper on MSRP at $149 MSRP versus $300 MSRP, and you are getting 218.7% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 185.9% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 475.7%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

Is Radeon R9 M380 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon R9 M380 is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around $300 MSRP, even if GeForce GTX 1650 is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

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 GTX 1650 Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 M380 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1650	Radeon R9 M380
1080p
low	94 FPS	39 FPS
medium	83 FPS	25 FPS
high	70 FPS	18 FPS
ultra	58 FPS	10 FPS
1440p
low	87 FPS	27 FPS
medium	74 FPS	17 FPS
high	60 FPS	9 FPS
ultra	50 FPS	5 FPS
4K
low	41 FPS	10 FPS
medium	39 FPS	6 FPS
high	27 FPS	4 FPS
ultra	24 FPS	3 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1650 Open Radeon R9 M380

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1650	Radeon R9 M380
1080p
low	136 FPS	54 FPS
medium	113 FPS	28 FPS
high	94 FPS	20 FPS
ultra	71 FPS	13 FPS
1440p
low	79 FPS	26 FPS
medium	62 FPS	15 FPS
high	44 FPS	9 FPS
ultra	35 FPS	7 FPS
4K
low	36 FPS	7 FPS
medium	27 FPS	5 FPS
high	21 FPS	4 FPS
ultra	15 FPS	2 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1650 Open Radeon R9 M380

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1650	Radeon R9 M380
1080p
low	323 FPS	124 FPS
medium	283 FPS	99 FPS
high	205 FPS	83 FPS
ultra	169 FPS	62 FPS
1440p
low	225 FPS	93 FPS
medium	202 FPS	74 FPS
high	151 FPS	62 FPS
ultra	117 FPS	46 FPS
4K
low	130 FPS	62 FPS
medium	117 FPS	50 FPS
high	79 FPS	41 FPS
ultra	50 FPS	31 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1650 Open Radeon R9 M380

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1650	Radeon R9 M380
1080p
low	261 FPS	110 FPS
medium	211 FPS	86 FPS
high	191 FPS	65 FPS
ultra	166 FPS	49 FPS
1440p
low	201 FPS	61 FPS
medium	158 FPS	48 FPS
high	135 FPS	40 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	28 FPS
4K
low	99 FPS	35 FPS
medium	74 FPS	25 FPS
high	65 FPS	20 FPS
ultra	51 FPS	14 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1650 Open Radeon R9 M380

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1650 and Radeon R9 M380

GeForce GTX 1650

The GeForce GTX 1650 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 23 2019. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1485 MHz to 1665 MHz. It has 896 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 7,869 points. Launch price was $149.

Radeon R9 M380

The Radeon R9 M380 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 5 2015. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 900 MHz to 1000 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,752 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 1650 scores 7,869 versus the Radeon R9 M380's 2,752 — the GeForce GTX 1650 leads by 185.9%. The GeForce GTX 1650 is built on Turing while the Radeon R9 M380 uses GCN 2.0, both on 12 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 896 (GeForce GTX 1650) vs 768 (Radeon R9 M380). Raw compute: 2.984 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1650) vs 1.536 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 M380). Boost clocks: 1665 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1650	Radeon R9 M380
G3D Mark Score	7,869+186%	2,752
Architecture	Turing	GCN 2.0
Process Node	12 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	896+17%	768
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.984 TFLOPS+94%	1.536 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1665 MHz+67%	1000 MHz
ROPs	32+100%	16
TMUs	56+17%	48
L1 Cache	896 KB+367%	192 KB
L2 Cache	1 MB+300%	0.25 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 1650 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon R9 M380 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1650	Radeon R9 M380
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 4 GB of GDDR5. Memory bandwidth: 128 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1650) vs 96 GB/s (Radeon R9 M380) — a 33.3% advantage for the GeForce GTX 1650. Bus width: 128-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce GTX 1650) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon R9 M380) — the GeForce GTX 1650 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1650	Radeon R9 M380
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	128 GB/s+33%	96 GB/s
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	1 MB+300%	0.25 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 1650) vs 12 (12_0) (Radeon R9 M380). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 3.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1650	Radeon R9 M380
DirectX	12	12 (12_0)
Vulkan	1.4+17%	1.2
OpenGL	4.6+5%	4.4
Max Displays	3	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 5th gen (Volta) (GeForce GTX 1650) vs VCE 3.0 (Radeon R9 M380). Decoder: NVDEC 4th gen vs UVD 6.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9 (GeForce GTX 1650) vs H.264,H.265 (HEVC),MPEG-2,VC-1,MPEG-4 (Radeon R9 M380).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1650	Radeon R9 M380
Encoder	NVENC 5th gen (Volta)	VCE 3.0
Decoder	NVDEC 4th gen	UVD 6.0
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC,VP8,VP9	H.264,H.265 (HEVC),MPEG-2,VC-1,MPEG-4

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1650 draws 75W versus the Radeon R9 M380's 75W — a 0% difference. The Radeon R9 M380 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (GeForce GTX 1650) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M380). Power connectors: None vs Mobile. Card length: 229mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 70°C vs 85.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1650	Radeon R9 M380
TDP	75W	75W
Recommended PSU	300W-14%	350W
Power Connector	None	Mobile
Length	229mm	0mm
Height	111mm	0mm
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	70°C-18%	85
Perf/Watt	104.9+186%	36.7

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1650 launched at $149 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 M380 launched at $300. The GeForce GTX 1650 costs 50.3% less ($151 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 52.8 (GeForce GTX 1650) vs 9.2 (Radeon R9 M380) — the GeForce GTX 1650 offers 473.9% better value. The GeForce GTX 1650 is the newer GPU (2019 vs 2015).