Radeon R9 390 vs Radeon RX 580
The Radeon RX 580 pulls ahead here — substantially quicker, about 20% ahead of the Radeon R9 390.
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Radeon RX 580 vs Radeon R9 390: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: Radeon RX 580 vs Radeon R9 390
The Radeon RX 580 is significantly faster, around 20% ahead of the Radeon R9 390. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p.
Power & Efficiency
Power draw favors the Radeon RX 580 (185W vs 275W), and it's the more efficient card too, so it's the easy pick if thermals or a smaller PSU matter. Its more modern GCN 4.0 (Polaris) architecture on a GloFo 14nm process is part of why it does more with each watt.
Memory & Bandwidth
The Radeon R9 390's memory is faster — 384 GB/s versus 256 GB/s (512-bit vs 256-bit bus) — which helps feed the GPU at 4K and with heavy textures.
Generation & Longevity
The Radeon RX 580 is roughly 2 years newer than the Radeon R9 390 (GCN 4.0 (Polaris) vs GCN 2.0), so it generally benefits from a more modern architecture and longer driver-support runway.
Which should you buy: Radeon R9 390 or Radeon RX 580?
The Radeon RX 580 is the faster card by about 20%. With live pricing limited for this pair, base your decision on the spec differences above — particularly VRAM and power draw — and check current stock before buying.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Radeon RX 580 better than the Radeon R9 390?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the Radeon R9 390 or the Radeon RX 580?
Which should you buy: Radeon R9 390 or Radeon RX 580?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | Radeon R9 390 | Radeon RX 580 |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | GCN 2.0 | GCN 4.0 (Polaris) |
| Process Node | TSMC 28nm | GloFo 14nm |
| CUDA Cores (Stream Processors / Stream Processors) | 2,560✓ | 2,304 |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | Radeon R9 390 | Radeon RX 580 |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 1,000 MHz | 1,257 MHz✓ |
| Boost Clock | 1,000 MHz | 1,340 MHz✓ |
Memory
| Specification | Radeon R9 390 | Radeon RX 580 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bus | 512-bit✓ | 256-bit |
| Memory Speed | 6 Gbps | 8 Gbps✓ |
| Bandwidth | 384 GB/s✓ | 256 GB/s |
Connectivity & Power
| Specification | Radeon R9 390 | Radeon RX 580 |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| TDP | 275 W | 185 W✓ |
| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | 1x 8-pin |
| Released | Jun 2015 | Apr 2017 |
