GeForce GTX 960 vs Radeon R9 390X
The Radeon R9 390X is a massive performance leap — leading the GeForce GTX 960 by roughly 67% in our performance index. The GeForce GTX 960, however, delivers more performance per dollar — $319 USD cheaper.
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Radeon R9 390X vs GeForce GTX 960: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: Radeon R9 390X vs GeForce GTX 960
The Radeon R9 390X is dramatically faster, around 67% ahead of the GeForce GTX 960. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p.
Price & Value
On price, expect to pay $110 USD for the GeForce GTX 960 versus $429 USD for the Radeon R9 390X. Despite being slower, the GeForce GTX 960 offers the better performance-per-dollar (~134% better value), so budget-focused buyers should weigh it carefully. The GeForce GTX 960 is trading below its $199 USD MSRP — a genuine deal.
Power & Efficiency
The GeForce GTX 960 draws just 120W versus 275W for the Radeon R9 390X, and it also delivers more performance per watt — so it runs cooler and quieter and needs less PSU headroom.
VRAM & Future-Proofing
With 8GB against 2GB, the Radeon R9 390X has more headroom for 4K textures and memory-hungry creative/AI tasks where the GeForce GTX 960's 2GB can fall short.
Features & Ecosystem
Beyond raw numbers, the GeForce GTX 960 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 960 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 960 stretches your money further for only slightly lower performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Radeon R9 390X better than the GeForce GTX 960?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce GTX 960 or the Radeon R9 390X?
Is the Radeon R9 390X worth the extra $319 USD over the GeForce GTX 960?
Does the Radeon R9 390X have enough VRAM advantage to matter?
Which should you buy: GeForce GTX 960 or Radeon R9 390X?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | GeForce GTX 960 | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Maxwell | GCN 2.0 |
| Process Node | TSMC 28nm | TSMC 28nm |
| CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors) | 1,024 | 2,816✓ |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | GeForce GTX 960 | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 1,127 MHz✓ | 1,050 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1,178 MHz✓ | 1,050 MHz |
Memory
| Specification | GeForce GTX 960 | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 2 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 960 | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| TDP | 120 W✓ | 275 W |
| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin |
| Released | Jan 2015 | Jun 2015 |