AMD Radeon R9 390X vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
The Radeon R9 390X has 12% better performance than the GeForce GTX 970 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
The GeForce GTX 970 has 17% better value for the money than the Radeon R9 390X for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
Summary
About the AMD Radeon R9 390X GPU
The Radeon R9 390X is an end-of-life desktop graphics card by AMD. It launched in Q2 2015 with a suggested retail price of $429. Its Grenada chip that powers the GPU uses the GCN 2.0 architecture and is fabricated on the 28 nm process.
This GPU is paired with 8 GB of GDDR5 VRAM. Its 1,500 MHz memory clock and 512 bit interface gives it a bandwidth of 384 Gb/s. This impacts how much data it can store, and how fast it transfers the data to and from memory.
The R9 390X is a dual slot graphics card, taking up 2 PCIe slots. It supports DVI, HDMI 1.4a, DisplayPort 1.2 display ports. This desktop card has a TDP of 275 W. AMD recommends using a power supply of at least 600 W with this card. A power supply lower than this might result in system crashes and potentially damage your hardware.
The Radeon R9 390X has the 121st highest 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 540 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 17.10% 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 68th best in value for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
About the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 GPU
The GeForce GTX 970 is an end-of-life desktop graphics card by NVIDIA. It launched in Q3 2014 with a suggested retail price of $329. Its GM204 chip that powers the GPU uses the Maxwell 2.0 architecture and is fabricated on the 28 nm process.
This GPU is paired with 4 GB of GDDR5 VRAM. Its 1,753 MHz memory clock and 256 bit interface gives it a bandwidth of 224.4 Gb/s. This impacts how much data it can store, and how fast it transfers the data to and from memory.
The GTX 970 is a dual slot graphics card, taking up 2 PCIe slots. It supports DVI, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2 display ports. This desktop card has a TDP of 148 W. NVIDIA recommends using a power supply of at least 300 W with this card. A power supply lower than this might result in system crashes and potentially damage your hardware.
The GeForce GTX 970 has the 136th highest 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 540 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 15.28% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 16,033 score and $329 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 48.73. This is the 66th 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.
| Info | Radeon R9 390X | GeForce GTX 970 |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | AMD | NVIDIA |
| Architecture | GCN 2.0 | Maxwell 2.0 |
| Market Segment | Desktop | Desktop |
| Release Date | Q2 2015 | Q3 2014 |
| Launch Price (MSRP) | $429 | $329 |
| Production Status | End-of-life | End-of-life |
| Shop | Check Price | Check Price |
Gaming Performance
Select a game to compare FPS metrics
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
Borderlands 3 | Radeon R9 390X | GeForce GTX 970 |
|---|---|---|
| Low - 720p | -- | -- |
| Medium - 1080p | -- | 74 FPS |
| High - 1080p | -- | 49 FPS |
| Ultra - 1080p | -- | 37 FPS |
| QHD - 1440p | -- | -- |
| 4K UHD - 2160p | -- | -- |
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.
| GPU | Frames Per Second | |
|---|---|---|
| Radeon RX 5500 XT | 43 | +17% |
| Radeon RX 590 | 42.1 | +15% |
| GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER | 42 | +14% |
| Radeon RX 6500 XT | 41 | +12% |
| GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) | 39 | +6% |
| GeForce GTX 970 | 36.7 | |
| Radeon RX 570 | 35.2 | -4% |
| GeForce GTX 1650 | 30.1 | -18% |
| GeForce GTX 1050 Ti | 21.8 | -41% |
| GeForce GTX 1050 | 18.4 | -50% |
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.
| GPU | Cost Per Frame | |
|---|---|---|
| GeForce GTX 1070 | 6.55 | -27% |
| Radeon RX 590 | 6.63 | -26% |
| GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) | 7.67 | -14% |
| Radeon RX Vega 64 | 8.59 | -4% |
| Radeon VII | 8.86 | -1% |
| GeForce GTX 970 | 8.96 | |
| GeForce GTX 980 Ti | 12.18 | +36% |
Benchmark Performance
The Radeon R9 390X has 12% better performance than the GeForce GTX 970 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
The Radeon R9 390X is ranked 121st with a score of 17,944, and the GeForce GTX 970 is ranked 136th with a score of 16,033.
