GeForce GTX TITAN Z vs Radeon R9 390

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX TITAN Z

2014Core: 705 MHzBoost: 876 MHz
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VS
AMD

Radeon R9 390

2015Boost: 1000 MHz
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GeForce GTX TITAN Z vs Radeon R9 390 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 TITAN Z vs Radeon R9 390 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 TITAN Z vs Radeon R9 390: 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 TITAN Z

2014

Why buy it

  • 50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 8 GB).

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 390 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2014 hardware with 12 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • 811.6% HIGHER MSRP
    $2,999 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.9 vs 26.9 G3D/$ ($2,999 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
  • 25% higher power demand at 375W vs 300W.

Radeon R9 390

2015

Why buy it

  • 1.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $2,670 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $2,999 MSRP).
  • Delivers 816.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 26.9 vs 2.9 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $2,999 MSRP).
  • Draws 300W instead of 375W, a 75W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 8 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2015 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon R9 390 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 1.2% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0.5% in PassMark G3D (8,855 vs 8,811), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce GTX TITAN Z is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 12 GB vs 8 GB of VRAM. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon R9 390 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $2,670 cheaper on MSRP at $329 vs $2,999, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 816.1% (26.9 vs 2.9), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R9 390 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX TITAN Z has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX TITAN Z vs Radeon R9 390 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX TITAN Z

The GeForce GTX TITAN Z is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 28 2014. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 705 MHz to 876 MHz. It has 5760 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 375W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,811 points. Launch price was $2,999.

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

The GeForce GTX TITAN Z scores 8,811 and the Radeon R9 390 reaches 8,855 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX TITAN Z is built on Kepler while the Radeon R9 390 uses GCN 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 5,760 (GeForce GTX TITAN Z) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 390). Raw compute: 5.046 TFLOPS ×2 (GeForce GTX TITAN Z) vs 5.12 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 390). Boost clocks: 876 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX TITAN ZRadeon R9 390
G3D Mark Score
8,811
8,855
Architecture
Kepler
GCN 2.0
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
5760 ×2+125%
2560
Compute (TFLOPS)
5.046 TFLOPS ×2
5.12 TFLOPS+1%
Boost Clock
876 MHz
1000 MHz+14%
ROPs
48 ×2
64+33%
TMUs
240 ×2+50%
160
L1 Cache
240 KB
640 KB+167%
L2 Cache
1.5 MB+50%
1 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX TITAN Z gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R9 390 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX TITAN ZRadeon R9 390
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)

The GeForce GTX TITAN Z has 12 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 390 carries 8 GB. GeForce GTX TITAN Z gives you 50% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 336 GB/s x2 (GeForce GTX TITAN Z) vs 320 GB/s (Radeon R9 390) — a 950.6% advantage for the GeForce GTX TITAN Z. Memory bus width is 384-bit x2 on the GeForce GTX TITAN Z and 512-bit on the Radeon R9 390. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (GeForce GTX TITAN Z) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 390) — the GeForce GTX TITAN Z has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX TITAN ZRadeon R9 390
VRAM Capacity
12 GB+50%
8 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
336 GB/s x2+5%
320 GB/s
Bus Width
384-bit x2
512-bit+33%
L2 Cache
1.5 MB+50%
1 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (GeForce GTX TITAN Z) vs 12.0 (Radeon R9 390). Vulkan: 1.0 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.

FeatureGeForce GTX TITAN ZRadeon R9 390
DirectX
12
12.0
Vulkan
1.0
1.2+20%
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
6+50%
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st gen (GeForce GTX TITAN Z) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 390). Decoder: NVDEC 1st gen vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce GTX TITAN Z) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 390).

FeatureGeForce GTX TITAN ZRadeon R9 390
Encoder
NVENC 1st gen
VCE 2.0
Decoder
NVDEC 1st gen
UVD 4.2
Codecs
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1
MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX TITAN Z draws 375W versus the Radeon R9 390's 300W — a 22.2% difference. The Radeon R9 390 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 700W (GeForce GTX TITAN Z) vs 750W (Radeon R9 390). Power connectors: 2x 8-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 267mm vs 275mm, occupying 3 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 95°C.

FeatureGeForce GTX TITAN ZRadeon R9 390
TDP
375W
300W-20%
Recommended PSU
700W-7%
750W
Power Connector
2x 8-pin
6-pin + 8-pin
Length
267mm
275mm
Height
111mm
109mm
Slots
3
2-33%
Temp (Load)
80°C-16%
95°C
Perf/Watt
23.5
29.5+26%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX TITAN Z came in at $2999, while the Radeon R9 390 launched at $329. On MSRP, Radeon R9 390 was 89% cheaper ($2670 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.9 (GeForce GTX TITAN Z) vs 26.9 (Radeon R9 390) — the Radeon R9 390 offers 827.6% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R9 390 (2015 vs 2014).

FeatureGeForce GTX TITAN ZRadeon R9 390
MSRP
$2999
$329-89%
Performance per Dollar
2.9
26.9+828%
Codename
GK110B
Grenada
Release
May 28 2014
June 18 2015
Ranking
#300
#296

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