Radeon R9 380 vs Radeon R9 380X

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 380 vs Radeon R9 380X 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 380 vs Radeon R9 380X: 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 380

2015

Why buy it

✅Costs $30 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
✅Delivers 12.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 30.2 vs 26.8 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 380X across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2015 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.

Radeon R9 380X

2015

Why buy it

✅1.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌2015 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌
15.1% HIGHER MSRP
$229 MSRPvs$199 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 26.8 vs 30.2 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon R9 380X is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 1.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.2% in PassMark G3D (6,131 vs 6,000), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon R9 380 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 380 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $30 cheaper on MSRP at $199 vs $229, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 12.6% (30.2 vs 26.8), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon R9 380X still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

Radeon R9 380 vs Radeon R9 380X Technical Specifications

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

Radeon R9 380

The Radeon R9 380 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 18 2015. It features the GCN 3.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 970 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 220W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 6,000 points. Launch price was $199.

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

The Radeon R9 380 scores 6,000 and the Radeon R9 380X reaches 6,131 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 380 is built on GCN 3.0 while the Radeon R9 380X uses GCN 3.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,792 (Radeon R9 380) vs 2,048 (Radeon R9 380X). Raw compute: 3.476 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 380) vs 3.973 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 380X). Boost clocks: 970 MHz vs 970 MHz.

Feature	Radeon R9 380	Radeon R9 380X
G3D Mark Score	6,000	6,131+2%
Architecture	GCN 3.0	GCN 3.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1792	2048+14%
Compute (TFLOPS)	3.476 TFLOPS	3.973 TFLOPS+14%
Boost Clock	970 MHz	970 MHz
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	112	128+14%
L1 Cache	448 KB	512 KB+14%
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon R9 380	Radeon R9 380X
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 4 GB of GDDR5. Memory bandwidth: 182.4 GB/s (Radeon R9 380) vs 106 GB/s (Radeon R9 380X) — a 72.1% advantage for the Radeon R9 380. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the Radeon R9 380 and 128-bit on the Radeon R9 380X.

Feature	Radeon R9 380	Radeon R9 380X
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	182.4 GB/s+72%	106 GB/s
Bus Width	256-bit+100%	128-bit
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB

🎬

Media & Encoding

Supported codecs: H.264,H.265 (Radeon R9 380) vs H.264,H.265,MPEG-2,MPEG-4,VC-1 (Radeon R9 380X).

Feature	Radeon R9 380	Radeon R9 380X
Encoder	—	VCE 3.0
Decoder	—	UVD 6.0
Codecs	H.264,H.265	H.264,H.265,MPEG-2,MPEG-4,VC-1

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 380 draws 220W versus the Radeon R9 380X's 250W — a 12.8% difference. The Radeon R9 380 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon R9 380) vs 500W (Radeon R9 380X). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs 2x 6-pin.

Feature	Radeon R9 380	Radeon R9 380X
TDP	220W-12%	250W
Recommended PSU	500W	500W
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	2x 6-pin
Length	—	221mm
Height	—	111mm
Slots	—	2
Temp (Load)	—	75
Perf/Watt	27.3+11%	24.5

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon R9 380 came in at $199, while the Radeon R9 380X launched at $229. On MSRP, Radeon R9 380 was 13.1% cheaper ($30 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 30.2 (Radeon R9 380) vs 26.8 (Radeon R9 380X) — the Radeon R9 380 offers 12.7% better value.

Feature	Radeon R9 380	Radeon R9 380X
MSRP	$199-13%	$229
Performance per Dollar	30.2+13%	26.8
Codename	Antigua	Antigua
Release	June 18 2015	November 19 2015
Ranking	#396	#394

Search Radeon R9 380 on Amazon

Search Radeon R9 380X 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.