The GeForce GTX 970 has 17% better value for the money than the Radeon R9 390X for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
The Radeon R9 390X is ranked 68th with a performance per dollar of 41.83, and the GeForce GTX 970 is ranked 66th with a performance per dollar of 48.73.
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.
| GPU | Benchmark Performance | |
|---|---|---|
| Radeon RX 570 | 18,967 | +6% |
| GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER | 18,218 | +2% |
| Radeon R9 390X | 17,944 | |
| Radeon RX 480 | 17,919 | -0% |
| Radeon RX 470 | 17,624.5 | -2% |
| Radeon R9 Nano | 17,282 | -4% |
| Radeon R9 290X | 16,167.5 | -10% |
| GeForce GTX 970 | 16,033 | -11% |
| GeForce GTX 780 Ti | 15,619 | -13% |
| GeForce GTX 1650 | 13,645 | -24% |
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.
| GPU | Performance Per Dollar | |
|---|---|---|
| Radeon VII | 54.19 | +30% |
| GeForce GTX 960 | 54.11 | +29% |
| GeForce GTX 950 | 52.52 | +26% |
| GeForce GTX 1080 | 48.85 | +17% |
| GeForce GTX 970 | 48.73 | +17% |
| Radeon R9 390X | 41.83 | |
| Radeon R9 280X | 36.09 | -14% |
| GeForce GTX 980 Ti | 35.53 | -15% |
| GeForce GTX 980 | 32.07 | -23% |
| Radeon R9 FURY | 31.95 | -24% |
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
| Benchmark | Radeon R9 390X | GeForce GTX 970 |
|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy Graphics | -- | 3,544 |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | -- | 3,693 |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics | 74,351 (+2.1%) | 72,819 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics | 12,389 (+3.64%) | 11,954 |
| 3DMark 11 Performance Score | 14,327 (+8.14%) | 13,249 |
| Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit | 130.9 | 141.6 (+8.17%) |
| PassMark G3D Mark | 9,440 | 9,645 (+2.17%) |
| PassMark G2D Mark | 826 (+6.86%) | 773 |
Technical Specs
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.
| Spec | Radeon R9 390X | GeForce GTX 970 |
|---|---|---|
| Codename | Grenada | GM204 |
| Architecture | GCN 2.0 | Maxwell 2.0 |
| Process Size | 28 nm | 28 nm |
| Transistors | 6,200 million | 5,200 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.
| Spec | Radeon R9 390X | GeForce GTX 970 |
|---|---|---|
| Memory Size | 8 GB | 4 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 384 Gb/s | 224.4 Gb/s |
| Memory Clock | 1,500 MHz | 1,753 MHz |
| Memory Interface | 512 bit | 256 bit |
| L1 Cache | 16 KB | 48 KB |
| L2 Cache | 1,024 KB | 2 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.
| Spec | Radeon R9 390X | GeForce GTX 970 |
|---|---|---|
| Slots | 2 slots | 2 slots |
| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| Thermal Design Power (TDP) | 275 W | 148 W |
| Suggested PSU | 600 W | 300 W |
| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | 2x 6-pin |
| Outputs | DVI, HDMI 1.4a, DisplayPort 1.2 | DVI, HDMI 2.0, 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.
| Spec | Radeon R9 390X | GeForce GTX 970 |
|---|---|---|
| Stream Processors (SP) | 2,816 | -- |
| CUDA Cores | -- | 1,664 |
| Compute Units (CU) | 44 | -- |
| Texture Mapping Units (TMU) | 176 | 104 |
| Render Output Units (ROP) | 64 | 56 |
| Core Clock Speed | 1,050 MHz | 1,050 MHz |
| Core Clock Speed (Boost) | -- | 1,178 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.
| Spec | Radeon R9 390X | GeForce GTX 970 |
|---|---|---|
| Pixel Fill Rate | 67.2 GPixel/s | 65.97 GPixel/s |
| Texture Fill Rate | 184.8 GTexel/s | 122.5 GTexel/s |
| FP32 Performance | 5.91 TFLOPS | 3.92 TFLOPS |
| FP64 Performance | 739.2 GFLOPS | 122.5 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.
| Spec | Radeon R9 390X | GeForce GTX 970 |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 (12_0) | 12 (12_1) |
| OpenCL | 2.1 | 3.0 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Shader Model | 6.5 | 6.7 (6.4) |
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* Performance rating, performance per dollar, and rankings are based on the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark and MSRP.