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 390X vs Radeon RX 590 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 390X vs Radeon RX 590: 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 390X

2015

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 590 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
❌2015 hardware with 8 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌
53.8% HIGHER MSRP
$429 MSRPvs$279 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 21.6 vs 33.4 G3D/$ ($429 MSRP vs $279 MSRP).

Radeon RX 590

2018

Why buy it

✅4.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $150 less on MSRP ($279 MSRP vs $429 MSRP).
✅Delivers 54.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 33.4 vs 21.6 G3D/$ ($279 MSRP vs $429 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
✅Radeon R9 390X is already legacy-tier future-proofing, so Radeon RX 590 is the less risky modern option long term.

Trade-offs

❌Older hardware, 8 GB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon RX 590 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 4.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0.4% in PassMark G3D (9,315 vs 9,278), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon RX 590 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: native frame generation with FSR Frame Generation (2023), while Radeon R9 390X has no comparable frame-generation support, a 12nm process instead of 28nm, and a newer 2018 generation instead of 2015. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon RX 590 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $150 cheaper on MSRP at $279 vs $429, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 54.4% (33.4 vs 21.6), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Radeon R9 390X vs Radeon RX 590 Technical Specifications

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

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.

Radeon RX 590

The Radeon RX 590 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 15 2018. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1469 MHz to 1545 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 175W. Manufactured using 12 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,315 points. Launch price was $279.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 390X scores 9,278 and the Radeon RX 590 reaches 9,315 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 390X is built on GCN 2.0 while the Radeon RX 590 uses GCN 4.0, both on 28 nm vs 12 nm. Shader units: 2,816 (Radeon R9 390X) vs 2,304 (Radeon RX 590). Raw compute: 5.914 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 390X) vs 7.119 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 590). Boost clocks: 1050 MHz vs 1545 MHz.

Feature	Radeon R9 390X	Radeon RX 590
G3D Mark Score	9,278	9,315
Architecture	GCN 2.0	GCN 4.0
Process Node	28 nm	12 nm
Shading Units	2816+22%	2304
Compute (TFLOPS)	5.914 TFLOPS	7.119 TFLOPS+20%
Boost Clock	1050 MHz	1545 MHz+47%
ROPs	64+100%	32
TMUs	176+22%	144
L1 Cache	704 KB+22%	576 KB
L2 Cache	1 MB	2 MB+100%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 590 is support for FSR 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.

Feature	Radeon R9 390X	Radeon RX 590
Upscaling Tech	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	FSR Frame Generation
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: 384 GB/s (Radeon R9 390X) vs 256 GB/s (Radeon RX 590) — a 50% advantage for the Radeon R9 390X. Memory bus width is 512-bit on the Radeon R9 390X and 256-bit on the Radeon RX 590. L2 Cache: 1 MB (Radeon R9 390X) vs 2 MB (Radeon RX 590) — the Radeon RX 590 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon R9 390X	Radeon RX 590
VRAM Capacity	8 GB	8 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	384 GB/s+50%	256 GB/s
Bus Width	512-bit+100%	256-bit
L2 Cache	1 MB	2 MB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (12_0) (Radeon R9 390X) vs 12.0 (Radeon RX 590). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	Radeon R9 390X	Radeon RX 590
DirectX	12 (12_0)	12.0
Vulkan	1.2	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 390X) vs VCE 3.4 (Radeon RX 590). Decoder: UVD 4.2 vs UVD 6.3. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Radeon R9 390X) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC (Radeon RX 590).

Feature	Radeon R9 390X	Radeon RX 590
Encoder	VCE 2.0	VCE 3.4
Decoder	UVD 4.2	UVD 6.3
Codecs	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 390X draws 275W versus the Radeon RX 590's 175W — a 44.4% difference. The Radeon RX 590 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (Radeon R9 390X) vs 500W (Radeon RX 590). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 277mm vs 241mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 80 vs 80°C.

Feature	Radeon R9 390X	Radeon RX 590
TDP	275W	175W-36%
Recommended PSU	750W	500W-33%
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	8-pin
Length	277mm	241mm
Height	129mm	111mm
Slots	2	2
Temp (Load)	80	80°C
Perf/Watt	33.7	53.2+58%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon R9 390X came in at $429, while the Radeon RX 590 launched at $279. On MSRP, Radeon RX 590 was 35% cheaper ($150 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 21.6 (Radeon R9 390X) vs 33.4 (Radeon RX 590) — the Radeon RX 590 offers 54.6% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX 590 (2018 vs 2015).

Feature	Radeon R9 390X	Radeon RX 590
MSRP	$429	$279-35%
Performance per Dollar	21.6	33.4+55%
Codename	Grenada	Polaris 30
Release	June 18 2015	November 15 2018
Ranking	#287	#285

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