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 RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU

2022

Why buy it

✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 90W instead of 275W, a 185W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 21.6 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $429 MSRP).

Radeon R9 390X

2015

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 21.6 vs 0 G3D/$ ($429 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).

Trade-offs

❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌205.6% higher power demand at 275W vs 90W.

GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU

2022

Radeon R9 390X

2015

Why buy it

✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 90W instead of 275W, a 185W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 21.6 vs 0 G3D/$ ($429 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 21.6 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $429 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
❌Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
❌205.6% higher power demand at 275W vs 90W.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU better than Radeon R9 390X?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 9,489 vs 9,278 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU is a 2022 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Radeon R9 390X 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 RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2022 generation instead of 2015, the stronger feature stack with DLSS Super Resolution instead of FSR upscaling, and a 8nm 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 RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $429 MSRP, and you are getting 2.3% higher G3D Mark. Radeon R9 390X really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is Radeon R9 390X still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon R9 390X is 2015 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM, 9,278 in G3D Mark, and FSR upscaling. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

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 RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 390X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU	Radeon R9 390X
1080p
low	101 FPS	105 FPS
medium	89 FPS	89 FPS
high	76 FPS	73 FPS
ultra	63 FPS	49 FPS
1440p
low	93 FPS	89 FPS
medium	78 FPS	75 FPS
high	65 FPS	55 FPS
ultra	54 FPS	36 FPS
4K
low	45 FPS	36 FPS
medium	42 FPS	32 FPS
high	31 FPS	20 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	17 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU Open Radeon R9 390X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU	Radeon R9 390X
1080p
low	197 FPS	187 FPS
medium	168 FPS	165 FPS
high	130 FPS	137 FPS
ultra	102 FPS	107 FPS
1440p
low	138 FPS	131 FPS
medium	114 FPS	106 FPS
high	92 FPS	85 FPS
ultra	75 FPS	65 FPS
4K
low	80 FPS	60 FPS
medium	67 FPS	50 FPS
high	55 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	37 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU Open Radeon R9 390X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU	Radeon R9 390X
1080p
low	427 FPS	418 FPS
medium	342 FPS	334 FPS
high	285 FPS	278 FPS
ultra	214 FPS	209 FPS
1440p
low	320 FPS	313 FPS
medium	256 FPS	251 FPS
high	214 FPS	209 FPS
ultra	160 FPS	157 FPS
4K
low	214 FPS	209 FPS
medium	171 FPS	167 FPS
high	142 FPS	139 FPS
ultra	107 FPS	104 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU Open Radeon R9 390X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU	Radeon R9 390X
1080p
low	285 FPS	230 FPS
medium	233 FPS	199 FPS
high	212 FPS	160 FPS
ultra	184 FPS	136 FPS
1440p
low	219 FPS	171 FPS
medium	178 FPS	148 FPS
high	154 FPS	115 FPS
ultra	132 FPS	94 FPS
4K
low	111 FPS	98 FPS
medium	89 FPS	78 FPS
high	80 FPS	62 FPS
ultra	66 FPS	48 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU Open Radeon R9 390X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU and Radeon R9 390X

GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU

The GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 27 2022. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1545 MHz to 1740 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 90W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 16 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,489 points. Launch price was $199.

Radeon R9 390X

The Radeon R9 390X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 18 2015. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1050 MHz. It has 2816 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 275W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,278 points. Launch price was $429.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU scores 9,489 and the Radeon R9 390X reaches 9,278 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU is built on Ampere while the Radeon R9 390X uses GCN 2.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,048 (GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU) vs 2,816 (Radeon R9 390X). Raw compute: 7.127 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU) vs 5.914 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 390X). Boost clocks: 1740 MHz vs 1050 MHz.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU	Radeon R9 390X
G3D Mark Score	9,489+2%	9,278
Architecture	Ampere	GCN 2.0
Process Node	8 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2048	2816+38%
Compute (TFLOPS)	7.127 TFLOPS+21%	5.914 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1740 MHz+66%	1050 MHz
ROPs	32	64+100%
TMUs	64	176+175%
L1 Cache	2 MB+190%	0.69 MB
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon R9 390X relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU	Radeon R9 390X
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 3050 4GB Laptop GPU comes with 4 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 390X has 8 GB. The Radeon R9 390X offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 192 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU) vs 384 GB/s (Radeon R9 390X) — a 100% advantage for the Radeon R9 390X. Bus width: 128-bit vs 512-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 390X) — the GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU	Radeon R9 390X
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	8 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	192 GB/s	384 GB/s+100%
Bus Width	128-bit	512-bit+300%
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU) vs 12 (12_0) (Radeon R9 390X). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU	Radeon R9 390X
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12 (12_0)
Vulkan	1.3+8%	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (7th Gen) (GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 390X). Decoder: NVDEC (5th Gen) vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Radeon R9 390X).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU	Radeon R9 390X
Encoder	NVENC (7th Gen)	VCE 2.0
Decoder	NVDEC (5th Gen)	UVD 4.2
Codecs	H.264,HEVC,AV1,VP9	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU draws 90W versus the Radeon R9 390X's 275W — a 101.4% difference. The GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU) vs 750W (Radeon R9 390X). Power connectors: Mobile vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 80.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 4GB Laptop GPU	Radeon R9 390X
TDP	90W-67%	275W
Recommended PSU	500W-33%	750W
Power Connector	Mobile	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	—	277mm
Height	—	129mm
Slots	0-100%	2
Temp (Load)	85°C	80-6%
Perf/Watt	105.4+213%	33.7