GPU Comparison
Select up to 2 GPUs to analyze their pricing, performance, and specifications side-by-side.
Market Value Leader
GeForce GTX 970 is the clear winner, offering 13.2% better value than Radeon R9 390.
The GeForce GTX 970 and Radeon R9 390 trade blows on raw performance, landing within a few percent of each other. It also wins on performance-per-dollar, making it the cleaner choice when you can afford it.
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GeForce GTX 970 vs Radeon R9 390: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: GeForce GTX 970 vs Radeon R9 390
The GeForce GTX 970 and Radeon R9 390 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 GeForce GTX 970 currently lists from $1,884 AED, $249 AED less than the Radeon R9 390 at $2,133 AED. Because it's both faster and competitively priced, the GeForce GTX 970 wins on performance-per-dollar by about 13%. The GeForce GTX 970 still sits about $1,555 AED above its $329 AED MSRP. The Radeon R9 390 still sits about $1,804 AED above its $329 AED MSRP.
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 390 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 390 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 390?
The GeForce GTX 970 is the all-round winner here — it's faster and the better value, so buy it if it fits your budget. Only consider the Radeon R9 390 if you find it at a steep discount.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the GeForce GTX 970 better than the Radeon R9 390?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce GTX 970 or the Radeon R9 390?
Is the Radeon R9 390 worth the extra $249 AED over the GeForce GTX 970?
Does the Radeon R9 390 have enough VRAM advantage to matter?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | GeForce GTX 970 | Radeon R9 390 |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Maxwell | GCN 2.0 |
| Process Node | TSMC 28nm | TSMC 28nm |
| CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors) | 1,664 | 2,560✓ |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | GeForce GTX 970 | Radeon R9 390 |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 1,050 MHz✓ | 1,000 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1,178 MHz✓ | 1,000 MHz |
Memory
| Specification | GeForce GTX 970 | Radeon R9 390 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 390 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |