R9 380X vs R9 290X

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Combined performance score

R9 290X
19.16
+19.2%

R9 290X outperforms R9 380X by 19% in our combined benchmark results.

General info

GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.

Place in performance ranking270306
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Value for money10.117.08
ArchitectureGCN (2011−2017)GCN 3.0 (2014−2017)
GPU code nameHawaii XTAntigua
Market segmentDesktopDesktop
Designreferencereference
Release date24 October 2013 (10 years old)19 November 2015 (8 years old)
Launch price (MSRP)$549 $229
Current price$20 (0x MSRP)$11.81 (0.1x MSRP)
Value for money

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

R9 290X has 43% better value for money than R9 380X.

Technical specs

General performance parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. These parameters indirectly speak of performance, but for precise assessment you have to consider their benchmark and gaming test results. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores28162048
Compute unitsno data32
Boost clock speed947 MHz970 MHz
Number of transistors6,200 million5,000 million
Manufacturing process technology28 nm28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)250 Watt190 Watt
Texture fill rate176.0124.2
Floating-point performance5,632 gflops3,973 gflops

Size and compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

Bus supportPCIe 3.0PCIe 3.0
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
Length275 mm221 mm
Width2-slot2-slot
Form factorno datafull height / full length
Supplementary power connectors1 x 6-pin + 1 x 8-pin​2 x 6-pin
Bridgeless CrossFireno data1

Memory

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory typeGDDR5GDDR5
High bandwidth memory (HBM)no data-
Maximum RAM amount4 GB4 GB
Memory bus width512 Bit256 Bit
Memory clock speed1250 MHz970 MHz
Memory bandwidth320 GB/s182.4 GB/s
Shared memory-no data

Video outputs and ports

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display Connectors2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort
Eyefinity+1
Number of Eyefinity displaysno data6
HDMI++
DisplayPort support++

Technologies

Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.

AppAcceleration+-
CrossFire11
Enduro--
FRTCno data1
FreeSync11
HD3D++
LiquidVR11
PowerTune-+
TressFX1no data
TrueAudio++
ZeroCore-+
UVD+no data
VCEno data+
DDMA audio++

API support

List of supported graphics and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectXDirectX® 12DirectX® 12
Shader Model6.36.3
OpenGL4.64.5
OpenCL2.02.0
Vulkan++
Mantle-+

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark performance comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

R9 290X 19.16
+19.2%
R9 380X 16.07

R9 290X outperforms R9 380X by 19% in our combined benchmark results.


Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark, part of Passmark PerformanceTest suite. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

Benchmark coverage: 25%

R9 290X 7425
+19.2%
R9 380X 6229

R9 290X outperforms R9 380X by 19% in Passmark.

3DMark Fire Strike Graphics

Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.

Benchmark coverage: 14%

R9 290X 11717
+23.2%
R9 380X 9510

R9 290X outperforms R9 380X by 23% in 3DMark Fire Strike Graphics.

