AMD Radeon R9 290X vs AMD Radeon R9 390X

VS
Performance
Radeon R9 290X
16,167.515% of 104,598
Radeon R9 390X11% better
17,94417% of 104,598

The Radeon R9 390X has 11% better performance than the Radeon R9 290X for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

Performance per dollar
Radeon R9 290X
29.4518% of 161.45
Radeon R9 390X42% better
41.8326% of 161.45

The Radeon R9 390X has 42% better value for the money than the Radeon R9 290X for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

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Summary

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About the AMD Radeon R9 290X GPU

The AMD Radeon R9 290X is an end-of-life desktop graphics card that released in Q4 2013 with a MSRP of $549. It is built on the GCN 2.0 GPU microarchitecture (codename Hawaii) and is manufactured on a 28 nm process.

Memory

The R9 290X has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory, with a 1,250 MHz memory clock and a 512 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 320 Gb/s, which affects how fast it can transfer data to and from memory. GPU memory stores temporary data that helps the GPU with complex math and graphics operations. More memory is generally better, as not having enough can cause performance bottlenecks.

Cores and Clock Speeds

The R9 290X includes 2,816 stream processors (SPs), the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 1,000 MHz. Complementing the processing units are 176 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 64 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing.

Compatibility & Power Consumption

The R9 290X occupies 2 PCIe expansion slots. It supports DVI, HDMI 1.4a, DisplayPort 1.2 display connections. AMD recommends a power supply of at least 600 W to handle the GPU's thermal design power (TDP) of 290 W.

Benchmark Performance & Value

The R9 290X has the 137th best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 15.46% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 16,167.5 score and $549 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 29.45. This is the 80th best in value for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

About the AMD Radeon R9 390X GPU

The AMD Radeon R9 390X is an end-of-life desktop graphics card that released in Q2 2015 with a MSRP of $429. It is built on the GCN 2.0 GPU microarchitecture (codename Grenada) and is manufactured on a 28 nm process.

Memory

The R9 390X has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory, with a 1,500 MHz memory clock and a 512 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 384 Gb/s, which affects how fast it can transfer data to and from memory. GPU memory stores temporary data that helps the GPU with complex math and graphics operations. More memory is generally better, as not having enough can cause performance bottlenecks.

Cores and Clock Speeds

The R9 390X includes 2,816 stream processors (SPs), the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 1,050 MHz. Complementing the processing units are 176 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 64 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing.

Compatibility & Power Consumption

The R9 390X occupies 2 PCIe expansion slots. It supports DVI, HDMI 1.4a, DisplayPort 1.2 display connections. AMD recommends a power supply of at least 600 W to handle the GPU's thermal design power (TDP) of 275 W.

Benchmark Performance & Value

The R9 390X has the 123rd best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 17.16% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 17,944 score and $429 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 41.83. This is the 70th best in value for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

General Info

General overview of the GPU, including details like its manufacturer, release date, launch price, and current production status.

InfoRadeon R9 290XRadeon R9 390X
ManufacturerAMDAMD
ArchitectureGCN 2.0GCN 2.0
Market SegmentDesktopDesktop
Release DateQ4 2013Q2 2015
Launch Price (MSRP)$549$429
Production StatusEnd-of-lifeEnd-of-life
ShopCheck PriceCheck Price

Gaming Performance

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Select a game to compare FPS metrics

Display FPS for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Display FPS for Rise of the Tomb Raider
Rise of the Tomb Raider
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Dota 2 - Reborn
Display FPS for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3
Display FPS for Grand Theft Auto V
GTA V
Display FPS for BioShock Infinite
BioShock Infinite
Display FPS for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
CS: GO

FPS Benchmarks

This table showcases the average frame rate (FPS) achieved both GPUs in at various resolutions. Frame rate is a crucial indicator of how smoothly the GPU can run the game. A higher FPS generally translates to a smoother gameplay experience.

  • Frames Per Second
FPS data for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Radeon R9 290XRadeon R9 390X
Low - 720p
--
--
Medium - 768p
--
--
High - 1080p
61 FPS
--
Ultra - 1080p
33 FPS
--
QHD - 1440p
--
--
4K UHD - 2160p
--
--
FPS Source: Notebookcheck

Compare Frames Per Second (FPS)

The average frame rate (FPS) in can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative performance. Generally, higher FPS results in a smoother gameplay experience.

Choose Baseline GPU:Radeon R9 290X orRadeon R9 390X

Compare Cost Per Frame

The average cost per frame in can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative value. Generally, a lower cost per frame implies better value for your money.

Choose Baseline GPU:Radeon R9 290X orRadeon R9 390X
GPUCost Per Frame
GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)9.65-42%
Radeon VII9.99-40%
GeForce GTX 97011.71-29%
Radeon R9 FURY15.42-7%
GeForce GTX 980 Ti15.75-5%
Radeon R9 290X16.59
GeForce GTX 98016.94+2%
GeForce GTX 68056.07+238%

Benchmark Performance

#
Performance
Radeon R9 290X
16,167.515% of 104,598
Radeon R9 390X11% better
17,94417% of 104,598

The Radeon R9 390X has 11% better performance than the Radeon R9 290X for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The Radeon R9 290X is ranked 137th with a score of 16,167.5, and the Radeon R9 390X is ranked 123rd with a score of 17,944.

