GeForce GTX 980 vs Radeon R9 390
Performance-wise the GeForce GTX 980 is out front, dramatically faster, roughly 40% up on the Radeon R9 390. It is also the stronger value pick here, so it's the easy recommendation if your budget allows.
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GeForce GTX 980 vs Radeon R9 390: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: GeForce GTX 980 vs Radeon R9 390
The GeForce GTX 980 is dramatically faster, around 40% 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 GeForce GTX 980 starts at $1,900 AED against $2,076 AED for the Radeon R9 390. Because it's both faster and competitively priced, the GeForce GTX 980 wins on performance-per-dollar by about 53%. The GeForce GTX 980 still sits about $1,351 AED above its $549 AED MSRP. The Radeon R9 390 still sits about $1,747 AED above its $329 AED MSRP.
Power & Efficiency
The GeForce GTX 980 sips power at 165W 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 4GB on the GeForce GTX 980) gives it more room for 4K textures and memory-hungry creative or AI workloads.
Features & Ecosystem
Beyond raw numbers, the GeForce GTX 980 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 or Radeon R9 390?
The GeForce GTX 980 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 better than the Radeon R9 390?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce GTX 980 or the Radeon R9 390?
Is the Radeon R9 390 worth the extra $176 AED over the GeForce GTX 980?
Does the Radeon R9 390 have enough VRAM advantage to matter?
Which should you buy: GeForce GTX 980 or Radeon R9 390?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | GeForce GTX 980 | Radeon R9 390 |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Maxwell | GCN 2.0 |
| Process Node | TSMC 28nm | TSMC 28nm |
| CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors) | 2,048 | 2,560✓ |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | GeForce GTX 980 | Radeon R9 390 |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 1,126 MHz✓ | 1,000 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1,216 MHz✓ | 1,000 MHz |
Memory
| Specification | GeForce GTX 980 | 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 980 | Radeon R9 390 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |