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 M380 vs Radeon RX 550 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 M380 vs Radeon RX 550: 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 M380

2015

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 550 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation (2023).
❌2015 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
279.7% HIGHER MSRP
$300 MSRPvs$79 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 9.2 vs 33.8 G3D/$ ($300 MSRP vs $79 MSRP).

Radeon RX 550

2017

Why buy it

✅11.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $221 less on MSRP ($79 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
✅Delivers 269% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 33.8 vs 9.2 G3D/$ ($79 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation (2023).
✅Radeon R9 M380 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so Radeon RX 550 is the less risky modern option long term.

Trade-offs

❌2017 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon RX 550 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 11.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon R9 M380 instead at 2,752 vs 2,674, 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 RX 550 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 M380 has no comparable frame-generation support, a 14nm process instead of 28nm, and a newer 2017 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 550 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $221 cheaper on MSRP at $79 vs $300, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 269% (33.8 vs 9.2), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Radeon R9 M380 vs Radeon RX 550 Technical Specifications

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

Radeon R9 M380

The Radeon R9 M380 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 5 2015. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 900 MHz to 1000 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,752 points.

Radeon RX 550

The Radeon RX 550 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 20 2017. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1100 MHz to 1183 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,674 points. Launch price was $79.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R9 M380 scores 2,752 and the Radeon RX 550 reaches 2,674 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R9 M380 is built on GCN 2.0 while the Radeon RX 550 uses GCN 4.0, both on 28 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 768 (Radeon R9 M380) vs 512 (Radeon RX 550). Raw compute: 1.536 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 M380) vs 1.211 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 550). Boost clocks: 1000 MHz vs 1183 MHz.

Feature	Radeon R9 M380	Radeon RX 550
G3D Mark Score	2,752+3%	2,674
Architecture	GCN 2.0	GCN 4.0
Process Node	28 nm	14 nm
Shading Units	768+50%	512
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.536 TFLOPS+27%	1.211 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1000 MHz	1183 MHz+18%
ROPs	16	16
TMUs	48+50%	32
L1 Cache	192 KB+50%	128 KB
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 550 is support for FSR Frame Generation. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The Radeon R9 M380 does not have comparable native support in the same tier.

Feature	Radeon R9 M380	Radeon RX 550
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 4 GB of GDDR5. Memory bandwidth: 96 GB/s (Radeon R9 M380) vs 112 GB/s (Radeon RX 550) — a 16.7% advantage for the Radeon RX 550. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the Radeon R9 M380 and 128-bit on the Radeon RX 550. L2 Cache: 256 KB (Radeon R9 M380) vs 512 KB (Radeon RX 550) — the Radeon RX 550 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon R9 M380	Radeon RX 550
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	96 GB/s	112 GB/s+17%
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (12_0) (Radeon R9 M380) vs 12_0 (Radeon RX 550). Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 3.

Feature	Radeon R9 M380	Radeon RX 550
DirectX	12 (12_0)	12_0
Max Displays	3	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 3.0 (Radeon R9 M380) vs VCE 3.4 (Radeon RX 550). Decoder: UVD 6.0 vs UVD 6.3. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265 (HEVC),MPEG-2,VC-1,MPEG-4 (Radeon R9 M380) vs H.264,H.265 (Radeon RX 550).

Feature	Radeon R9 M380	Radeon RX 550
Encoder	VCE 3.0	VCE 3.4
Decoder	UVD 6.0	UVD 6.3
Codecs	H.264,H.265 (HEVC),MPEG-2,VC-1,MPEG-4	H.264,H.265

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R9 M380 draws 75W versus the Radeon RX 550's 50W — a 40% difference. The Radeon RX 550 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon R9 M380) vs 300W (Radeon RX 550). Power connectors: Mobile vs None. Card length: 0mm vs 155mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots.

Feature	Radeon R9 M380	Radeon RX 550
TDP	75W	50W-33%
Recommended PSU	350W	300W-14%
Power Connector	Mobile	None
Length	0mm	155mm
Height	0mm	—
Slots	0-100%	2
Temp (Load)	85	—
Perf/Watt	36.7	53.5+46%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon R9 M380 came in at $300, while the Radeon RX 550 launched at $79. On MSRP, Radeon RX 550 was 73.7% cheaper ($221 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 9.2 (Radeon R9 M380) vs 33.8 (Radeon RX 550) — the Radeon RX 550 offers 267.4% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX 550 (2017 vs 2015).

Feature	Radeon R9 M380	Radeon RX 550
MSRP	$300	$79-74%
Performance per Dollar	9.2	33.8+267%
Codename	Strato	Lexa
Release	May 5 2015	April 20 2017
Ranking	#607	#617

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