GeForce GTX 1050 Ti vs Radeon R9 390
On raw speed the Radeon R9 390 comes out ahead: well ahead on speed, about 25% ahead of the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti. Best performance and best value in one card here — the clear recommendation if you can afford it.
Maximum Capacity Reached. Remove a model to add another. (2/2)
Radeon R9 390 vs GeForce GTX 1050 Ti: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: Radeon R9 390 vs GeForce GTX 1050 Ti
The Radeon R9 390 is significantly faster, around 25% ahead of the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p.
Price & Value
The Radeon R9 390 currently lists from $80 USD, $20 USD less than the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti at $100 USD. Because it's both faster and competitively priced, the Radeon R9 390 wins on performance-per-dollar by about 56%. The Radeon R9 390 is trading below its $329 USD MSRP — a genuine deal. The GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is trading below its $139 USD MSRP — a genuine deal.
Power & Efficiency
At 75W against 275W, the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is both the lower-power and the more efficient card, making it the easier build to cool and power. Its more modern Pascal architecture on a Samsung 14nm process is part of why it does more with each watt.
VRAM & Future-Proofing
VRAM favors the Radeon R9 390 at 8GB versus 4GB on the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti — that extra 4GB matters most at 4K, with high-res texture packs, and for content-creation/local-AI work.
Features & Ecosystem
Beyond raw numbers, the GeForce GTX 1050 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 1050 Ti or Radeon R9 390?
The Radeon R9 390 is the all-round winner here — it's faster and the better value, so buy it if it fits your budget. Only consider the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti if you find it at a steep discount.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Radeon R9 390 better than the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti or the Radeon R9 390?
Is the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti worth the extra $20 USD over the Radeon R9 390?
Does the Radeon R9 390 have enough VRAM advantage to matter?
Which should you buy: GeForce GTX 1050 Ti or Radeon R9 390?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | GeForce GTX 1050 Ti | Radeon R9 390 |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Pascal | GCN 2.0 |
| Process Node | Samsung 14nm | TSMC 28nm |
| CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors) | 768 | 2,560✓ |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | GeForce GTX 1050 Ti | Radeon R9 390 |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 1,290 MHz✓ | 1,000 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1,392 MHz✓ | 1,000 MHz |
Memory
| Specification | GeForce GTX 1050 Ti | Radeon R9 390 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 4 GB | 8 GB✓ |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bus | 128-bit | 512-bit✓ |
| Memory Speed | 7 Gbps✓ | 6 Gbps |
| Bandwidth | 112 GB/s | 384 GB/s✓ |
Connectivity & Power
| Specification | GeForce GTX 1050 Ti | Radeon R9 390 |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| TDP | 75 W✓ | 275 W |
| Power Connectors | None | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin |
| Released | Oct 2016 | Jun 2015 |