GeForce RTX 4060 vs Radeon R9 380X

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 4060

2023Core: 1830 MHzBoost: 2460 MHz

Popular choices:

VS
AMD

Radeon R9 380X

2015Boost: 970 MHz

Popular choices:

RTX 4060

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

2023

Why buy it

  • 139.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 144.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 65.4 vs 26.8 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).
  • More future proof: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm 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 380X

2015

Why buy it

  • Costs $70 less on MSRP ($229 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
  • Measures 221mm instead of 240mm, a 19mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 4060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
  • Poor future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 26.8 vs 65.4 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 4060 better than Radeon R9 380X?
Yes. GeForce RTX 4060 is clearly the better overall GPU here. GeForce RTX 4060 averages 139.2% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 19,548 vs 6,131 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 4060 is a 2023 card with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation, while Radeon R9 380X 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 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2023 generation instead of 2015, 218.8% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 4 GB, and better frame-generation support with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023) instead of FSR upscaling. That leaves it with more room for heavier textures, tougher ray tracing loads, and higher-end 1440p or 4K gaming over the next few years.
Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?
GeForce RTX 4060 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce RTX 4060 is about 30.6% more expensive on MSRP at $299 MSRP versus $229 MSRP, and you are getting 139.2% more estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 218.8% higher G3D Mark. Radeon R9 380X really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.
Is Radeon R9 380X still worth buying for gaming in 2026?
No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon R9 380X is 2015 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM, 6,131 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 4060Radeon R9 380X
1080p
low167 FPS78 FPS
medium152 FPS67 FPS
high134 FPS54 FPS
ultra115 FPS35 FPS
1440p
low137 FPS68 FPS
medium114 FPS60 FPS
high99 FPS43 FPS
ultra90 FPS27 FPS
4K
low86 FPS25 FPS
medium74 FPS23 FPS
high62 FPS15 FPS
ultra55 FPS13 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce RTX 4060Radeon R9 380X
1080p
low392 FPS133 FPS
medium334 FPS105 FPS
high268 FPS86 FPS
ultra211 FPS61 FPS
1440p
low240 FPS78 FPS
medium209 FPS58 FPS
high169 FPS44 FPS
ultra137 FPS31 FPS
4K
low119 FPS31 FPS
medium98 FPS23 FPS
high82 FPS18 FPS
ultra63 FPS13 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce RTX 4060Radeon R9 380X
1080p
low812 FPS276 FPS
medium642 FPS221 FPS
high551 FPS184 FPS
ultra440 FPS138 FPS
1440p
low535 FPS207 FPS
medium443 FPS166 FPS
high379 FPS138 FPS
ultra329 FPS103 FPS
4K
low365 FPS138 FPS
medium297 FPS110 FPS
high234 FPS92 FPS
ultra186 FPS69 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce RTX 4060Radeon R9 380X
1080p
low746 FPS135 FPS
medium613 FPS112 FPS
high536 FPS97 FPS
ultra440 FPS83 FPS
1440p
low594 FPS100 FPS
medium486 FPS83 FPS
high421 FPS72 FPS
ultra330 FPS58 FPS
4K
low358 FPS60 FPS
medium308 FPS47 FPS
high285 FPS37 FPS
ultra220 FPS26 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 4060 and Radeon R9 380X

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 4060

The GeForce RTX 4060 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 18 2023. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 1830 MHz to 2460 MHz. It has 3072 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 115W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 24 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 19,548 points. Launch price was $299.

AMD

Radeon R9 380X

The Radeon R9 380X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 19 2015. It features the GCN 3.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 970 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,131 points. Launch price was $229.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 4060 scores 19,548 versus the Radeon R9 380X's 6,131 — the GeForce RTX 4060 leads by 218.8%. The GeForce RTX 4060 is built on Ada Lovelace while the Radeon R9 380X uses GCN 3.0, both on 5 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 3,072 (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 2,048 (Radeon R9 380X). Raw compute: 15.11 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 3.973 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 380X). Boost clocks: 2460 MHz vs 970 MHz.

FeatureGeForce RTX 4060Radeon R9 380X
G3D Mark Score
19,548+219%
6,131
Architecture
Ada Lovelace
GCN 3.0
Process Node
5 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
3072+50%
2048
Compute (TFLOPS)
15.11 TFLOPS+280%
3.973 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
2460 MHz+154%
970 MHz
ROPs
48+50%
32
TMUs
96
128+33%
L1 Cache
3 MB+500%
0.5 MB
L2 Cache
24 MB+4700%
0.5 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the GeForce RTX 4060 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 380X lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.The GeForce RTX 4060 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon R9 380X relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

FeatureGeForce RTX 4060Radeon R9 380X
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)

The GeForce RTX 4060 comes with 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 380X has 4 GB. The GeForce RTX 4060 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 272 GB/s (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 106 GB/s (Radeon R9 380X) — a 156.6% advantage for the GeForce RTX 4060. Bus width: 128-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 24 MB (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon R9 380X) — the GeForce RTX 4060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 4060Radeon R9 380X
VRAM Capacity
8 GB+100%
4 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
272 GB/s+157%
106 GB/s
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
L2 Cache
24 MB+4700%
0.5 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 12 (12_0) (Radeon R9 380X). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce RTX 4060Radeon R9 380X
DirectX
12 Ultimate
12 (12_0)
Vulkan
1.3
1.3
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 8th gen (GeForce RTX 4060) vs VCE 3.0 (Radeon R9 380X). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs UVD 6.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1 (GeForce RTX 4060) vs H.264,H.265,MPEG-2,MPEG-4,VC-1 (Radeon R9 380X).

FeatureGeForce RTX 4060Radeon R9 380X
Encoder
NVENC 8th gen
VCE 3.0
Decoder
NVDEC 5th gen
UVD 6.0
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1
H.264,H.265,MPEG-2,MPEG-4,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 4060 draws 115W versus the Radeon R9 380X's 250W — a 74% difference. The GeForce RTX 4060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 500W (Radeon R9 380X). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 240mm vs 221mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 73°C vs 75.

FeatureGeForce RTX 4060Radeon R9 380X
TDP
115W-54%
250W
Recommended PSU
550W
500W-9%
Power Connector
8-pin
2x 6-pin
Length
240mm
221mm
Height
111mm
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
73°C-3%
75
Perf/Watt
170.0+594%
24.5
💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 4060 launched at $299 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 380X launched at $229. The Radeon R9 380X costs 23.4% less ($70 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 65.4 (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 26.8 (Radeon R9 380X) — the GeForce RTX 4060 offers 144% better value. The GeForce RTX 4060 is the newer GPU (2023 vs 2015).

FeatureGeForce RTX 4060Radeon R9 380X
MSRP
$299
$229-23%
Performance per Dollar
65.4+144%
26.8
Codename
AD107
Antigua
Release
May 18 2023
November 19 2015
Ranking
#84
#394