R9 M390X vs R9 290X
Head-to-head specifications
| Metric | R9 M390X | R9 290X | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 1,435 | 1,970 | -27.2% |
| Avg FPS @ 1080p | 29 | 33 | -12.1% |
| Avg FPS @ 1440p | 16 | 18 | -11.1% |
| Avg FPS @ 4K | 8 | 9 | -11.1% |
| FP32 compute (TFLOPS) | 4.1 | 5.6 | -27.2% |
| VRAM | 4 GB GDDR5 | 4 GB GDDR5 | — |
| Memory bandwidth (GB/s) | 160 | 448 | -64.3% |
| TDP (W) | 125 | 290 | — |
- R9 290X averages 18 fps at 1440p versus 16 fps — about 11% faster.
- R9 M390X draws less power (125W vs 290W).
Verdict: R9 M390X or R9 290X?
R9 M390X advantages
- Power efficiency (+57%)
R9 290X advantages
- 1440p gaming (+11%)
- 4K gaming (+11%)
- Synthetic benchmark performance (+27%)
- Memory bandwidth (+64%)
Which should you choose?
- Choose the R9 M390X if you want lower power draw, heat and noise.
- Choose the R9 290X if you game at 1440p.
R9 M390X vs R9 290X: which should you choose?
R9 M390X — AMD desktop graphics card (2015, GCN 1.0) with 4 GB of GDDR5, averaging 16 fps at 1440p.
R9 290X — AMD desktop graphics card (2013, GCN 2.0) with 4 GB of GDDR5, averaging 18 fps at 1440p; launched at $549.
R9 M390X vs R9 290X: R9 290X is faster for gaming. R9 290X averages 18 fps at 1440p versus 16 fps — about 11% faster. R9 M390X draws less power (125W vs 290W).
1080p, 1440p and 4K
At 1440p — the most common enthusiast resolution — the R9 290X averages 18 fps against 16. At 4K (8 vs 9 fps) VRAM (4GB vs 4GB) and memory bandwidth matter more.
Power and value
Board power is 125 W versus 290 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 R9 M390X better than the R9 290X?
R9 290X is the clearly stronger overall choice, winning most of the dimensions that matter. R9 290X averages 18 fps at 1440p versus 16 fps — about 11% faster.
What is the main difference between the R9 M390X and the R9 290X?
R9 290X averages 18 fps at 1440p versus 16 fps — about 11% faster. R9 M390X draws less power (125W vs 290W).
Which should I choose?
Choose the R9 M390X if you want lower power draw, heat and noise. Choose the R9 290X 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.