GPU Comparison

Select up to 2 GPUs to analyze their pricing, performance, and specifications side-by-side.

Quick Verdict

On raw speed the Radeon R9 390 comes out dramatically faster — about 67% ahead of the Geforce GTX 1050. It also wins on performance-per-dollar, making it the cleaner choice when you can afford it.

Maximum Capacity Reached. Remove a model to add another. (2/2)

VS
Price
$65 USD✓
Performance
3%
VRAM
2 GB GDDR5
Key Specs Advantage
+46% Boost Clock (1,455 MHz vs 1,000 MHz)
AMD
Radeon R9 390
Price
$80 USD
Performance
5%✓
VRAM
8 GB GDDR5✓
Key Specs Advantage
+300% Stream Processors (2,560 vs 640)
+300% Memory Bus (512-bit vs 128-bit)
+243% Bandwidth (384 GB/s vs 112 GB/s)
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Radeon R9 390 vs Geforce GTX 1050: In-Depth Breakdown

Performance: Radeon R9 390 vs Geforce GTX 1050

The Radeon R9 390 is dramatically faster, around 67% ahead of the Geforce GTX 1050. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p.

Price & Value

The Geforce GTX 1050 currently lists from $65 USD, $15 USD less than the Radeon R9 390 at $80 USD. Because it's both faster and competitively priced, the Radeon R9 390 wins on performance-per-dollar by about 35%. The Geforce GTX 1050 is trading below its $109 USD MSRP — a genuine deal. The Radeon R9 390 is trading below its $329 USD MSRP — a genuine deal.

Power & Efficiency

At 75W against 275W, the Geforce GTX 1050 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

The Radeon R9 390 carries 8GB versus 2GB on the Geforce GTX 1050. The extra 6GB 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 1050 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 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 if you find it at a steep discount.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Radeon R9 390 better than the Geforce GTX 1050?

The Radeon R9 390 is dramatically faster, roughly 67% ahead. If your budget allows, it's the stronger pick.

Which is better for 4K gaming, the Geforce GTX 1050 or the Radeon R9 390?

Neither is a dedicated 4K card; both are best at entry-level 1080p. For 4K you'd want a faster GPU, or lean on upscaling.

Is the Radeon R9 390 worth the extra $15 USD over the Geforce GTX 1050?

Often yes — despite the higher price the Radeon R9 390 delivers better performance-per-dollar here.

Does the Radeon R9 390 have enough VRAM advantage to matter?

Its 8GB (vs 2GB) gives real headroom for 4K, heavy texture mods, and creative/AI work. At 1080p the gap matters less.

Technical Specifications Comparison

Architecture & Cores

SpecificationGeforce GTX 1050Radeon R9 390
ArchitecturePascalGCN 2.0
Process NodeSamsung 14nmTSMC 28nm
CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors)6402,560✓

Clock Speeds

SpecificationGeforce GTX 1050Radeon R9 390
Base Clock1,354 MHz✓1,000 MHz
Boost Clock1,455 MHz✓1,000 MHz

Memory

SpecificationGeforce GTX 1050Radeon R9 390
VRAM Capacity2 GB8 GB✓
Memory TypeGDDR5GDDR5
Memory Bus128-bit512-bit✓
Memory Speed7 Gbps✓6 Gbps
Bandwidth112 GB/s384 GB/s✓

Connectivity & Power

SpecificationGeforce GTX 1050Radeon R9 390
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
TDP75 W✓275 W
Power ConnectorsNone1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
ReleasedOct 2016Jun 2015
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