GTX 980M vs R9 390X
Head-to-head specifications
| Metric | GTX 980M | R9 390X | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 1,211 | 2,068 | -41.4% |
| Avg FPS @ 1080p | 28 | 33 | -15.2% |
| Avg FPS @ 1440p | 15 | 18 | -16.7% |
| Avg FPS @ 4K | 8 | 10 | -20.0% |
| FP32 compute (TFLOPS) | 3.5 | 5.9 | -41.5% |
| VRAM | 4 GB GDDR5 | 8 GB GDDR5 | — |
| Memory bandwidth (GB/s) | 160 | 448 | -64.3% |
| TDP (W) | 122 | 275 | — |
- R9 390X averages 18 fps at 1440p versus 15 fps — about 17% faster.
- GTX 980M draws less power (122W vs 275W).
Verdict: GTX 980M or R9 390X?
GTX 980M advantages
- Power efficiency (+56%)
R9 390X advantages
- 1440p gaming (+17%)
- 4K gaming (+20%)
- Synthetic benchmark performance (+41%)
- Video memory (+50%)
- Memory bandwidth (+64%)
Which should you choose?
- Choose the GTX 980M if you want lower power draw, heat and noise.
- Choose the R9 390X if you game at 1440p.
GTX 980M vs R9 390X: which should you choose?
GTX 980M — NVIDIA desktop graphics card (2014, Maxwell) with 4 GB of GDDR5, averaging 15 fps at 1440p.
R9 390X — AMD desktop graphics card (2015, GCN 2.0) with 8 GB of GDDR5, averaging 18 fps at 1440p; launched at $429.
GTX 980M vs R9 390X: R9 390X is faster for gaming. R9 390X averages 18 fps at 1440p versus 15 fps — about 17% faster. GTX 980M draws less power (122W vs 275W).
1080p, 1440p and 4K
At 1440p — the most common enthusiast resolution — the R9 390X averages 18 fps against 15. At 4K (8 vs 10 fps) VRAM (4GB vs 8GB) and memory bandwidth matter more.
Power and value
Board power is 122 W versus 275 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 980M better than the R9 390X?
R9 390X is the clearly stronger overall choice, winning most of the dimensions that matter. R9 390X averages 18 fps at 1440p versus 15 fps — about 17% faster.
What is the main difference between the GTX 980M and the R9 390X?
R9 390X averages 18 fps at 1440p versus 15 fps — about 17% faster. GTX 980M draws less power (122W vs 275W).
Which should I choose?
Choose the GTX 980M if you want lower power draw, heat and noise. Choose the R9 390X 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.