GeForce RTX 2060 vs Radeon R9 390

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 2060

2019Core: 1365 MHzBoost: 1680 MHz
RTX family
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VS
AMD

Radeon R9 390

2015Boost: 1000 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce RTX 2060 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 RTX 2060 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 RTX 2060 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 RTX 2060

2019

Why buy it

  • 29.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 50.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 40.4 vs 26.9 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • Better long-term bet: Turing (2018−2022) on 12nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
  • Draws 160W instead of 300W, a 140W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.

Radeon R9 390

2015

Why buy it

  • Costs $20 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
  • 33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 2060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
  • 2015 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 26.9 vs 40.4 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
  • 87.5% higher power demand at 300W vs 160W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce RTX 2060 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 29.2% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 59.4% in PassMark G3D (14,114 vs 8,855), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 2060 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 12nm process instead of 28nm, 30 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2019 generation instead of 2015. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce RTX 2060 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $20 more expensive on MSRP at $349 vs $329, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 50.3% (40.4 vs 26.9), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce RTX 2060 vs Radeon R9 390 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 2060

The GeForce RTX 2060 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 7 2019. It features the Turing architecture. The core clock ranges from 1365 MHz to 1680 MHz. It has 1920 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 160W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. It features 30 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 14,114 points. Launch price was $349.

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 2060 scores 14,114 versus the Radeon R9 390's 8,855 — the GeForce RTX 2060 leads by 59.4%. The GeForce RTX 2060 is built on Turing while the Radeon R9 390 uses GCN 2.0, both on 12 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,920 (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 390). Raw compute: 6.451 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 5.12 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 390). Boost clocks: 1680 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060Radeon R9 390
G3D Mark Score
14,114+59%
8,855
Architecture
Turing
GCN 2.0
Process Node
12 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
1920
2560+33%
Compute (TFLOPS)
6.451 TFLOPS+26%
5.12 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1680 MHz+68%
1000 MHz
ROPs
48
64+33%
TMUs
120
160+33%
L1 Cache
1.9 MB+202%
0.63 MB
L2 Cache
3 MB+200%
1 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 2060 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 RTX 2060Radeon R9 390
Upscaling Tech
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
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 RTX 2060 has 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 390 carries 8 GB. Radeon R9 390 gives you 33.3% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 336 GB/s (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 320 GB/s (Radeon R9 390) — a 5% advantage for the GeForce RTX 2060. Memory bus width is 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 2060 and 512-bit on the Radeon R9 390. L2 Cache: 3 MB (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 390) — the GeForce RTX 2060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060Radeon R9 390
VRAM Capacity
6 GB
8 GB+33%
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
336 GB/s+5%
320 GB/s
Bus Width
192-bit
512-bit+167%
L2 Cache
3 MB+200%
1 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 2060) 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 2060Radeon R9 390
DirectX
12 Ultimate (12_2)
12.0
Vulkan
1.3+8%
1.2
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
6+50%
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Turing) (GeForce RTX 2060) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 390). Decoder: NVDEC (Turing) vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,VP9,VP8,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce RTX 2060) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 390).

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060Radeon R9 390
Encoder
NVENC (Turing)
VCE 2.0
Decoder
NVDEC (Turing)
UVD 4.2
Codecs
H.264,H.265,VP9,VP8,MPEG-2,VC-1
MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 2060 draws 160W versus the Radeon R9 390's 300W — a 60.9% difference. The GeForce RTX 2060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 750W (Radeon R9 390). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 229mm vs 275mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 72 vs 95°C.

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060Radeon R9 390
TDP
160W-47%
300W
Recommended PSU
500W-33%
750W
Power Connector
8-pin
6-pin + 8-pin
Length
229mm
275mm
Height
113mm
109mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
72-24%
95°C
Perf/Watt
88.2+199%
29.5
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 2060 came in at $349, while the Radeon R9 390 launched at $329. On MSRP, Radeon R9 390 was 5.7% cheaper ($20 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 40.4 (GeForce RTX 2060) vs 26.9 (Radeon R9 390) — the GeForce RTX 2060 offers 50.2% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 2060 (2019 vs 2015).

FeatureGeForce RTX 2060Radeon R9 390
MSRP
$349
$329-6%
Performance per Dollar
40.4+50%
26.9
Codename
TU106
Grenada
Release
January 7 2019
June 18 2015
Ranking
#168
#296

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