RTX 2060 Max-Q vs R9 380
Head-to-head specifications
| Metric | RTX 2060 Max-Q | R9 380 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 1,581 | 1,218 | +29.8% |
| Avg FPS @ 1080p | 30 | 28 | +7.1% |
| Avg FPS @ 1440p | 16 | 15 | +6.7% |
| Avg FPS @ 4K | 8 | 8 | — |
| FP32 compute (TFLOPS) | 4.5 | 3.5 | +29.9% |
| VRAM | 6 GB GDDR6 | 4 GB GDDR5 | — |
| Memory bandwidth (GB/s) | 336 | 224 | +50.0% |
| TDP (W) | 72 | 190 | — |
- RTX 2060 Max-Q averages 16 fps at 1440p versus 15 fps — about 7% faster.
- RTX 2060 Max-Q draws less power (72W vs 190W).
Verdict: RTX 2060 Max-Q or R9 380?
RTX 2060 Max-Q advantages
- 1440p gaming (+6%)
- Synthetic benchmark performance (+23%)
- Video memory (+33%)
- Memory bandwidth (+33%)
- Power efficiency (+62%)
R9 380 advantages
- No decisive advantage on the tracked metrics.
Which should you choose?
- Choose the RTX 2060 Max-Q if you game at 1440p.
- Choose the RTX 2060 Max-Q if you want the higher benchmark performance overall.
RTX 2060 Max-Q vs R9 380: which should you choose?
RTX 2060 Max-Q — NVIDIA laptop graphics card (2019, Turing) with 6 GB of GDDR6, averaging 16 fps at 1440p.
R9 380 — AMD desktop graphics card (2015, GCN 3.0) with 4 GB of GDDR5, averaging 15 fps at 1440p; launched at $199.
RTX 2060 Max-Q vs R9 380: RTX 2060 Max-Q is faster for gaming. RTX 2060 Max-Q averages 16 fps at 1440p versus 15 fps — about 7% faster. RTX 2060 Max-Q draws less power (72W vs 190W).
1080p, 1440p and 4K
At 1440p — the most common enthusiast resolution — the RTX 2060 Max-Q averages 16 fps against 15. At 4K (8 vs 8 fps) VRAM (6GB vs 4GB) and memory bandwidth matter more.
Power and value
Board power is 72 W versus 190 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 RTX 2060 Max-Q better than the R9 380?
RTX 2060 Max-Q is the clearly stronger overall choice, winning most of the dimensions that matter. RTX 2060 Max-Q averages 16 fps at 1440p versus 15 fps — about 7% faster.
What is the main difference between the RTX 2060 Max-Q and the R9 380?
RTX 2060 Max-Q averages 16 fps at 1440p versus 15 fps — about 7% faster. RTX 2060 Max-Q draws less power (72W vs 190W).
Which should I choose?
Choose the RTX 2060 Max-Q if you game at 1440p. Choose the RTX 2060 Max-Q if you want the higher benchmark performance overall.
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.