GeForce RTX 4060 vs Radeon R9 390X

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 4060

2023Core: 1830 MHzBoost: 2460 MHz
RTX family
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VS
AMD

Radeon R9 390X

2015Boost: 1050 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce RTX 4060 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 4060 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.

GeForce RTX 4060 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 4060

2023

Why buy it

  • 55.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $130 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $429 MSRP).
  • Delivers 202.3% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 65.4 vs 21.6 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs $429 MSRP).
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
  • Better long-term bet: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm gives it a newer hardware base 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 4060 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
  • 2015 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • 43.5% HIGHER MSRP
    $429 MSRPvs$299 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 21.6 vs 65.4 G3D/$ ($429 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce RTX 4060 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 55.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 110.7% in PassMark G3D (19,548 vs 9,278), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 4060 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: native frame generation with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023), while Radeon R9 390X has no comparable frame-generation support, a 5nm process instead of 28nm, 24 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2023 generation instead of 2015. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce RTX 4060 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $130 cheaper on MSRP at $299 vs $429, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 202.3% (65.4 vs 21.6), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce RTX 4060 vs Radeon R9 390X Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

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 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 scores 19,548 versus the Radeon R9 390X's 9,278 — the GeForce RTX 4060 leads by 110.7%. The GeForce RTX 4060 is built on Ada Lovelace while the Radeon R9 390X uses GCN 2.0, both on 5 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 3,072 (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 2,816 (Radeon R9 390X). Raw compute: 15.11 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 5.914 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 390X). Boost clocks: 2460 MHz vs 1050 MHz.

FeatureGeForce RTX 4060Radeon R9 390X
G3D Mark Score
19,548+111%
9,278
Architecture
Ada Lovelace
GCN 2.0
Process Node
5 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
3072+9%
2816
Compute (TFLOPS)
15.11 TFLOPS+155%
5.914 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
2460 MHz+134%
1050 MHz
ROPs
48
64+33%
TMUs
96
176+83%
L1 Cache
3 MB+335%
0.69 MB
L2 Cache
24 MB+2300%
1 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the GeForce RTX 4060 is support for DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The Radeon R9 390X does not have comparable native support in the same tier.The GeForce RTX 4060 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.

FeatureGeForce RTX 4060Radeon 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 ship with 8 GB of video memory. Memory bandwidth: 272 GB/s (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 384 GB/s (Radeon R9 390X) — a 41.2% advantage for the Radeon R9 390X. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce RTX 4060 and 512-bit on the Radeon R9 390X. L2 Cache: 24 MB (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 1 MB (Radeon R9 390X) — the GeForce RTX 4060 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 4060Radeon R9 390X
VRAM Capacity
8 GB
8 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
272 GB/s
384 GB/s+41%
Bus Width
128-bit
512-bit+300%
L2 Cache
24 MB+2300%
1 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 4060) 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.

FeatureGeForce RTX 4060Radeon 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 8th gen (GeForce RTX 4060) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 390X). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1 (GeForce RTX 4060) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Radeon R9 390X).

FeatureGeForce RTX 4060Radeon R9 390X
Encoder
NVENC 8th gen
VCE 2.0
Decoder
NVDEC 5th gen
UVD 4.2
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 4060 draws 115W versus the Radeon R9 390X's 275W — a 82.1% difference. The GeForce RTX 4060 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 750W (Radeon R9 390X). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 240mm vs 277mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 73°C vs 80.

FeatureGeForce RTX 4060Radeon R9 390X
TDP
115W-58%
275W
Recommended PSU
550W-27%
750W
Power Connector
8-pin
6-pin + 8-pin
Length
240mm
277mm
Height
111mm
129mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
73°C-9%
80
Perf/Watt
170.0+404%
33.7
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 4060 came in at $299, while the Radeon R9 390X launched at $429. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 4060 was 30.3% cheaper ($130 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 65.4 (GeForce RTX 4060) vs 21.6 (Radeon R9 390X) — the GeForce RTX 4060 offers 202.8% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 4060 (2023 vs 2015).

FeatureGeForce RTX 4060Radeon R9 390X
MSRP
$299-30%
$429
Performance per Dollar
65.4+203%
21.6
Codename
AD107
Grenada
Release
May 18 2023
June 18 2015
Ranking
#84
#287

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