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 8GB

2022

Why buy it

✅15.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $180 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $429 MSRP).
✅Delivers 132.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.3 vs 21.6 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $429 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Radeon R9 390X

2015

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3050 8GB across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌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.
❌
72.3% HIGHER MSRP
$429 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 21.6 vs 50.3 G3D/$ ($429 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3050 8GB

2022

Radeon R9 390X

2015

Why buy it

✅15.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $180 less on MSRP ($249 MSRP vs $429 MSRP).
✅Delivers 132.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 50.3 vs 21.6 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $429 MSRP).
✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
✅More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3050 8GB across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌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.
❌
72.3% HIGHER MSRP
$429 MSRPvs$249 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 21.6 vs 50.3 G3D/$ ($429 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3050 8GB better than Radeon R9 390X?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 3050 8GB averages 15.8% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 12,535 vs 9,278 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3050 8GB 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 8GB is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2022 generation instead of 2015, 35.1% more raw performance headroom, 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 8GB is the smarter buy today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is about $180 cheaper on MSRP at $249 MSRP versus $429 MSRP, and you are getting 15.8% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 35.1% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 132.8%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.

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

Yes. Radeon R9 390X 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 $429 MSRP, even if GeForce RTX 3050 8GB 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 RTX 3050 8GB Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 390X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon R9 390X
1080p
low	130 FPS	105 FPS
medium	113 FPS	89 FPS
high	99 FPS	73 FPS
ultra	83 FPS	49 FPS
1440p
low	119 FPS	89 FPS
medium	96 FPS	75 FPS
high	81 FPS	55 FPS
ultra	69 FPS	36 FPS
4K
low	64 FPS	36 FPS
medium	57 FPS	32 FPS
high	39 FPS	20 FPS
ultra	33 FPS	17 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 8GB Open Radeon R9 390X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon R9 390X
1080p
low	245 FPS	187 FPS
medium	211 FPS	165 FPS
high	165 FPS	137 FPS
ultra	128 FPS	107 FPS
1440p
low	163 FPS	131 FPS
medium	135 FPS	106 FPS
high	112 FPS	85 FPS
ultra	92 FPS	65 FPS
4K
low	89 FPS	60 FPS
medium	74 FPS	50 FPS
high	62 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	37 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 8GB Open Radeon R9 390X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon R9 390X
1080p
low	564 FPS	418 FPS
medium	451 FPS	334 FPS
high	376 FPS	278 FPS
ultra	282 FPS	209 FPS
1440p
low	423 FPS	313 FPS
medium	338 FPS	251 FPS
high	282 FPS	209 FPS
ultra	212 FPS	157 FPS
4K
low	282 FPS	209 FPS
medium	226 FPS	167 FPS
high	188 FPS	139 FPS
ultra	141 FPS	104 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 8GB Open Radeon R9 390X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon R9 390X
1080p
low	469 FPS	230 FPS
medium	415 FPS	199 FPS
high	336 FPS	160 FPS
ultra	282 FPS	136 FPS
1440p
low	373 FPS	171 FPS
medium	326 FPS	148 FPS
high	237 FPS	115 FPS
ultra	198 FPS	94 FPS
4K
low	200 FPS	98 FPS
medium	175 FPS	78 FPS
high	152 FPS	62 FPS
ultra	126 FPS	48 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3050 8GB Open Radeon R9 390X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3050 8GB and Radeon R9 390X

GeForce RTX 3050 8GB

The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 4 2022. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1552 MHz to 1777 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 130W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 20 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 12,535 points. Launch price was $249.

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

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3050 8GB scores 12,535 versus the Radeon R9 390X's 9,278 — the GeForce RTX 3050 8GB leads by 35.1%. The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is built on Ampere while the Radeon R9 390X uses GCN 2.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs 2,816 (Radeon R9 390X). Raw compute: 9.098 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs 5.914 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 390X). Boost clocks: 1777 MHz vs 1050 MHz.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon R9 390X
G3D Mark Score	12,535+35%	9,278
Architecture	Ampere	GCN 2.0
Process Node	8 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2560	2816+10%
Compute (TFLOPS)	9.098 TFLOPS+54%	5.914 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1777 MHz+69%	1050 MHz
ROPs	32	64+100%
TMUs	80	176+120%
L1 Cache	2.5 MB+262%	0.69 MB
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB 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 8GB	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)

Both cards feature 8 GB of video memory. Memory bandwidth: 224 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs 384 GB/s (Radeon R9 390X) — a 71.4% advantage for the Radeon R9 390X. Bus width: 128-bit vs 512-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 390X) — the GeForce RTX 3050 8GB has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon R9 390X
VRAM Capacity	8 GB	8 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	224 GB/s	384 GB/s+71%
Bus Width	128-bit	512-bit+300%
L2 Cache	2 MB+100%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs 12 (12_0) (Radeon R9 390X). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon R9 390X
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12 (12_0)
Vulkan	1.4+17%	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 390X). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Radeon R9 390X).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon R9 390X
Encoder	NVENC 7th gen	VCE 2.0
Decoder	NVDEC 5th gen	UVD 4.2
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB draws 130W versus the Radeon R9 390X's 275W — a 71.6% difference. The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs 750W (Radeon R9 390X). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 277mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 66°C vs 80.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3050 8GB	Radeon R9 390X
TDP	130W-53%	275W
Recommended PSU	450W-40%	750W
Power Connector	8-pin	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	242mm	277mm
Height	112mm	129mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	66°C-18%	80
Perf/Watt	96.4+186%	33.7

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB launched at $249 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 390X launched at $429. The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB costs 42% less ($180 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 50.3 (GeForce RTX 3050 8GB) vs 21.6 (Radeon R9 390X) — the GeForce RTX 3050 8GB offers 132.9% better value. The GeForce RTX 3050 8GB is the newer GPU (2022 vs 2015).