Radeon R9 380 vs Radeon R9 390
The Radeon R9 390 is dramatically faster than the Radeon R9 380, leading by roughly 67% in our performance index. The Radeon R9 380, however, delivers more performance per dollar — $886 EUR cheaper.
Market Value Leader
Radeon R9 380 is the clear winner, offering 1865.0% better value than Radeon R9 390.
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Comparable or lower specs
Radeon R9 390 vs Radeon R9 380: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: Radeon R9 390 vs Radeon R9 380
The Radeon R9 390 is dramatically faster, around 67% ahead of the Radeon R9 380. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p. The Radeon R9 390 packs 2,560 stream processors versus 1,792 on the Radeon R9 380.
Price & Value
Right now the Radeon R9 380 starts at $28 EUR against $914 EUR for the Radeon R9 390. Despite being slower, the Radeon R9 380 offers the better performance-per-dollar (~1865% better value), so budget-focused buyers should weigh it carefully. The Radeon R9 380 is trading below its $199 EUR MSRP — a genuine deal. The Radeon R9 390 still sits about $585 EUR above its $329 EUR MSRP.
Power & Efficiency
The Radeon R9 380 pulls less power (190W vs 275W), so it's the easier card to cool and the lighter load on your PSU. The faster Radeon R9 390 draws more overall but extracts more performance from each watt — plan for a sturdier power supply if you pick it.
VRAM & Future-Proofing
With 8GB against 2GB, the Radeon R9 390 has more headroom for 4K textures and memory-hungry creative/AI tasks where the Radeon R9 380's 2GB can fall short. The Radeon R9 390's memory is also faster — 384 GB/s versus 176 GB/s (512-bit vs 256-bit bus) — which helps feed the GPU at 4K and with heavy textures.
Which should you buy: Radeon R9 380 or Radeon R9 390?
Choose the Radeon R9 390 if you want the most performance and can absorb the higher price. If you're optimizing for value, the Radeon R9 380 stretches your money further for only slightly lower performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Radeon R9 390 better than the Radeon R9 380?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the Radeon R9 380 or the Radeon R9 390?
Is the Radeon R9 390 worth the extra $886 EUR over the Radeon R9 380?
Does the Radeon R9 390 have enough VRAM advantage to matter?
Which should you buy: Radeon R9 380 or Radeon R9 390?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | Radeon R9 380 | Radeon R9 390 |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | GCN 3.0 | GCN 2.0 |
| Process Node | TSMC 28nm | TSMC 28nm |
| CUDA Cores (Stream Processors / Stream Processors) | 1,792 | 2,560✓ |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | Radeon R9 380 | Radeon R9 390 |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 970 MHz | 1,000 MHz✓ |
| Boost Clock | 970 MHz | 1,000 MHz✓ |
Memory
| Specification | Radeon R9 380 | Radeon R9 390 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 2 GB | 8 GB✓ |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bus | 256-bit | 512-bit✓ |
| Memory Speed | 5.5 Gbps | 6 Gbps✓ |
| Bandwidth | 176 GB/s | 384 GB/s✓ |
Connectivity & Power
| Specification | Radeon R9 380 | Radeon R9 390 |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| TDP | 190 W✓ | 275 W |
| Power Connectors | 2x 6-pin | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin |
| Released | Jun 2015 | Jun 2015 |