GeForce GTX 1070 vs Radeon R9 390X
The GeForce GTX 1070 pulls ahead here — in a different league, about 120% ahead of the Radeon R9 390X. It also wins on performance-per-dollar, making it the cleaner choice when you can afford it.
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GeForce GTX 1070 vs Radeon R9 390X: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: GeForce GTX 1070 vs Radeon R9 390X
The GeForce GTX 1070 is dramatically faster, around 120% ahead of the Radeon R9 390X. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p.
Price & Value
Pricing has the GeForce GTX 1070 at $307 EUR, $57 EUR under the Radeon R9 390X's $364 EUR. Because it's both faster and competitively priced, the GeForce GTX 1070 wins on performance-per-dollar by about 161%. The GeForce GTX 1070 is trading below its $379 EUR MSRP — a genuine deal. The Radeon R9 390X is trading below its $429 EUR MSRP — a genuine deal.
Power & Efficiency
Power draw favors the GeForce GTX 1070 (150W 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 Pascal architecture on a TSMC 16nm process is part of why it does more with each watt.
Features & Ecosystem
Beyond raw numbers, the GeForce GTX 1070 brings NVIDIA DLSS upscaling/frame generation and stronger ray tracing, while the Radeon R9 390X offers AMD FSR upscaling and strong rasterization value. If you lean on upscaling or ray tracing, that ecosystem difference can matter as much as the frame-rate gap.
Which should you buy: GeForce GTX 1070 or Radeon R9 390X?
The GeForce GTX 1070 is the all-round winner here — it's faster and the better value, so buy it if it fits your budget. Only consider the Radeon R9 390X if you find it at a steep discount.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the GeForce GTX 1070 better than the Radeon R9 390X?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce GTX 1070 or the Radeon R9 390X?
Is the Radeon R9 390X worth the extra $57 EUR over the GeForce GTX 1070?
Which should you buy: GeForce GTX 1070 or Radeon R9 390X?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | GeForce GTX 1070 | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Pascal | GCN 2.0 |
| Process Node | TSMC 16nm | TSMC 28nm |
| CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors) | 1,920 | 2,816✓ |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | GeForce GTX 1070 | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 1,506 MHz✓ | 1,050 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1,683 MHz✓ | 1,050 MHz |
Memory
| Specification | GeForce GTX 1070 | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bus | 256-bit | 512-bit✓ |
| Memory Speed | 8 Gbps✓ | 6 Gbps |
| Bandwidth | 256 GB/s | 384 GB/s✓ |
Connectivity & Power
| Specification | GeForce GTX 1070 | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| TDP | 150 W✓ | 275 W |
| Power Connectors | 1x 8-pin | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin |
| Released | Jun 2016 | Jun 2015 |