GeForce GTX 780 Ti vs Radeon RX 590

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 780 Ti

2013Core: 875 MHzBoost: 928 MHz
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VS
AMD

Radeon RX 590

2018Core: 1469 MHzBoost: 1545 MHz
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GeForce GTX 780 Ti vs Radeon RX 590 Performance Spectrum

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.

GeForce GTX 780 Ti vs Radeon RX 590 FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

GeForce GTX 780 Ti vs Radeon RX 590: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

GeForce GTX 780 Ti

2013

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 590 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
  • 2013 hardware with 3 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • 150.5% HIGHER MSRP
    $699 MSRPvs$279 MSRP

Radeon RX 590

2018

Why buy it

  • 39.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $420 less on MSRP ($279 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
  • Delivers 146.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 33.4 vs 13.5 G3D/$ ($279 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
  • 166.7% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 3 GB).

Trade-offs

  • Older hardware, 8 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon RX 590 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 39.2% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GTX 780 Ti instead at 9,469 vs 9,315, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon RX 590 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 8 GB vs 3 GB of VRAM, the newer feature stack, with FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) and FSR Frame Generation (2023), while GeForce GTX 780 Ti is limited to no meaningful modern upscaling stack and no comparable frame-generation support, a 12nm process instead of 28nm, and a newer 2018 generation instead of 2013. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon RX 590 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $420 cheaper on MSRP at $279 vs $699, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 146.5% (33.4 vs 13.5), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce GTX 780 Ti vs Radeon RX 590 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 780 Ti

The GeForce GTX 780 Ti is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in November 7 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 875 MHz to 928 MHz. It has 2880 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,469 points. Launch price was $699.

AMD

Radeon RX 590

The Radeon RX 590 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 15 2018. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1469 MHz to 1545 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 175W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,315 points. Launch price was $279.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 780 Ti scores 9,469 and the Radeon RX 590 reaches 9,315 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 780 Ti is built on Kepler while the Radeon RX 590 uses GCN 4.0, both on 28 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 2,880 (GeForce GTX 780 Ti) vs 2,304 (Radeon RX 590). Raw compute: 5.345 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 780 Ti) vs 7.119 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 590). Boost clocks: 928 MHz vs 1545 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 780 TiRadeon RX 590
G3D Mark Score
9,469+2%
9,315
Architecture
Kepler
GCN 4.0
Process Node
28 nm
12 nm
Shading Units
2880+25%
2304
Compute (TFLOPS)
5.345 TFLOPS
7.119 TFLOPS+33%
Boost Clock
928 MHz
1545 MHz+66%
ROPs
48+50%
32
TMUs
240+67%
144
L1 Cache
240 KB
576 KB+140%
L2 Cache
1.5 MB
2 MB+33%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 590 is support for FSR Frame Generation. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The GeForce GTX 780 Ti does not have comparable native support in the same tier.The GeForce GTX 780 Ti gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon RX 590 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 780 TiRadeon RX 590
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
FSR Frame Generation
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 780 Ti has 3 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon RX 590 carries 8 GB. Radeon RX 590 gives you 166.7% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 336 GB/s (GeForce GTX 780 Ti) vs 256 GB/s (Radeon RX 590) — a 31.3% advantage for the GeForce GTX 780 Ti. Memory bus width is 384-bit on the GeForce GTX 780 Ti and 256-bit on the Radeon RX 590. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX 780 Ti) vs 2 MB (Radeon RX 590) — the Radeon RX 590 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 780 TiRadeon RX 590
VRAM Capacity
3 GB
8 GB+167%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
336 GB/s+31%
256 GB/s
Bus Width
384-bit+50%
256-bit
L2 Cache
1.5 MB
2 MB+33%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX 780 Ti) vs 12.0 (Radeon RX 590). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 780 TiRadeon RX 590
DirectX
12
12.0
Vulkan
1.2
1.2
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st gen (GeForce GTX 780 Ti) vs VCE 3.4 (Radeon RX 590). Decoder: NVDEC 1st gen vs UVD 6.3. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce GTX 780 Ti) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (Radeon RX 590).

FeatureGeForce GTX 780 TiRadeon RX 590
Encoder
NVENC 1st gen
VCE 3.4
Decoder
NVDEC 1st gen
UVD 6.3
Codecs
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 780 Ti draws 250W versus the Radeon RX 590's 175W — a 35.3% difference. The Radeon RX 590 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 600W (GeForce GTX 780 Ti) vs 500W (Radeon RX 590). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 241mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 83°C vs 80°C.

FeatureGeForce GTX 780 TiRadeon RX 590
TDP
250W
175W-30%
Recommended PSU
600W
500W-17%
Power Connector
6-pin + 8-pin
8-pin
Length
267mm
241mm
Height
111mm
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
83°C
80°C-4%
Perf/Watt
37.9
53.2+40%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 780 Ti came in at $699, while the Radeon RX 590 launched at $279. On MSRP, Radeon RX 590 was 60.1% cheaper ($420 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 13.5 (GeForce GTX 780 Ti) vs 33.4 (Radeon RX 590) — the Radeon RX 590 offers 147.4% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX 590 (2018 vs 2013).

FeatureGeForce GTX 780 TiRadeon RX 590
MSRP
$699
$279-60%
Performance per Dollar
13.5
33.4+147%
Codename
GK110B
Polaris 30
Release
November 7 2013
November 15 2018
Ranking
#278
#285

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