GeForce GTX 980 Ti vs Radeon R9 390
Performance-wise the GeForce GTX 980 Ti is out front, dramatically faster, roughly 100% up on the Radeon R9 390. It is also the stronger value pick here, so it's the easy recommendation if your budget allows.
Maximum Capacity Reached. Remove a model to add another. (2/2)
GeForce GTX 980 Ti vs Radeon R9 390: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: GeForce GTX 980 Ti vs Radeon R9 390
The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is dramatically faster, around 100% ahead of the Radeon R9 390. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p.
Price & Value
Right now the Radeon R9 390 starts at $2,076 AED against $2,383 AED for the GeForce GTX 980 Ti. Because it's both faster and competitively priced, the GeForce GTX 980 Ti wins on performance-per-dollar by about 74%. The Radeon R9 390 still sits about $1,747 AED above its $329 AED MSRP. The GeForce GTX 980 Ti still sits about $1,734 AED above its $649 AED MSRP.
Power & Efficiency
The GeForce GTX 980 Ti sips power at 250W next to the Radeon R9 390's 275W, and still leads on performance-per-watt — quieter, cooler, and gentler on your PSU.
VRAM & Future-Proofing
The Radeon R9 390's 8GB (vs 6GB on the GeForce GTX 980 Ti) gives it more room for 4K textures and memory-hungry creative or AI workloads.
Features & Ecosystem
Beyond raw numbers, the GeForce GTX 980 Ti 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 980 Ti or Radeon R9 390?
The GeForce GTX 980 Ti 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 980 Ti better than the Radeon R9 390?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce GTX 980 Ti or the Radeon R9 390?
Is the GeForce GTX 980 Ti worth the extra $307 AED over the Radeon R9 390?
Does the Radeon R9 390 have enough VRAM advantage to matter?
Which should you buy: GeForce GTX 980 Ti or Radeon R9 390?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | GeForce GTX 980 Ti | Radeon R9 390 |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Maxwell | GCN 2.0 |
| Process Node | TSMC 28nm | TSMC 28nm |
| CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors) | 2,816✓ | 2,560 |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | GeForce GTX 980 Ti | Radeon R9 390 |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 1,000 MHz | 1,000 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1,075 MHz✓ | 1,000 MHz |
Memory
| Specification | GeForce GTX 980 Ti | Radeon R9 390 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 6 GB | 8 GB✓ |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bus | 384-bit | 512-bit✓ |
| Memory Speed | 7 Gbps✓ | 6 Gbps |
| Bandwidth | 336.5 GB/s | 384 GB/s✓ |
Connectivity & Power
| Specification | GeForce GTX 980 Ti | Radeon R9 390 |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| TDP | 250 W✓ | 275 W |
| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin |
| Released | Jun 2015 | Jun 2015 |