GeForce GTX 980 vs Radeon R9 390X
The GeForce GTX 980 is dramatically faster than the Radeon R9 390X, leading by roughly 40% in our performance index. The Radeon R9 390X, however, delivers more performance per dollar — $654 EUR cheaper.
Market Value Leader
Radeon R9 390X is the clear winner, offering 426.3% better value than GeForce GTX 980.
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GeForce GTX 980 vs Radeon R9 390X: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: GeForce GTX 980 vs Radeon R9 390X
The GeForce GTX 980 is dramatically faster, around 40% ahead of the Radeon R9 390X. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p.
Price & Value
Right now the Radeon R9 390X starts at $103 EUR against $757 EUR for the GeForce GTX 980. Despite being slower, the Radeon R9 390X offers the better performance-per-dollar (~426% 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 980 still sits about $208 EUR above its $549 EUR MSRP.
Power & Efficiency
The GeForce GTX 980 draws just 165W 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.
VRAM & Future-Proofing
With 8GB against 4GB, the Radeon R9 390X has more headroom for 4K textures and memory-hungry creative/AI tasks where the GeForce GTX 980's 4GB can fall short.
Features & Ecosystem
Beyond raw numbers, the GeForce GTX 980 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 980 or Radeon R9 390X?
Choose the GeForce GTX 980 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 980 better than the Radeon R9 390X?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce GTX 980 or the Radeon R9 390X?
Is the GeForce GTX 980 worth the extra $654 EUR over the Radeon R9 390X?
Does the Radeon R9 390X have enough VRAM advantage to matter?
Which should you buy: GeForce GTX 980 or Radeon R9 390X?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | GeForce GTX 980 | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Maxwell | GCN 2.0 |
| Process Node | TSMC 28nm | TSMC 28nm |
| CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors) | 2,048 | 2,816✓ |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | GeForce GTX 980 | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 1,126 MHz✓ | 1,050 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1,216 MHz✓ | 1,050 MHz |
Memory
| Specification | GeForce GTX 980 | 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 980 | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| TDP | 165 W✓ | 275 W |
| Power Connectors | 2x 6-pin | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin |
| Released | Sep 2014 | Jun 2015 |