R9 M390X vs RX M 590
Head-to-head specifications
| Metric | R9 M390X | RX M 590 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 1,435 | 2,117 | -32.2% |
| Avg FPS @ 1080p | 29 | 34 | -14.7% |
| Avg FPS @ 1440p | 16 | 19 | -15.8% |
| Avg FPS @ 4K | 8 | 10 | -20.0% |
| FP32 compute (TFLOPS) | 4.1 | 6.1 | -32.2% |
| VRAM | 4 GB GDDR5 | 8 GB GDDR5 | — |
| Memory bandwidth (GB/s) | 160 | 224 | -28.6% |
| TDP (W) | 125 | 146 | — |
- RX M 590 averages 19 fps at 1440p versus 16 fps — about 16% faster.
- R9 M390X draws less power (125W vs 146W).
Verdict: R9 M390X or RX M 590?
R9 M390X advantages
- Power efficiency (+14%)
RX M 590 advantages
- 1440p gaming (+16%)
- 4K gaming (+20%)
- Synthetic benchmark performance (+32%)
- Video memory (+50%)
- Memory bandwidth (+29%)
Which should you choose?
- Choose the R9 M390X if you want lower power draw, heat and noise.
- Choose the RX M 590 if you game at 1440p.
R9 M390X vs RX M 590: which should you choose?
R9 M390X — AMD desktop graphics card (2015, GCN 1.0) with 4 GB of GDDR5, averaging 16 fps at 1440p.
RX M 590 — AMD desktop graphics card (2018, Polaris) with 8 GB of GDDR5, averaging 19 fps at 1440p.
R9 M390X vs RX M 590: RX M 590 is faster for gaming. RX M 590 averages 19 fps at 1440p versus 16 fps — about 16% faster. R9 M390X draws less power (125W vs 146W).
1080p, 1440p and 4K
At 1440p — the most common enthusiast resolution — the RX M 590 averages 19 fps against 16. At 4K (8 vs 10 fps) VRAM (4GB vs 8GB) and memory bandwidth matter more.
Power and value
Board power is 125 W versus 146 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 RX M 590?
RX M 590 is the clearly stronger overall choice, winning most of the dimensions that matter. RX M 590 averages 19 fps at 1440p versus 16 fps — about 16% faster.
What is the main difference between the R9 M390X and the RX M 590?
RX M 590 averages 19 fps at 1440p versus 16 fps — about 16% faster. R9 M390X draws less power (125W vs 146W).
Which should I choose?
Choose the R9 M390X if you want lower power draw, heat and noise. Choose the RX M 590 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.