Radeon R9 390X vs RX Vega 64

VS

Aggregate performance score

We've compared Radeon RX Vega 64 and Radeon R9 390X, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.

RX Vega 64
2017
8 GB HBM2, 295 Watt
37.05
+51.4%

RX Vega 64 outperforms R9 390X by an impressive 51% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

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

Place in the ranking129230
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation21.979.98
Power efficiency8.676.14
ArchitectureGCN 5.0 (2017−2020)GCN 2.0 (2013−2017)
GPU code nameVega 10Grenada
Market segmentDesktopDesktop
Designno datareference
Release date7 August 2017 (7 years ago)18 June 2015 (9 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$499 $429

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

RX Vega 64 has 120% better value for money than R9 390X.

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores40962816
Core clock speed1247 MHzno data
Boost clock speed1546 MHz1050 MHz
Number of transistors12,500 million6,200 million
Manufacturing process technology14 nm28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)295 Watt275 Watt
Texture fill rate395.8184.8
Floating-point processing power12.66 TFLOPS5.914 TFLOPS
ROPs6464
TMUs256176

Form factor & 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 supportno dataPCIe 3.0
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
Length279 mm275 mm
Width2-slot2-slot
Supplementary power connectors2x 8-pin1 x 6-pin, 1 x 8-pin
Bridgeless CrossFire-+

VRAM capacity and type

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 typeHBM2GDDR5
High bandwidth memory (HBM)no data-
Maximum RAM amount8 GB0 MB
Memory bus width2048 Bit512 Bit
Memory clock speed945 MHz1050 MHz
Memory bandwidth483.8 GB/s384 GB/s
Shared memory--

Connectivity and outputs

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 Connectors1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort
Eyefinity-+
Number of Eyefinity displaysno data6
HDMI++
DisplayPort support-+

Supported technologies

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

CrossFire-+
FreeSync-+
PowerTune-+
TrueAudio-+
VCE-+
DDMA audiono data+

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX12 (12_1)DirectX® 12
Shader Model6.46.3
OpenGL4.64.6
OpenCL2.02.0
Vulkan1.1.125+
Mantle-+

Synthetic benchmark performance

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


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark 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.

RX Vega 64 37.05
+51.4%
R9 390X 24.47

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. 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.

RX Vega 64 14245
+51.4%
R9 390X 9408

3DMark 11 Performance GPU

3DMark 11 is an obsolete DirectX 11 benchmark by Futuremark. It used four tests based on two scenes, one being few submarines exploring the submerged wreck of a sunken ship, the other is an abandoned temple deep in the jungle. All the tests are heavy with volumetric lighting and tessellation, and despite being done in 1280x720 resolution, are relatively taxing. Discontinued in January 2020, 3DMark 11 is now superseded by Time Spy.

RX Vega 64 30824
+71.8%
R9 390X 17944

3DMark Vantage Performance

3DMark Vantage is an outdated DirectX 10 benchmark using 1280x1024 screen resolution. It taxes the graphics card with two scenes, one depicting a girl escaping some militarized base located within a sea cave, the other displaying a space fleet attack on a defenseless planet. It was discontinued in April 2017, and Time Spy benchmark is now recommended to be used instead.

RX Vega 64 55262
+54.3%
R9 390X 35807

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.

RX Vega 64 22501
+81.6%
R9 390X 12389

3DMark Cloud Gate GPU

Cloud Gate is an outdated DirectX 11 feature level 10 benchmark that was used for home PCs and basic notebooks. It displays a few scenes of some weird space teleportation device launching spaceships into unknown, using fixed resolution of 1280x720. Just like Ice Storm benchmark, it has been discontinued in January 2020 and replaced by 3DMark Night Raid.

RX Vega 64 127374
+71.3%
R9 390X 74351

3DMark Ice Storm GPU

Ice Storm Graphics is an obsolete benchmark, part of 3DMark suite. Ice Storm was used to measure entry level laptops and Windows-based tablets performance. It utilizes DirectX 11 feature level 9 to display a battle between two space fleets near a frozen planet in 1280x720 resolution. Discontinued in January 2020, it is now superseded by 3DMark Night Raid.

RX Vega 64 392304
+23.4%
R9 390X 318024

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 HD118
+31.1%
90
−31.1%
1440p80
+60%
50−55
−60%
4K52
+2%
51
−2%

Cost per frame, $

1080p4.23
+12.7%
4.77
−12.7%
1440p6.24
+37.6%
8.58
−37.6%
4K9.60
−14.1%
8.41
+14.1%
  • RX Vega 64 has 13% lower cost per frame in 1080p
  • RX Vega 64 has 38% lower cost per frame in 1440p
  • R9 390X has 14% lower cost per frame in 4K

