R9 390 vs RTX 3070
Head-to-head specifications
| Metric | R9 390 | RTX 3070 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 1,792 | 8,759 | -79.5% |
| Avg FPS @ 1080p | 31 | 78 | -60.3% |
| Avg FPS @ 1440p | 17 | 48 | -64.6% |
| Avg FPS @ 4K | 9 | 26 | -65.4% |
| FP32 compute (TFLOPS) | 5.1 | 20.4 | -74.9% |
| VRAM | 8 GB GDDR5 | 8 GB GDDR6 | — |
| Memory bandwidth (GB/s) | 448 | 448 | — |
| TDP (W) | 275 | 220 | — |
| Launch MSRP (USD) | $329 | $499 | -34.1% |
- RTX 3070 averages 48 fps at 1440p versus 17 fps — about 65% faster.
- RTX 3070 draws less power (220W vs 275W).
Verdict: R9 390 or RTX 3070?
R9 390 advantages
- Affordability (+34%)
RTX 3070 advantages
- 1440p gaming (+65%)
- 4K gaming (+65%)
- Synthetic benchmark performance (+80%)
- Power efficiency (+20%)
Which should you choose?
- Choose the R9 390 if you want the better price for the performance.
- Choose the RTX 3070 if you game at 1440p.
Value for money
RTX 3070 delivers more performance per dollar, making it the better value of the two at their listed prices.
R9 390 vs RTX 3070: which should you choose?
R9 390 — AMD desktop graphics card (2015, GCN 2.0) with 8 GB of GDDR5, averaging 17 fps at 1440p; launched at $329.
RTX 3070 — NVIDIA desktop graphics card (2020, Ampere) with 8 GB of GDDR6, averaging 48 fps at 1440p; launched at $499.
R9 390 vs RTX 3070: RTX 3070 is faster for gaming. RTX 3070 averages 48 fps at 1440p versus 17 fps — about 65% faster. RTX 3070 draws less power (220W vs 275W).
1080p, 1440p and 4K
At 1440p — the most common enthusiast resolution — the RTX 3070 averages 48 fps against 17. At 4K (9 vs 26 fps) VRAM (8GB vs 8GB) and memory bandwidth matter more.
Power and value
Board power is 275 W versus 220 W, which affects PSU headroom, case cooling and noise. At launch MSRPs of $329 vs $499, weigh the frame-rate lead against price and power draw for your target resolution.
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 R9 390 better than the RTX 3070?
RTX 3070 is the clearly stronger overall choice, winning most of the dimensions that matter. RTX 3070 averages 48 fps at 1440p versus 17 fps — about 65% faster.
What is the main difference between the R9 390 and the RTX 3070?
RTX 3070 averages 48 fps at 1440p versus 17 fps — about 65% faster. RTX 3070 draws less power (220W vs 275W).
Which is better value?
RTX 3070 delivers more performance per dollar, making it the better value of the two at their listed prices.
Which should I choose?
Choose the R9 390 if you want the better price for the performance. Choose the RTX 3070 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.