GeForce GTX 970 vs Radeon R9 390X
The GeForce GTX 970 and Radeon R9 390X trade blows on raw performance, landing within a few percent of each other. But the Radeon R9 390X is the better value, undercutting it by $250 EUR for the performance you get.
Market Value Leader
Radeon R9 390X is the clear winner, offering 243.5% better value than GeForce GTX 970.
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GeForce GTX 970 vs Radeon R9 390X: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: GeForce GTX 970 vs Radeon R9 390X
The GeForce GTX 970 and Radeon R9 390X post nearly the same score in our performance index, so neither holds a meaningful raw-speed advantage. Both are best suited to entry-level 1080p gaming.
Price & Value
The Radeon R9 390X currently lists from $103 EUR, $250 EUR less than the GeForce GTX 970 at $353 EUR. Despite being slower, the Radeon R9 390X offers the better performance-per-dollar (~244% better value), so budget-focused buyers should weigh it carefully. The Radeon R9 390X is trading below its $429 EUR MSRP — a genuine deal.
Power & Efficiency
At 145W against 275W, the GeForce GTX 970 is both the lower-power and the more efficient card, making it the easier build to cool and power.
VRAM & Future-Proofing
The Radeon R9 390X carries 8GB versus 4GB on the GeForce GTX 970. 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 970 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 970 or Radeon R9 390X?
Choose the GeForce GTX 970 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 near-identical performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the GeForce GTX 970 better than the Radeon R9 390X?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce GTX 970 or the Radeon R9 390X?
Is the GeForce GTX 970 worth the extra $250 EUR over the Radeon R9 390X?
Does the Radeon R9 390X have enough VRAM advantage to matter?
Which should you buy: GeForce GTX 970 or Radeon R9 390X?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | GeForce GTX 970 | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Maxwell | GCN 2.0 |
| Process Node | TSMC 28nm | TSMC 28nm |
| CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors) | 1,664 | 2,816✓ |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | GeForce GTX 970 | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 1,050 MHz | 1,050 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1,178 MHz✓ | 1,050 MHz |
Memory
| Specification | GeForce GTX 970 | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 4 GB | 8 GB✓ |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bus | 256-bit | 512-bit✓ |
| Memory Speed | 7 Gbps✓ | 6 Gbps |
| Bandwidth | 224.3 GB/s | 384 GB/s✓ |
Connectivity & Power
| Specification | GeForce GTX 970 | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| TDP | 145 W✓ | 275 W |
| Power Connectors | 2x 6-pin | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin |
| Released | Sep 2014 | Jun 2015 |