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Counter-Strike 2 75−80
+68.9%
45−50
−68.9%
Cyberpunk 2077 75−80
+58%
50−55
−58%
Elden Ring 120−130
+61.3%
80−85
−61.3%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Battlefield 5 82
+9.3%
75−80
−9.3%
Counter-Strike 2 75−80
+68.9%
45−50
−68.9%
Cyberpunk 2077 34
−47.1%
50−55
+47.1%
Forza Horizon 4 202
+88.8%
100−110
−88.8%
Metro Exodus 105
+64.1%
60−65
−64.1%
Red Dead Redemption 2 116
+115%
50−55
−115%
Valorant 182
+85.7%
95−100
−85.7%

Full HD
High Preset

Battlefield 5 174
+132%
75−80
−132%
Counter-Strike 2 75−80
+68.9%
45−50
−68.9%
Cyberpunk 2077 27
−85.2%
50−55
+85.2%
Dota 2 50
−68%
80−85
+68%
Elden Ring 120−130
+61.3%
80−85
−61.3%
Far Cry 5 62
−22.6%
75−80
+22.6%
Fortnite 123
+0%
120−130
+0%
Forza Horizon 4 164
+53.3%
100−110
−53.3%
Grand Theft Auto V 110−120
+39.3%
80−85
−39.3%
Metro Exodus 79
+23.4%
60−65
−23.4%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 190−200
+26.5%
150−160
−26.5%
Red Dead Redemption 2 57
+5.6%
50−55
−5.6%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 130−140
+66.7%
78
−66.7%
Valorant 92
−6.5%
95−100
+6.5%
World of Tanks 270−280
+9%
250−260
−9%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 72
−4.2%
75−80
+4.2%
Counter-Strike 2 75−80
+68.9%
45−50
−68.9%
Cyberpunk 2077 24
−108%
50−55
+108%
Dota 2 138
+64.3%
80−85
−64.3%
Far Cry 5 90−95
+23.7%
75−80
−23.7%
Forza Horizon 4 143
+33.6%
100−110
−33.6%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 190−200
+26.5%
150−160
−26.5%
Valorant 140
+42.9%
95−100
−42.9%

1440p
High Preset

Dota 2 65−70
+65.9%
40−45
−65.9%
Elden Ring 70−75
+72.1%
40−45
−72.1%
Grand Theft Auto V 65−70
+65.9%
40−45
−65.9%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 170−180
+0%
170−180
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 37
+68.2%
21−24
−68.2%
World of Tanks 230−240
+45.1%
160−170
−45.1%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 70−75
+42.9%
45−50
−42.9%
Counter-Strike 2 35−40
+71.4%
21−24
−71.4%
Cyberpunk 2077 15
−40%
21−24
+40%
Far Cry 5 110−120
+67.6%
70−75
−67.6%
Forza Horizon 4 100
+53.8%
65−70
−53.8%
Metro Exodus 79
+41.1%
55−60
−41.1%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 60−65
+75%
35−40
−75%
Valorant 95
+43.9%
65−70
−43.9%

4K
High Preset

Counter-Strike 2 35−40
+72.7%
21−24
−72.7%
Dota 2 70−75
+69%
40−45
−69%
Elden Ring 35−40
+84.2%
18−20
−84.2%
Grand Theft Auto V 70−75
+69%
40−45
−69%
Metro Exodus 46
+142%
18−20
−142%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 110−120
+58.7%
75−80
−58.7%
Red Dead Redemption 2 24
+60%
14−16
−60%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 70−75
+69%
40−45
−69%

4K
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 47
+88%
24−27
−88%
Counter-Strike 2 35−40
+72.7%
21−24
−72.7%
Cyberpunk 2077 7
−14.3%
8−9
+14.3%
Dota 2 96
+129%
40−45
−129%
Far Cry 5 50−55
+68.8%
30−35
−68.8%
Fortnite 50
+66.7%
30−33
−66.7%
Forza Horizon 4 59
+59.5%
35−40
−59.5%
Valorant 49
+53.1%
30−35
−53.1%

This is how RX Vega 64 and R9 390X compete in popular games:

  • RX Vega 64 is 31% faster in 1080p
  • RX Vega 64 is 60% faster in 1440p
  • RX Vega 64 is 2% faster in 4K

Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:

  • in Metro Exodus, with 4K resolution and the High Preset, the RX Vega 64 is 142% faster.
  • in Cyberpunk 2077, with 1080p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the R9 390X is 108% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

  • RX Vega 64 is ahead in 52 tests (83%)
  • R9 390X is ahead in 9 tests (14%)
  • there's a draw in 2 tests (3%)

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 37.05 24.47
Recency 7 August 2017 18 June 2015
Chip lithography 14 nm 28 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 295 Watt 275 Watt

RX Vega 64 has a 51.4% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 2 years, and a 100% more advanced lithography process.

R9 390X, on the other hand, has 7.3% lower power consumption.

The Radeon RX Vega 64 is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon R9 390X in performance tests.


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

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AMD Radeon RX Vega 64
Radeon RX Vega 64
AMD Radeon R9 390X
Radeon R9 390X

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Community ratings

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