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.

Radeon R9 295X2 vs Radeon R9 390 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.

Radeon R9 295X2 vs Radeon R9 390: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

Radeon R9 295X2

2014

Why buy it

✅1.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌2014 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌
355.6% HIGHER MSRP
$1,499 MSRPvs$329 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.8 vs 26.9 G3D/$ ($1,499 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
❌66.7% higher power demand at 500W vs 300W.
❌11.6% longer card at 307mm vs 275mm.

Radeon R9 390

2015

Why buy it

✅Costs $1,170 less on MSRP ($329 MSRP vs $1,499 MSRP).
✅Delivers 361.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 26.9 vs 5.8 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $1,499 MSRP).
✅Draws 300W instead of 500W, a 200W reduction.
✅Measures 275mm instead of 307mm, a 32mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 295X2 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2015 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon R9 295X2 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 1.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon R9 390 instead at 8,855 vs 8,734, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

Radeon R9 295X2 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon R9 390 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $1,170 cheaper on MSRP at $329 vs $1,499, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 361.9% (26.9 vs 5.8), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R9 390 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon R9 295X2 has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon R9 295X2 vs Radeon R9 390 Technical Specifications

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

Radeon R9 295X2

The Radeon R9 295X2 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 29 2014. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1018 MHz. It has 2816 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 500W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,734 points. Launch price was $1,499.

Radeon R9 390

The Radeon R9 390 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 18 2015. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,855 points. Launch price was $329.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 295X2 scores 8,734 and the Radeon R9 390 reaches 8,855 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 295X2 is built on GCN 2.0 while the Radeon R9 390 uses GCN 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,816 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 2,560 (Radeon R9 390). Raw compute: 5.733 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 5.12 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 390). Boost clocks: 1018 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon R9 390
G3D Mark Score	8,734	8,855+1%
Architecture	GCN 2.0	GCN 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2816 ×2+10%	2560
Compute (TFLOPS)	5.733 TFLOPS ×2+12%	5.12 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1018 MHz+2%	1000 MHz
ROPs	64 ×2	64
TMUs	176 ×2+10%	160
L1 Cache	704 KB+10%	640 KB
L2 Cache	1 MB	1 MB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon R9 390
Upscaling Tech	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	AMD Anti-Lag	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 8 GB of GDDR5. Memory bandwidth: 320 GB/s x2 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 320 GB/s (Radeon R9 390) — a 900.6% advantage for the Radeon R9 295X2. Memory bus width is 512-bit x2 on the Radeon R9 295X2 and 512-bit on the Radeon R9 390.

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon R9 390
VRAM Capacity	8 GB	8 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	320 GB/s x2	320 GB/s
Bus Width	512-bit x2	512-bit
L2 Cache	1 MB	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.0 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 12.0 (Radeon R9 390). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.3 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 6.

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon R9 390
DirectX	12.0	12.0
Vulkan	1.1	1.2+9%
OpenGL	4.3	4.6+7%
Max Displays	6	6

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 390). Decoder: UVD 4.2 vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 390).

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon R9 390
Encoder	VCE 2.0	VCE 2.0
Decoder	UVD 4.2	UVD 4.2
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 295X2 draws 500W versus the Radeon R9 390's 300W — a 50% difference. The Radeon R9 390 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 1000W (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 750W (Radeon R9 390). Power connectors: 2x 8-pin vs 6-pin + 8-pin. Card length: 307mm vs 275mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 65°C vs 95°C.

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon R9 390
TDP	500W	300W-40%
Recommended PSU	1000W	750W-25%
Power Connector	2x 8-pin	6-pin + 8-pin
Length	307mm	275mm
Height	114mm	109mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	65°C-32%	95°C
Perf/Watt	17.5	29.5+69%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon R9 295X2 came in at $1499, while the Radeon R9 390 launched at $329. On MSRP, Radeon R9 390 was 78.1% cheaper ($1170 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 5.8 (Radeon R9 295X2) vs 26.9 (Radeon R9 390) — the Radeon R9 390 offers 363.8% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R9 390 (2015 vs 2014).

Feature	Radeon R9 295X2	Radeon R9 390
MSRP	$1499	$329-78%
Performance per Dollar	5.8	26.9+364%
Codename	Vesuvius	Grenada
Release	April 29 2014	June 18 2015
Ranking	#303	#296

Search Radeon R9 295X2 on Amazon

Search Radeon R9 390 on Amazon

Affiliate Disclosure

ChipVERSUS is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through our links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support our work in providing comprehensive PC building guides and tools.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.