GTX 650 vs R9 M390X
Head-to-head specifications
| Metric | GTX 650 | R9 M390X | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 283 | 1,435 | -80.3% |
| Avg FPS @ 1080p | 21 | 29 | -27.6% |
| Avg FPS @ 1440p | 11 | 16 | -31.3% |
| Avg FPS @ 4K | 5 | 8 | -37.5% |
| FP32 compute (TFLOPS) | 0.8 | 4.1 | -80.2% |
| VRAM | 1 GB GDDR5 | 4 GB GDDR5 | — |
| Memory bandwidth (GB/s) | 112 | 160 | -30.0% |
| TDP (W) | 64 | 125 | — |
- R9 M390X averages 16 fps at 1440p versus 11 fps — about 31% faster.
- GTX 650 draws less power (64W vs 125W).
Verdict: GTX 650 or R9 M390X?
GTX 650 advantages
- Power efficiency (+49%)
R9 M390X advantages
- 1440p gaming (+31%)
- 4K gaming (+38%)
- Synthetic benchmark performance (+80%)
- Video memory (+75%)
- Memory bandwidth (+30%)
Which should you choose?
- Choose the GTX 650 if you want lower power draw, heat and noise.
- Choose the R9 M390X if you game at 1440p.
GTX 650 vs R9 M390X: which should you choose?
GTX 650 — NVIDIA desktop graphics card (2012, Kepler) with 1 GB of GDDR5, averaging 11 fps at 1440p; launched at $109.
R9 M390X — AMD desktop graphics card (2015, GCN 1.0) with 4 GB of GDDR5, averaging 16 fps at 1440p.
GTX 650 vs R9 M390X: R9 M390X is faster for gaming. R9 M390X averages 16 fps at 1440p versus 11 fps — about 31% faster. GTX 650 draws less power (64W vs 125W).
1080p, 1440p and 4K
At 1440p — the most common enthusiast resolution — the R9 M390X averages 16 fps against 11. At 4K (5 vs 8 fps) VRAM (1GB vs 4GB) and memory bandwidth matter more.
Power and value
Board power is 64 W versus 125 W, which affects PSU headroom, case cooling and noise.
The verdict
Both are credible choices in the graphics card comparison space; the specification table above lays out every metric so you can weigh the trade-offs that matter to you. Pick the one whose strengths line up with how you will actually use it.
Frequently asked questions
Is the GTX 650 better than the R9 M390X?
R9 M390X is the clearly stronger overall choice, winning most of the dimensions that matter. R9 M390X averages 16 fps at 1440p versus 11 fps — about 31% faster.
What is the main difference between the GTX 650 and the R9 M390X?
R9 M390X averages 16 fps at 1440p versus 11 fps — about 31% faster. GTX 650 draws less power (64W vs 125W).
Which should I choose?
Choose the GTX 650 if you want lower power draw, heat and noise. Choose the R9 M390X if you game at 1440p.
Methodology
Graphics cards are compared on 3DMark Time Spy scores, average gaming frame rates at 1080p/1440p/4K, FP32 compute throughput, VRAM capacity and type, memory bandwidth, board power (TDP) and launch MSRP — plus AI workload throughput (Stable Diffusion iterations/s and local LLM tokens/s) where measured. Vintage and server GPUs without modern benchmark results are compared on specifications only, clearly labelled. Frame rates are averages across a game suite at high settings; specific titles vary.