GeForce GTX 1080 Ti vs Radeon R9 390X
The GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is dramatically faster than the Radeon R9 390X, leading by roughly 240% in our performance index. The Radeon R9 390X, however, delivers more performance per dollar — $272 EUR cheaper.
Market Value Leader
Radeon R9 390X is the clear winner, offering 7.4% better value than GeForce GTX 1080 Ti.
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GeForce GTX 1080 Ti vs Radeon R9 390X: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: GeForce GTX 1080 Ti vs Radeon R9 390X
The GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is dramatically faster, around 240% ahead of the Radeon R9 390X. That gap is enough to move it up a tier: the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is comfortable at 1080p, while the Radeon R9 390X is better matched to entry-level 1080p.
Price & Value
Right now the Radeon R9 390X starts at $103 EUR against $375 EUR for the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti. Despite being slower, the Radeon R9 390X offers the better performance-per-dollar (~7% better value), so budget-focused buyers should weigh it carefully. The Radeon R9 390X is trading below its $429 EUR MSRP — a genuine deal. The GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is trading below its $699 EUR MSRP — a genuine deal.
Power & Efficiency
The GeForce GTX 1080 Ti draws just 250W versus 275W for the Radeon R9 390X, and it also delivers more performance per watt — so it runs cooler and quieter and needs less PSU headroom. Its more modern Pascal architecture on a TSMC 16nm process is part of why it does more with each watt.
VRAM & Future-Proofing
With 11GB against 8GB, the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti has more headroom for 4K textures and memory-hungry creative/AI tasks where the Radeon R9 390X's 8GB can fall short.
Generation & Longevity
The GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is roughly 2 years newer than the Radeon R9 390X (Pascal vs GCN 2.0), so it generally benefits from a more modern architecture and longer driver-support runway.
Features & Ecosystem
Beyond raw numbers, the GeForce GTX 1080 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 1080 Ti or Radeon R9 390X?
Choose the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti if you want the most performance and can absorb the higher price. If you're optimizing for value, the Radeon R9 390X stretches your money further for only slightly lower performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti better than the Radeon R9 390X?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti or the Radeon R9 390X?
Is the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti worth the extra $272 EUR over the Radeon R9 390X?
Does the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti have enough VRAM advantage to matter?
Which should you buy: GeForce GTX 1080 Ti or Radeon R9 390X?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | GeForce GTX 1080 Ti | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Pascal | GCN 2.0 |
| Process Node | TSMC 16nm | TSMC 28nm |
| CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors) | 3,584✓ | 2,816 |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | GeForce GTX 1080 Ti | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 1,480 MHz✓ | 1,050 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1,582 MHz✓ | 1,050 MHz |
Memory
| Specification | GeForce GTX 1080 Ti | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 11 GB✓ | 8 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5X | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bus | 352-bit | 512-bit✓ |
| Memory Speed | 11 Gbps✓ | 6 Gbps |
| Bandwidth | 484 GB/s✓ | 384 GB/s |
Connectivity & Power
| Specification | GeForce GTX 1080 Ti | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| TDP | 250 W✓ | 275 W |
| Power Connectors | 1x 8-pin + 1x 6-pin | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin |
| Released | Mar 2017 | Jun 2015 |