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 390X comes out dramatically faster — about 67% ahead of the Geforce GTX 1050. But the Geforce GTX 1050 is the better value, undercutting it by $364 USD for the performance you get.

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

VS
NVIDIA
Geforce GTX 1050
Price
$65 USD
Performance
3%
VRAM
2 GB GDDR5
Key Specs Advantage
+39% Boost Clock (1,455 MHz vs 1,050 MHz)
Price
$429 USD
Performance
5%
VRAM
8 GB GDDR5
Key Specs Advantage
+340% Stream Processors (2,816 vs 640)
+300% Memory Bus (512-bit vs 128-bit)
+243% Bandwidth (384 GB/s vs 112 GB/s)

Radeon R9 390X vs Geforce GTX 1050: In-Depth Breakdown

Performance: Radeon R9 390X vs Geforce GTX 1050

The Radeon R9 390X 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, $364 USD less than the Radeon R9 390X at $429 USD. Despite being slower, the Geforce GTX 1050 offers the better performance-per-dollar (~296% better value), so budget-focused buyers should weigh it carefully. The Geforce GTX 1050 is trading below its $109 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 390X 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 390X 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 390X?

Choose the Radeon R9 390X if you want the most performance and can absorb the higher price. If you're optimizing for value, the Geforce GTX 1050 stretches your money further for only slightly lower performance.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

The Radeon R9 390X is dramatically faster, roughly 67% ahead. The Geforce GTX 1050 is still worth it if value matters more than top-end frames.

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

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 390X worth the extra $364 USD over the Geforce GTX 1050?

Only if you need the extra performance or features; on pure value the Geforce GTX 1050 comes out ahead.

Does the Radeon R9 390X 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 390X
ArchitecturePascalGCN 2.0
Process NodeSamsung 14nmTSMC 28nm
CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors)6402,816

Clock Speeds

SpecificationGeforce GTX 1050Radeon R9 390X
Base Clock1,354 MHz1,050 MHz
Boost Clock1,455 MHz1,050 MHz

Memory

SpecificationGeforce GTX 1050Radeon R9 390X
VRAM Capacity2 GB8 GB
Memory TypeGDDR5GDDR5
Memory Bus128-bit512-bit
Memory Speed7 Gbps6 Gbps
Bandwidth112 GB/s384 GB/s

Connectivity & Power

SpecificationGeforce GTX 1050Radeon R9 390X
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
TDP75 W275 W
Power ConnectorsNone1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
ReleasedOct 2016Jun 2015