AMD Radeon R9 390X vs AMD Radeon RX Vega 56

VS
Performance
Radeon R9 390X
17,94417% of 104,737
Radeon RX Vega 5662% better
29,08628% of 104,737

The Radeon RX Vega 56 has 62% better performance than the Radeon R9 390X for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

Performance per dollar
Radeon R9 390X
41.8326% of 161.45
Radeon RX Vega 5674% better
72.945% of 161.45

The Radeon RX Vega 56 has 74% better value for the money than the Radeon R9 390X for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

Shop Radeon R9 390X
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Summary

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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 17.13% 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.

About the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 GPU

The AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 is a desktop graphics card that launched in Q3 2017 with a MSRP of $399. It is built on the GCN 5.0 GPU microarchitecture (codename Vega 10) and is manufactured on a 14 nm process.

Memory

The RX Vega 56 has 8 GB of HBM2 memory, with a 800 MHz memory clock and a 2,048 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 409.6 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 RX Vega 56 includes 3,584 stream processors (SPs), the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 1,156 MHz and can dynamically boost its clock speed up to 1,471 MHz. Complementing the processing units are 224 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 64 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing.

Compatibility & Power Consumption

The RX Vega 56 occupies 2 PCIe expansion slots. It supports HDMI 2.0b, DisplayPort 1.4a display connections. AMD recommends a power supply of at least 550 W to handle the GPU's thermal design power (TDP) of 210 W.

Benchmark Performance & Value

The RX Vega 56 has the 81st best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 27.77% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 29,086 score and $399 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 72.9. This is the 42nd 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 390XRadeon RX Vega 56
ManufacturerAMDAMD
ArchitectureGCN 2.0GCN 5.0
Market SegmentDesktopDesktop
Release DateQ2 2015Q3 2017
Launch Price (MSRP)$429$399
Production StatusEnd-of-lifeActive
ShopCheck PriceCheck Price

Gaming Performance

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Select a game to compare FPS metrics

Display FPS for Tom Clancy's The Division 2
The Division 2
Display FPS for Dirt Rally 2.0
Dirt Rally 2.0
Display FPS for Anthem
Anthem
Display FPS for Far Cry New Dawn
Far Cry New Dawn
Display FPS for Metro Exodus
Metro Exodus
Display FPS for Apex Legends
Apex Legends
Display FPS for Just Cause 4
Just Cause 4

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 Tom Clancy's The Division 2
The Division 2
Radeon R9 390XRadeon RX Vega 56
Low - 720p
--
163 FPS
Medium - 1080p
--
123 FPS
High - 1080p
--
95 FPS
Ultra - 1080p
--
75 FPS
QHD - 1440p
--
58 FPS
4K UHD - 2160p
--
30 FPS
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 390X orRadeon RX Vega 56

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 390X orRadeon RX Vega 56

Benchmark Performance

#
Performance
Radeon R9 390X
17,94417% of 104,737
Radeon RX Vega 5662% better
29,08628% of 104,737

The Radeon RX Vega 56 has 62% better performance than the Radeon R9 390X for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The Radeon R9 390X is ranked 123rd with a score of 17,944, and the Radeon RX Vega 56 is ranked 81st with a score of 29,086.

Performance per dollar
Radeon R9 390X
41.8326% of 161.45
Radeon RX Vega 5674% better
72.945% of 161.45

The Radeon RX Vega 56 has 74% better value for the money than the Radeon R9 390X for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The Radeon R9 390X is ranked 70th with a performance per dollar of 41.83, and the Radeon RX Vega 56 is ranked 42nd with a performance per dollar of 72.9.

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 390X or
GPUBenchmark Performance
GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER29,668+65%
GeForce GTX 108029,263+63%
Radeon RX Vega 5629,086+62%
GeForce RTX 306028,375+58%
GeForce GTX 1070 Ti27,503+53%
Radeon RX 57018,967+6%
GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER18,224.5+2%
Radeon R9 390X17,944
Radeon RX 48017,919-0%
Radeon RX 47017,624.5-2%

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 390X or

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 390XRadeon RX Vega 56
3DMark Time Spy Graphics
--
6,482
3DMark Time Spy Score
--
6,746
3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics
74,351
125,359
(+68.6%)
3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics
12,389
20,759
(+67.56%)
3DMark 11 Performance Score
14,327
22,937
(+60.1%)
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit
130.9
--
PassMark G3D Mark
9,417
13,234
(+40.53%)
PassMark G2D Mark
821
(+8.03%)
760
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 390XRadeon RX Vega 56
CodenameGrenadaVega 10
ArchitectureGCN 2.0GCN 5.0
Process Size28 nm14 nm
Transistors6,200 million12,500 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 390XRadeon RX Vega 56
Memory Size8 GB8 GB
Memory TypeGDDR5HBM2
Memory Bandwidth384 Gb/s409.6 Gb/s
Memory Clock1,500 MHz800 MHz
Memory Interface512 bit2,048 bit
L1 Cache16 KB16 KB
L2 Cache1,024 KB4 MB

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 390XRadeon RX Vega 56
Slots2 slots2 slots
Bus InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
Thermal Design Power (TDP)275 W210 W
Suggested PSU600 W550 W
Power Connectors1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin2x 8-pin
OutputsDVI, HDMI 1.4a, DisplayPort 1.2HDMI 2.0b, DisplayPort 1.4a

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 390XRadeon RX Vega 56
Stream Processors (SP)2,8163,584
Compute Units (CU)4456
Texture Mapping Units (TMU)176224
Render Output Units (ROP)6464
Core Clock Speed1,050 MHz1,156 MHz
Core Clock Speed (Boost)--1,471 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 390XRadeon RX Vega 56
Pixel Fill Rate67.2 GPixel/s94.14 GPixel/s
Texture Fill Rate184.8 GTexel/s329.5 GTexel/s
FP32 Performance5.91 TFLOPS10.54 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance739.2 GFLOPS659 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 390XRadeon RX Vega 56
DirectX12 (12_0)12 (12_1)
OpenCL2.12.1
OpenGL4.64.6
Shader Model6.56.7

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