Performance per dollar
Radeon R9 290X
29.4518% of 161.45
Radeon R9 390X42% better
41.8326% of 161.45

The Radeon R9 390X has 42% better value for the money than the Radeon R9 290X for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The Radeon R9 290X is ranked 80th with a performance per dollar of 29.45, and the Radeon R9 390X is ranked 70th with a performance per dollar of 41.83.

Relative Performance

The average score in the benchmark test can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative performance. Generally, powerful GPUs tend to have higher scores.

Choose Baseline GPU:Radeon R9 290X or
GPUBenchmark Performance
Radeon RX 57018,967+17%
GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER18,224.5+13%
Radeon R9 390X17,944+11%
Radeon RX 48017,919+11%
Radeon RX 47017,624.5+9%
GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)17,401+8%
Radeon R9 Nano17,282+7%
Radeon R9 290X16,167.5
GeForce GTX 97016,033-1%
GeForce GTX 780 Ti15,619-3%

Relative Value For Money

The average performance per dollar in the benchmark test can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative value. A higher score implies a better value for your money.

Choose Baseline GPU:Radeon R9 290X or
GPUPerformance Per Dollar
GeForce GTX 97048.73+65%
GeForce RTX 2080 Ti47.21+60%
Radeon R9 390X41.83+42%
Radeon R9 280X36.09+23%
GeForce GTX 980 Ti35.53+21%
GeForce GTX 76031.98+9%
Radeon R9 FURY31.95+9%
Radeon R9 290X29.45
GeForce GTX 660 Ti28.14-4%
Radeon R9 Nano26.63-10%

Benchmark Scores

This table showcases the average performance scores achieved by both GPUs across industry-standard benchmark tests. These scores provide a valuable insight into overall performance. Powerful GPUs tend to have higher scores.

  • Popular
BenchmarkRadeon R9 290XRadeon R9 390X
3DMark Time Spy Graphics
4,003
--
3DMark Time Spy Score
4,114
--
3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics
73,987
74,351
(+0.49%)
3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics
11,717
12,389
(+5.74%)
3DMark 11 Performance Score
13,415
14,327
(+6.8%)
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit
142
(+8.48%)
130.9
PassMark G3D Mark
8,623
9,416
(+9.2%)
PassMark G2D Mark
765
832
(+8.76%)
Unigine Heaven 3.0 DirectX 11
140
--
Unigine Heaven 3.0 OpenGL
111
--
Benchmarks Source: Notebookcheck

Technical Specs

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Graphics Processor

General information about the graphics processing unit like their architecture, manufacturing process size, and transistor count. Newer GPU architectures generally bring efficiency improvements and may introduce technologies that enhance graphical capabilities.

SpecRadeon R9 290XRadeon R9 390X
CodenameHawaiiGrenada
ArchitectureGCN 2.0GCN 2.0
Process Size28 nm28 nm
Transistors6,200 million6,200 million

Memory Details

Memory specifications like their capacity, bandwidth, and clock speeds. GPU memory stores graphics data like frames, textures, and shadows which helps display rendered images. These specs are crucial for graphics-intense applications like gaming and 3D modeling.

SpecRadeon R9 290XRadeon R9 390X
Memory Size4 GB8 GB
Memory TypeGDDR5GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth320 Gb/s384 Gb/s
Memory Clock1,250 MHz1,500 MHz
Memory Interface512 bit512 bit
L1 Cache16 KB16 KB
L2 Cache1,024 KB1,024 KB

Board Compatibility

Compatibility information like their slot size, bus interface, power consumption, and display support. These specs are useful for verifying compatibility with your motherboard, power supply, and monitor.

SpecRadeon R9 290XRadeon R9 390X
Slots2 slots2 slots
Bus InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
Thermal Design Power (TDP)290 W275 W
Suggested PSU600 W600 W
Power Connectors1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
OutputsDVI, HDMI 1.4a, DisplayPort 1.2DVI, HDMI 1.4a, DisplayPort 1.2

Cores & Clock Speeds

Processing power information like its cores and clock speed. These specs impact how fast they can process graphics. Each type of core or component serves a specific computational purpose.

SpecRadeon R9 290XRadeon R9 390X
Stream Processors (SP)2,8162,816
Compute Units (CU)4444
Texture Mapping Units (TMU)176176
Render Output Units (ROP)6464
Core Clock Speed1,000 MHz1,050 MHz

Theoretical Performance

Theoretical performance numbers derived from the raw specifications of the different components like core count and clock speeds. While these provide a glimpse into peak processing power, they do not represent real-world performance.

SpecRadeon R9 290XRadeon R9 390X
Pixel Fill Rate64 GPixel/s67.2 GPixel/s
Texture Fill Rate176 GTexel/s184.8 GTexel/s
FP32 Performance5.63 TFLOPS5.91 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance704 GFLOPS739.2 GFLOPS

API Support

Graphics API versions supported by these graphics cards. APIs evolve over time, introducing new features and functionalities. Older GPUs may not support recent versions.

SpecRadeon R9 290XRadeon R9 390X
DirectX12 (12_0)12 (12_0)
OpenCL2.12.1
OpenGL4.64.6
Shader Model6.56.5

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* Performance rating, performance per dollar, and rankings are based on the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark and MSRP.