GeForce RTX 3050 6GB
Radeon R9 390X
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB vs Radeon R9 390X 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 3050 6GB vs Radeon R9 390X 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.
Path of Exile 2
Counter-Strike 2
League of Legends
Valorant
Among Us
Apex Legends
ARC Raiders
Baldur's Gate 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB vs Radeon R9 390X: 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 3050 6GB
2024Why buy it
- ✅+15.9% higher PassMark G3D performance.
- ✅Costs $260 less on MSRP ($169 MSRP vs $429 MSRP).
- ✅Delivers 194.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 63.6 vs 21.6 G3D/$ ($169 MSRP vs $429 MSRP).
- ✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
- ✅Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 390X across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with 6 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
Radeon R9 390X
2015Why buy it
- ✅8.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 6 GB).
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (9,278 vs 10,749).
- ❌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.
- ❌153.8% HIGHER MSRP$429 MSRPvs$169 MSRP
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 21.6 vs 63.6 G3D/$ ($429 MSRP vs $169 MSRP).
Quick Answers
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Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
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GeForce RTX 3050 6GB vs Radeon R9 390X Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB
The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in February 2 2024. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1042 MHz to 1470 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 70W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 18 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 10,749 points. Launch price was $179.
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 6GB scores 10,749 versus the Radeon R9 390X's 9,278 — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB leads by 15.9%. The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is built on Ampere while the Radeon R9 390X uses GCN 2.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 2,304 (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 2,816 (Radeon R9 390X). Raw compute: 6.774 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 5.914 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 390X). Boost clocks: 1470 MHz vs 1050 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3050 6GB | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 10,749+16% | 9,278 |
| Architecture | Ampere | GCN 2.0 |
| Process Node | 8 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 2304 | 2816+22% |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 6.774 TFLOPS+15% | 5.914 TFLOPS |
| Boost Clock | 1470 MHz+40% | 1050 MHz |
| ROPs | 32 | 64+100% |
| TMUs | 72 | 176+144% |
| L1 Cache | 2.3 MB+233% | 0.69 MB |
| L2 Cache | 2 MB+100% | 1 MB |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R9 390X leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3050 6GB | 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 6GB has 6 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 390X carries 8 GB. Radeon R9 390X gives you 33.3% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 168 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 384 GB/s (Radeon R9 390X) — a 128.6% advantage for the Radeon R9 390X. Memory bus width is 96-bit on the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB and 512-bit on the Radeon R9 390X. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 390X) — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3050 6GB | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 6 GB | 8 GB+33% |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 168 GB/s | 384 GB/s+129% |
| Bus Width | 96-bit | 512-bit+433% |
| L2 Cache | 2 MB+100% | 1 MB |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) 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 6GB | 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 (5th Gen) (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 390X). Decoder: NVDEC (7th Gen) vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode Only) (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Radeon R9 390X).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3050 6GB | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC (5th Gen) | VCE 2.0 |
| Decoder | NVDEC (7th Gen) | UVD 4.2 |
| Codecs | H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode Only) | H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB draws 70W versus the Radeon R9 390X's 275W — a 118.8% difference. The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 750W (Radeon R9 390X). Power connectors: None vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 160mm vs 277mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 80.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3050 6GB | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 70W-75% | 275W |
| Recommended PSU | 300W-60% | 750W |
| Power Connector | None | 6-pin + 8-pin |
| Length | 160mm | 277mm |
| Height | — | 129mm |
| Slots | 2 | 2 |
| Temp (Load) | 75°C-6% | 80 |
| Perf/Watt | 153.6+356% | 33.7 |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB came in at $169, while the Radeon R9 390X launched at $429. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 3050 6GB was 60.6% cheaper ($260 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 63.6 (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 21.6 (Radeon R9 390X) — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB offers 194.4% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3050 6GB (2024 vs 2015).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3050 6GB | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $169-61% | $429 |
| Performance per Dollar | 63.6+194% | 21.6 |
| Codename | GA107 | Grenada |
| Release | February 2 2024 | June 18 2015 |
| Ranking | #252 | #287 |
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