Radeon R9 380 vs Radeon RX 570
On raw speed the Radeon RX 570 comes out ahead: far and away the quicker card, about 100% ahead of the Radeon R9 380. That said, the Radeon R9 380 is the smarter buy on value — $53 USD less for the performance on offer.
Maximum Capacity Reached. Remove a model to add another. (2/2)
Radeon RX 570 vs Radeon R9 380: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: Radeon RX 570 vs Radeon R9 380
The Radeon RX 570 is dramatically faster, around 100% ahead of the Radeon R9 380. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p. The Radeon RX 570 packs 2,048 stream processors versus 1,792 on the Radeon R9 380.
Price & Value
The Radeon R9 380 currently lists from $42 USD, $53 USD less than the Radeon RX 570 at $95 USD. Despite being slower, the Radeon R9 380 offers the better performance-per-dollar (~12% better value), so budget-focused buyers should weigh it carefully. The Radeon R9 380 is trading below its $199 USD MSRP — a genuine deal. The Radeon RX 570 is trading below its $169 USD MSRP — a genuine deal.
Power & Efficiency
At 150W against 190W, the Radeon RX 570 is both the lower-power and the more efficient card, making it the easier build to cool and power. Its more modern GCN 4.0 (Polaris) architecture on a GloFo 14nm process is part of why it does more with each watt.
VRAM & Future-Proofing
VRAM favors the Radeon RX 570 at 4GB versus 2GB on the Radeon R9 380 — that extra 2GB matters most at 4K, with high-res texture packs, and for content-creation/local-AI work. The Radeon RX 570's memory is also faster — 224 GB/s versus 176 GB/s — which helps feed the GPU at 4K and with heavy textures.
Generation & Longevity
The Radeon RX 570 is roughly 2 years newer than the Radeon R9 380 (GCN 4.0 (Polaris) vs GCN 3.0), so it generally benefits from a more modern architecture and longer driver-support runway.
Which should you buy: Radeon R9 380 or Radeon RX 570?
Choose the Radeon RX 570 if you want the most performance and can absorb the higher price. If you're optimizing for value, the Radeon R9 380 stretches your money further for only slightly lower performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Radeon RX 570 better than the Radeon R9 380?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the Radeon R9 380 or the Radeon RX 570?
Is the Radeon RX 570 worth the extra $53 USD over the Radeon R9 380?
Does the Radeon RX 570 have enough VRAM advantage to matter?
Which should you buy: Radeon R9 380 or Radeon RX 570?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | Radeon R9 380 | Radeon RX 570 |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | GCN 3.0 | GCN 4.0 (Polaris) |
| Process Node | TSMC 28nm | GloFo 14nm |
| CUDA Cores (Stream Processors / Stream Processors) | 1,792 | 2,048✓ |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | Radeon R9 380 | Radeon RX 570 |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 970 MHz | 1,168 MHz✓ |
| Boost Clock | 970 MHz | 1,244 MHz✓ |
Memory
| Specification | Radeon R9 380 | Radeon RX 570 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 2 GB | 4 GB✓ |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bus | 256-bit | 256-bit |
| Memory Speed | 5.5 Gbps | 7 Gbps✓ |
| Bandwidth | 176 GB/s | 224 GB/s✓ |
Connectivity & Power
| Specification | Radeon R9 380 | Radeon RX 570 |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| TDP | 190 W | 150 W✓ |
| Power Connectors | 2x 6-pin | 1x 8-pin |
| Released | Jun 2015 | Apr 2017 |
