AMD Radeon R9 390 vs AMD Radeon RX 6500M: real performance and FPS — which is better? Full comparison
Detailed gaming performance comparison
Reference CPU: Intel Core i5-13400
We compare the R9 390 and the RX 6500M with real FPS across the most popular games at 1080p, 1440p and 4K, plus specs, launch price and AI upscaling support (DLSS/FSR/XeSS). See at a glance which is better for your resolution and budget.
The RX 6500M is ~6% faster than the R9 390 on average at 1080p.
Average FPS by resolution
Estimated average FPS for each graphics card across the most popular games. The gap usually shows at 1080p and 1440p; at 4K both lose smoothness and upscaling (DLSS/FSR) helps.
| Resolution | R9 390 | RX 6500M | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p | 18 | 19 | +6% |
| 1440p | 11 | 10 | +10% |
| 4K | 5 | 5 | = |
Which one for your resolution?
RX 6500M (+6%)
R9 390 (+10%)
Tie
Specifications
Side-by-side specs of the R9 390 and RX 6500M: VRAM, power draw (TDP), performance index and launch price. The better value in each row is highlighted in blue.
| Spec | R9 390 | RX 6500M |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | AMD | AMD |
| VRAM | 8 GB | 4 GB |
| TDP | 275W | 50W |
| Tier | Mid-range | Entry-level |
| Score 1080p | 17 | 18 |
| Score 1440p | 12 | 11 |
| Score 4K | 6 | 5 |
| Price (MSRP) | $329 | — |
| Architecture | GCN 2.0 | RDNA 2 |
| Process Node | TSMC 28nm | TSMC 6nm |
| Shading Units (CUDA/Stream) | 2560 | 1024 |
| RT Cores | — | 16 |
| Texture Units (TMUs) | 160 | 64 |
| ROPs | 64 | 32 |
| Base Clock | 1000 MHz | 1150 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1000 MHz | 2191 MHz |
| FP32 Performance (Teraflops) | 5.12 TFLOPS | 4.49 TFLOPS |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |
| Memory Clock | 6000 MHz | 14000 MHz |
| Memory Bus | 512-bit | 64-bit |
| Memory Bandwidth | 384 GB/s | 112 GB/s |
| PCIe Version | PCIe 3.0 | PCIe 4.0 |
| Transistor Count | 6.2B | 5.4B |
| Release Date | 2015-06-18 | 2022-01-04 |
Power & efficiency
TDP doesn't tell the whole story: here's how much each GPU delivers per watt it draws.
R9 390
- TDP
- 275W
- FPS/W
- 0.07
RX 6500M
- TDP
- 50W
- FPS/W
- 0.38
The RX 6500M is more efficient: it draws 225W less and delivers more per watt, though the RX 6500M is still the faster card overall.
What FPS do these GPUs get in your game?
Pick the GPU and the game, and we'll take you straight to its real FPS.
Pick the GPU
Gaming Performance
Per-game FPS detail at 1080p Ultra. The graphics card that wins each title is highlighted in blue.
| Game | R9 390 | RX 6500M | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 20 | 21 | RX 6500M |
 | 18 | 19 | RX 6500M |
 | 15 | 15 | Tie |
 | 15 | 16 | RX 6500M |
 | 16 | 17 | RX 6500M |
| 15 | 16 | RX 6500M | |
 | 19 | 20 | RX 6500M |
 | 20 | 21 | RX 6500M |
 | 22 | 23 | RX 6500M |
 | 18 | 19 | RX 6500M |
Verdict
AMD Radeon RX 6500M wins in 9 out of 10 games
At CheckFPS we measured both cards across 10 popular games at 1080p, 1440p and 4K on a reference CPU. The RX 6500M comes out ahead by around 6% more FPS on average, and that lead holds up as resolution climbs. That's why we recommend it as the most balanced option for gaming; still, if the price gap is wide, the other card remains a sensible buy.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions when comparing the R9 390 with the RX 6500M.
Which is better, the R9 390 or the RX 6500M?
On average at 1080p, the RX 6500M is 6% faster than the R9 390. The best one for you depends on your resolution, budget and whether you prioritise ray tracing or price.
Which is better at 4K?
At 4K Ultra, the R9 390 averages 5 FPS and the RX 6500M 5 FPS across the most popular games. For smooth 4K, enabling upscaling (DLSS/FSR) helps on both.
Is it worth paying more for the faster one?
At 1080p or 1440p the FPS gap may not justify the extra cost; at 4K or with ray tracing the faster card matters more. Check the by-resolution table to decide.
Which has better ray tracing and upscaling?
AI upscaling (DLSS on NVIDIA, FSR on AMD, XeSS on Intel) raises FPS on both; for ray tracing, GeForce RTX cards usually lead. See each card’s support above.
How big is the FPS difference between them?
On average across top games, the gap is around 6% at 1080p. At higher resolutions (1440p and 4K) the relative difference usually stays similar.
R9 390 vs 6500M: what's the real difference?
In performance, the RX 6500M beats the R9 390 by around 6% more FPS on average at 1080p — the gap shifts a bit by resolution, as shown in the table above. If you're torn between the R9 390 and the 6500M on price, the price and $/FPS section above can help you decide.
