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 390 vs Radeon RX 480 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 390 vs Radeon RX 480: 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 390

2015

Why buy it

✅3.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌2015 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌
43.7% HIGHER MSRP
$329 MSRPvs$229 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 26.9 vs 37.3 G3D/$ ($329 MSRP vs $229 MSRP).
❌100% higher power demand at 300W vs 150W.
❌14.6% longer card at 275mm vs 240mm.

Radeon RX 480

2016

Why buy it

✅Costs $100 less on MSRP ($229 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Delivers 38.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 37.3 vs 26.9 G3D/$ ($229 MSRP vs $329 MSRP).
✅Draws 150W instead of 300W, a 150W reduction.
✅Measures 240mm instead of 275mm, a 35mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 390 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2016 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 390 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 3.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 3.6% in PassMark G3D (8,855 vs 8,546), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon R9 390 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 RX 480 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $100 cheaper on MSRP at $229 vs $329, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 38.7% (37.3 vs 26.9), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon RX 480 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon R9 390 has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon R9 390 vs Radeon RX 480 Technical Specifications

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

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.

Radeon RX 480

The Radeon RX 480 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 29 2016. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1120 MHz to 1266 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,546 points. Launch price was $229.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 390 scores 8,855 and the Radeon RX 480 reaches 8,546 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 390 is built on GCN 2.0 while the Radeon RX 480 uses GCN 4.0, both on 28 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 2,560 (Radeon R9 390) vs 2,304 (Radeon RX 480). Raw compute: 5.12 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 390) vs 5.834 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 480). Boost clocks: 1000 MHz vs 1266 MHz.

Feature	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 480
G3D Mark Score	8,855+4%	8,546
Architecture	GCN 2.0	GCN 4.0
Process Node	28 nm	14 nm
Shading Units	2560+11%	2304
Compute (TFLOPS)	5.12 TFLOPS	5.834 TFLOPS+14%
Boost Clock	1000 MHz	1266 MHz+27%
ROPs	64+100%	32
TMUs	160+11%	144
L1 Cache	640 KB+11%	576 KB
L2 Cache	1 MB	2 MB+100%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 480
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 (Radeon R9 390) vs 256 GB/s (Radeon RX 480) — a 25% advantage for the Radeon R9 390. Memory bus width is 512-bit on the Radeon R9 390 and 256-bit on the Radeon RX 480. L2 Cache: 1 MB (Radeon R9 390) vs 2 MB (Radeon RX 480) — the Radeon RX 480 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 480
VRAM Capacity	8 GB	8 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	320 GB/s+25%	256 GB/s
Bus Width	512-bit+100%	256-bit
L2 Cache	1 MB	2 MB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.0 (Radeon R9 390) vs 12.0 (Radeon RX 480). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 4.

Feature	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 480
DirectX	12.0	12.0
Vulkan	1.2	1.3+8%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	6+50%	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 390) vs VCE 3.4 (Radeon RX 480). Decoder: UVD 4.2 vs UVD 6.3. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (Radeon R9 390) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (Radeon RX 480).

Feature	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 480
Encoder	VCE 2.0	VCE 3.4
Decoder	UVD 4.2	UVD 6.3
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 390 draws 300W versus the Radeon RX 480's 150W — a 66.7% difference. The Radeon RX 480 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (Radeon R9 390) vs 500W (Radeon RX 480). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 275mm vs 240mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 95°C vs 85°C.

Feature	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 480
TDP	300W	150W-50%
Recommended PSU	750W	500W-33%
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	8-pin
Length	275mm	240mm
Height	109mm	95mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	95°C	85°C-11%
Perf/Watt	29.5	57.0+93%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon R9 390 came in at $329, while the Radeon RX 480 launched at $229. On MSRP, Radeon RX 480 was 30.4% cheaper ($100 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 26.9 (Radeon R9 390) vs 37.3 (Radeon RX 480) — the Radeon RX 480 offers 38.7% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX 480 (2016 vs 2015).

Feature	Radeon R9 390	Radeon RX 480
MSRP	$329	$229-30%
Performance per Dollar	26.9	37.3+39%
Codename	Grenada	Ellesmere
Release	June 18 2015	June 29 2016
Ranking	#296	#305

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