GeForce GTX 980 Ti vs Radeon R9 390X
Performance-wise the GeForce GTX 980 Ti is out front, dramatically faster, roughly 100% up on the Radeon R9 390X. 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 Ti vs Radeon R9 390X: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: GeForce GTX 980 Ti vs Radeon R9 390X
The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is dramatically faster, around 100% ahead of the Radeon R9 390X. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p.
Price & Value
Right now the GeForce GTX 980 Ti starts at $110 USD against $429 USD for the Radeon R9 390X. Because it's both faster and competitively priced, the GeForce GTX 980 Ti wins on performance-per-dollar by about 680%. The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is trading below its $649 USD MSRP — a genuine deal.
Power & Efficiency
The GeForce GTX 980 Ti sips power at 250W next to the Radeon R9 390X's 275W, and still leads on performance-per-watt — quieter, cooler, and gentler on your PSU.
VRAM & Future-Proofing
The Radeon R9 390X's 8GB (vs 6GB on the GeForce GTX 980 Ti) gives it more room for 4K textures and memory-hungry creative or AI workloads.
Features & Ecosystem
Beyond raw numbers, the GeForce GTX 980 Ti 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 980 Ti or Radeon R9 390X?
The GeForce GTX 980 Ti 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 390X if you find it at a steep discount.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the GeForce GTX 980 Ti better than the Radeon R9 390X?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce GTX 980 Ti or the Radeon R9 390X?
Is the Radeon R9 390X worth the extra $319 USD over the GeForce GTX 980 Ti?
Does the Radeon R9 390X have enough VRAM advantage to matter?
Which should you buy: GeForce GTX 980 Ti or Radeon R9 390X?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | GeForce GTX 980 Ti | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Maxwell | GCN 2.0 |
| Process Node | TSMC 28nm | TSMC 28nm |
| CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors) | 2,816 | 2,816 |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | GeForce GTX 980 Ti | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 1,000 MHz | 1,050 MHz✓ |
| Boost Clock | 1,075 MHz✓ | 1,050 MHz |
Memory
| Specification | GeForce GTX 980 Ti | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 6 GB | 8 GB✓ |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bus | 384-bit | 512-bit✓ |
| Memory Speed | 7 Gbps✓ | 6 Gbps |
| Bandwidth | 336.5 GB/s | 384 GB/s✓ |
Connectivity & Power
| Specification | GeForce GTX 980 Ti | Radeon R9 390X |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| TDP | 250 W✓ | 275 W |
| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin |
| Released | Jun 2015 | Jun 2015 |