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

Full HD87
+24.3%
70−75
−24.3%
4K50
+25%
40−45
−25%

Performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 30−33
+25%
24−27
−25%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 35−40
+30%
30−33
−30%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 30−35
+22.2%
27−30
−22.2%
Battlefield 5 60−65
+28%
50−55
−28%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 50−55
+25%
40−45
−25%
Cyberpunk 2077 30−33
+25%
24−27
−25%
Far Cry 5 50−55
+25%
40−45
−25%
Far Cry New Dawn 50−55
+30%
40−45
−30%
Forza Horizon 4 65−70
+20%
55−60
−20%
Hitman 3 55−60
+22.2%
45−50
−22.2%
Horizon Zero Dawn 40−45
+36.7%
30−33
−36.7%
Red Dead Redemption 2 30−35
+33.3%
24−27
−33.3%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 40−45
+36.7%
30−33
−36.7%
Watch Dogs: Legion 35−40
+23.3%
30−33
−23.3%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 35−40
+30%
30−33
−30%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 30−35
+22.2%
27−30
−22.2%
Battlefield 5 60−65
+28%
50−55
−28%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 50−55
+25%
40−45
−25%
Cyberpunk 2077 30−33
+25%
24−27
−25%
Far Cry 5 50−55
+25%
40−45
−25%
Far Cry New Dawn 50−55
+30%
40−45
−30%
Forza Horizon 4 65−70
+20%
55−60
−20%
Hitman 3 55−60
+22.2%
45−50
−22.2%
Horizon Zero Dawn 40−45
+36.7%
30−33
−36.7%
Metro Exodus 30−35
+29.2%
24−27
−29.2%
Red Dead Redemption 2 30−35
+33.3%
24−27
−33.3%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 40−45
+36.7%
30−33
−36.7%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 75
+25%
60−65
−25%
Watch Dogs: Legion 35−40
+23.3%
30−33
−23.3%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 35−40
+30%
30−33
−30%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 30−35
+22.2%
27−30
−22.2%
Battlefield 5 60−65
+28%
50−55
−28%
Cyberpunk 2077 30−33
+25%
24−27
−25%
Far Cry 5 50−55
+25%
40−45
−25%
Far Cry New Dawn 50−55
+30%
40−45
−30%
Forza Horizon 4 65−70
+20%
55−60
−20%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 29
+20.8%
24−27
−20.8%
Watch Dogs: Legion 35−40
+23.3%
30−33
−23.3%

1440p
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 27−30
+20.8%
24−27
−20.8%
Hitman 3 30−35
+29.2%
24−27
−29.2%
Horizon Zero Dawn 24−27
+23.8%
21−24
−23.8%
Metro Exodus 18−20
+28.6%
14−16
−28.6%
Red Dead Redemption 2 14−16
+40%
10−11
−40%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 24−27
+38.9%
18−20
−38.9%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 20−22
+25%
16−18
−25%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 16−18
+21.4%
14−16
−21.4%
Battlefield 5 40−45
+20%
35−40
−20%
Cyberpunk 2077 10−12
+22.2%
9−10
−22.2%
Far Cry 5 30−35
+33.3%
24−27
−33.3%
Far Cry New Dawn 35−40
+23.3%
30−33
−23.3%
Forza Horizon 4 35−40
+30%
30−33
−30%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 21−24
+31.3%
16−18
−31.3%
Watch Dogs: Legion 12−14
+30%
10−11
−30%

4K
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 14−16
+40%
10−11
−40%
Hitman 3 18−20
+28.6%
14−16
−28.6%
Horizon Zero Dawn 12−14
+20%
10−11
−20%
Metro Exodus 10−12
+22.2%
9−10
−22.2%
Red Dead Redemption 2 10−11
+25%
8−9
−25%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 12−14
+20%
10−11
−20%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 28
+33.3%
21−24
−33.3%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 12−14
+20%
10−11
−20%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 10−11
+25%
8−9
−25%
Battlefield 5 21−24
+22.2%
18−20
−22.2%
Cyberpunk 2077 4−5
+33.3%
3−4
−33.3%
Far Cry 5 14−16
+25%
12−14
−25%
Far Cry New Dawn 18−20
+28.6%
14−16
−28.6%
Forza Horizon 4 27−30
+28.6%
21−24
−28.6%
Watch Dogs: Legion 8−9
+33.3%
6−7
−33.3%

This is how R9 290X and R9 380X compete in popular games:

1080p resolution:

  • R9 290X is 24.3% faster than R9 380X

4K resolution:

  • R9 290X is 25% faster than R9 380X

Advantages and disadvantages


Performance score 19.16 16.07
Recency 24 October 2013 19 November 2015
Cost $549 $229
Power consumption (TDP) 250 Watt 190 Watt

The Radeon R9 290X is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon R9 380X in performance tests.


Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

User ratings

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AMD Radeon R9 290X
Radeon R9 290X
AMD Radeon R9 380X
Radeon R9 380X

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