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GeForce GTX 1050 Ti vs Radeon R9 390X

Quick Verdict

On raw speed the Radeon R9 390X comes out significantly faster — about 25% ahead of the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti. But the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is the better value, undercutting it by $82 EUR for the performance you get.

Market Value Leader

GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is the clear winner, offering 292.1% better value than Radeon R9 390X.

Maximum Capacity Reached. Remove a model to add another. (2/2)

VS
Price
€103
Performance
5/100
VRAM
8 GB GDDR5
Key Specs Advantage
+300% Memory Bus (512-bit vs 128-bit)
+267% Stream Processors (2,816 vs 768)
+243% Bandwidth (384 GB/s vs 112 GB/s)

Radeon R9 390X vs GeForce GTX 1050 Ti: In-Depth Breakdown

Performance: Radeon R9 390X vs GeForce GTX 1050 Ti

The Radeon R9 390X is significantly faster, around 25% ahead of the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p.

Price & Value

The GeForce GTX 1050 Ti currently lists from $21 EUR, $82 EUR less than the Radeon R9 390X at $103 EUR. Despite being slower, the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti offers the better performance-per-dollar (~292% better value), so budget-focused buyers should weigh it carefully. The GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is trading below its $139 EUR MSRP — a genuine deal. The Radeon R9 390X is trading below its $429 EUR MSRP — a genuine deal.

Power & Efficiency

At 75W against 275W, the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is both the lower-power and the more efficient card, making it the easier build to cool and power. Its more modern Pascal architecture on a Samsung 14nm process is part of why it does more with each watt.

VRAM & Future-Proofing

The Radeon R9 390X carries 8GB versus 4GB on the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti. The extra 4GB helps at 4K, with high-resolution texture packs, and for content-creation or local-AI workloads that exhaust smaller buffers.

Features & Ecosystem

Beyond raw numbers, the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 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 1050 Ti or Radeon R9 390X?

Choose the Radeon R9 390X if you want the most performance and can absorb the higher price. If you're optimizing for value, the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti stretches your money further for only slightly lower performance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Radeon R9 390X better than the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti?

The Radeon R9 390X is significantly faster, roughly 25% ahead. The GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is still worth it if value matters more than top-end frames.

Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti or the Radeon R9 390X?

Neither is a dedicated 4K card; both are best at entry-level 1080p. For 4K you'd want a faster GPU, or lean on upscaling.

Is the Radeon R9 390X worth the extra $82 EUR over the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti?

Only if you need the extra performance or features; on pure value the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti comes out ahead.

Does the Radeon R9 390X have enough VRAM advantage to matter?

Its 8GB (vs 4GB) gives real headroom for 4K, heavy texture mods, and creative/AI work. At 1080p the gap matters less.

Which should you buy: GeForce GTX 1050 Ti or Radeon R9 390X?

Choose the Radeon R9 390X if you want the most performance and can absorb the higher price. If you're optimizing for value, the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti stretches your money further for only slightly lower performance.

Technical Specifications Comparison

Architecture & Cores

Architecture & Cores specifications comparison between GeForce GTX 1050 Ti and Radeon R9 390X
SpecificationGeForce GTX 1050 TiRadeon R9 390X
ArchitecturePascalGCN 2.0
Process NodeSamsung 14nmTSMC 28nm
CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors)7682,816

Clock Speeds

Clock Speeds specifications comparison between GeForce GTX 1050 Ti and Radeon R9 390X
SpecificationGeForce GTX 1050 TiRadeon R9 390X
Base Clock1,290 MHz1,050 MHz
Boost Clock1,392 MHz1,050 MHz

Memory

Memory specifications comparison between GeForce GTX 1050 Ti and Radeon R9 390X
SpecificationGeForce GTX 1050 TiRadeon R9 390X
VRAM Capacity4 GB8 GB
Memory TypeGDDR5GDDR5
Memory Bus128-bit512-bit
Memory Speed7 Gbps6 Gbps
Bandwidth112 GB/s384 GB/s

Connectivity & Power

Connectivity & Power specifications comparison between GeForce GTX 1050 Ti and Radeon R9 390X
SpecificationGeForce GTX 1050 TiRadeon R9 390X
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
TDP75 W275 W
Power ConnectorsNone1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
ReleasedOct 2016Jun 2015