GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU vs Radeon R9 390X

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU

2023Core: 2310 MHzBoost: 2535 MHz

Popular choices:

VS
AMD

Radeon R9 390X

2015Boost: 1050 MHz

Popular choices:

Performance Spectrum - GPU

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.

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 4060 Laptop GPU

2023

Why buy it

  • +87.5% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
  • More future proof: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
  • Draws 160W instead of 275W, a 115W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • 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).

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (9,278 vs 17,400).
  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
  • Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 8 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
  • 71.9% higher power demand at 275W vs 160W.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU better than Radeon R9 390X?
Yes. GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 17,400 vs 9,278 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU is a 2023 card with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation, 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 4060 Laptop GPU is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2023 generation instead of 2015, 87.5% more raw performance headroom, better frame-generation support with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023) instead of FSR upscaling, and a 5nm 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 4060 Laptop GPU is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $429 MSRP, and you are getting 87.5% 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.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

PresetGeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPURadeon R9 390X
1080p
low177 FPS135 FPS
medium162 FPS115 FPS
high142 FPS94 FPS
ultra124 FPS57 FPS
1440p
low143 FPS113 FPS
medium118 FPS96 FPS
high101 FPS70 FPS
ultra93 FPS42 FPS
4K
low93 FPS39 FPS
medium79 FPS36 FPS
high66 FPS22 FPS
ultra59 FPS19 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPURadeon R9 390X
1080p
low409 FPS187 FPS
medium344 FPS165 FPS
high280 FPS137 FPS
ultra223 FPS107 FPS
1440p
low261 FPS131 FPS
medium217 FPS106 FPS
high180 FPS85 FPS
ultra147 FPS65 FPS
4K
low112 FPS60 FPS
medium91 FPS50 FPS
high76 FPS45 FPS
ultra59 FPS37 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPURadeon R9 390X
1080p
low783 FPS418 FPS
medium626 FPS334 FPS
high522 FPS278 FPS
ultra392 FPS209 FPS
1440p
low587 FPS313 FPS
medium470 FPS251 FPS
high392 FPS209 FPS
ultra294 FPS157 FPS
4K
low392 FPS209 FPS
medium313 FPS167 FPS
high261 FPS139 FPS
ultra196 FPS104 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPURadeon R9 390X
1080p
low775 FPS283 FPS
medium626 FPS247 FPS
high522 FPS206 FPS
ultra392 FPS163 FPS
1440p
low587 FPS204 FPS
medium470 FPS180 FPS
high392 FPS144 FPS
ultra294 FPS110 FPS
4K
low374 FPS115 FPS
medium313 FPS94 FPS
high261 FPS77 FPS
ultra196 FPS57 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU and Radeon R9 390X

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU

The GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 18 2023. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 2310 MHz to 2535 MHz. It has 4352 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 160W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 34 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 17,400 points. Launch price was $399.

AMD

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 4060 Laptop GPU scores 17,400 versus the Radeon R9 390X's 9,278 — the GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU leads by 87.5%. The GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU is built on Ada Lovelace while the Radeon R9 390X uses GCN 2.0, both on 5 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 4,352 (GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU) vs 2,816 (Radeon R9 390X). Raw compute: 22.06 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU) vs 5.914 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 390X). Boost clocks: 2535 MHz vs 1050 MHz.

FeatureGeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPURadeon R9 390X
G3D Mark Score
17,400+88%
9,278
Architecture
Ada Lovelace
GCN 2.0
Process Node
5 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
4352+55%
2816
Compute (TFLOPS)
22.06 TFLOPS+273%
5.914 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
2535 MHz+141%
1050 MHz
ROPs
48
64+33%
TMUs
136
176+29%
L1 Cache
4.3 MB+523%
0.69 MB
L2 Cache
32 MB+3100%
1 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU is support for DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation. This allows it to generate entire frames using AI/Algorithms, essentially doubling the frame rate in CPU-bound scenarios or heavy ray-tracing titles. The Radeon R9 390X lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.The GeForce RTX 4060 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.

FeatureGeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPURadeon R9 390X
Upscaling Tech
DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
Yes (DLSS 3.5)
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 8 GB of video memory. Memory bandwidth: 256 GB/s (GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU) vs 384 GB/s (Radeon R9 390X) — a 50% advantage for the Radeon R9 390X. Bus width: 128-bit vs 512-bit. L2 Cache: 32 MB (GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 390X) — the GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPURadeon R9 390X
VRAM Capacity
8 GB
8 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
256 GB/s
384 GB/s+50%
Bus Width
128-bit
512-bit+300%
L2 Cache
32 MB+3100%
1 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU) 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.

FeatureGeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPURadeon 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 (8th Gen) (GeForce RTX 4060 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 4060 Laptop GPU) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Radeon R9 390X).

FeatureGeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPURadeon R9 390X
Encoder
NVENC (8th 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 4060 Laptop GPU draws 160W versus the Radeon R9 390X's 275W — a 52.9% difference. The GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 650W (GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU) vs 750W (Radeon R9 390X). Power connectors: Mobile vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 80.

FeatureGeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPURadeon R9 390X
TDP
160W-42%
275W
Recommended PSU
650W-13%
750W
Power Connector
Mobile
6-pin + 8-pin
Length
277mm
Height
129mm
Slots
0-100%
2
Temp (Load)
80°C
80
Perf/Watt
108.8+223%
33.7
💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU is the newer GPU (2023 vs 2015).

FeatureGeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPURadeon R9 390X
MSRP
$429
Codename
AD106
Grenada
Release
May 18 2023
June 18 2015
Ranking
#59
#287