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AMD Radeon R9 M390X

AMD Radeon R9 M390X

AMD Radeon R9 M390X: Retrospective and Relevance in 2025

Introduction

The AMD Radeon R9 M390X is a discrete graphics card that, in the mid-2010s, was considered a worthy solution for mobile workstations and gaming laptops. However, in 2025, its standing appears questionable due to advancements in technology. Let's explore who might find this model useful today and evaluate its strengths and weaknesses.

1. Architecture and Key Features

Architecture: The R9 M390X is built on the Graphics Core Next (GCN) 3rd generation microarchitecture (codename Tonga). This is the last version of GCN before AMD transitioned to RDNA.

Process Technology: 28 nm—an outdated standard even for 2025 (modern GPUs use 5–6 nm). This limits energy efficiency and clock speeds (up to 1000 MHz).

Features:

- Support for DirectX 12 and Mantle API (the predecessor of Vulkan).

- Lack of hardware-accelerated ray tracing (RT) and AI algorithms (such as DLSS or FSR 3.0).

- FreeSync technology for synchronizing frame rates with the monitor.

Conclusion: The architecture is morally outdated, but basic features for less demanding tasks remain intact.

2. Memory

Type and Size: 4 GB GDDR5—a minimal size for games in 2025 at low settings.

Bandwidth: 160 GB/s (256-bit bus). In comparison, modern models with GDDR6X achieve over 900 GB/s.

Performance Impact:

- In games with high VRAM consumption (e.g., Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty), FPS drops may occur due to insufficient memory.

- For 1080p video work or simple 3D modeling, 4 GB is still acceptable.

3. Gaming Performance

Average FPS (1080p, low settings):

- CS2: 90–110 FPS.

- Fortnite: 45–55 FPS (without using FSR).

- The Witcher 3: 35–45 FPS.

- Hogwarts Legacy: 20–25 FPS (requires optimization).

Resolution Support:

- 1080p: The only comfortable mode for most games.

- 1440p and 4K: Not recommended due to low power and lack of VRAM.

Ray Tracing: The absence of hardware RT core support makes any attempts to enable RT disastrous for FPS (less than 10 frames in Cyberpunk 2077).

4. Professional Tasks

Video Editing:

- Support for OpenCL and Vulkan allows for work in DaVinci Resolve or Adobe Premiere Pro, but rendering will be slow (for example, rendering a 10-minute 1080p video takes ~25–30 minutes).

3D Modeling:

- The card can handle simple scenes in Blender or Maya, but an upgrade is required for complex projects with 8K textures.

Scientific Computing:

- The absence of specialized cores (like CUDA in NVIDIA) limits application in machine learning or simulations.

5. Power Consumption and Heat Dissipation

TDP: 125 W—a high figure for a mobile GPU. In 2025, this is considered inefficient (modern equivalents achieve twice the performance at 80–100 W).

Cooling:

- In laptops: requires a system with dual fans and copper pipes.

- In desktop builds (when used via an MXM adapter): a case with good ventilation is recommended (at least 3 case fans).

6. Comparison with Competitors

2025 Alternatives:

- NVIDIA RTX 2050 Mobile (2023): 50% higher performance, support for DLSS 3.5 and RT. Price: $250–300.

- AMD Radeon RX 6500M: 2–3 times faster in games, 4 GB GDDR6, price: $200–230.

Conclusion: The R9 M390X falls short even against budget modern models but may be justified if purchased used for $50–80.

7. Practical Tips

Power Supply: A 450 W PSU is sufficient for PCs with this graphics card (e.g., Corsair CV450).

Compatibility:

- Laptops: Only models from 2015–2017 (Dell Alienware 15, MSI GT72).

- PCs: Requires a motherboard with PCIe 3.0 x16.

Drivers: The latest version is Adrenalin 2021. Unofficial community patches may add support for new games, but stability is not guaranteed.

8. Pros and Cons

Pros:

- Low cost on the secondary market.

- Support for FreeSync.

- Sufficient for office tasks and older games.

Cons:

- No support for modern technologies (RT, FSR 3.0).

- High power consumption.

- Limited memory capacity.

9. Final Conclusion

Who is the R9 M390X suitable for in 2025?

- Owners of Old Laptops: For upgrading without replacing the entire system.

- Retro Gaming Enthusiasts: For running early 2010s projects at high settings.

- Budget Builds: If a card can be found for $50–70, it can serve as a temporary solution for a PC.

Alternative: With a budget of $200+, it's better to choose a new Radeon RX 6400 or NVIDIA GTX 1650—they offer modern features and warranty.

Conclusion

The Radeon R9 M390X is an example of a "veteran" that has fallen behind the times but can still offer more than integrated graphics. However, its purchase is justified only in exceptional scenarios. In an era of AI upscaling and realistic rendering, this GPU remains a niche product for those who value nostalgia or are extremely constrained in budget.

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Basic

Label Name
AMD
Platform
Mobile
Launch Date
May 2015
Model Name
Radeon R9 M390X
Generation
Crystal System
Bus Interface
PCIe 3.0 x16
Transistors
5,000 million
Compute Units
32
TMUs
?
Texture Mapping Units (TMUs) serve as components of the GPU, which are capable of rotating, scaling, and distorting binary images, and then placing them as textures onto any plane of a given 3D model. This process is called texture mapping.
128
Foundry
TSMC
Process Size
28 nm
Architecture
GCN 3.0

Memory Specifications

Memory Size
4GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
Memory Bus
?
The memory bus width refers to the number of bits of data that the video memory can transfer within a single clock cycle. The larger the bus width, the greater the amount of data that can be transmitted instantaneously, making it one of the crucial parameters of video memory. The memory bandwidth is calculated as: Memory Bandwidth = Memory Frequency x Memory Bus Width / 8. Therefore, when the memory frequencies are similar, the memory bus width will determine the size of the memory bandwidth.
256bit
Memory Clock
1250MHz
Bandwidth
?
Memory bandwidth refers to the data transfer rate between the graphics chip and the video memory. It is measured in bytes per second, and the formula to calculate it is: memory bandwidth = working frequency × memory bus width / 8 bits.
160.0 GB/s

Theoretical Performance

Pixel Rate
?
Pixel fill rate refers to the number of pixels a graphics processing unit (GPU) can render per second, measured in MPixels/s (million pixels per second) or GPixels/s (billion pixels per second). It is the most commonly used metric to evaluate the pixel processing performance of a graphics card.
23.14 GPixel/s
Texture Rate
?
Texture fill rate refers to the number of texture map elements (texels) that a GPU can map to pixels in a single second.
92.54 GTexel/s
FP16 (half)
?
An important metric for measuring GPU performance is floating-point computing capability. Half-precision floating-point numbers (16-bit) are used for applications like machine learning, where lower precision is acceptable. Single-precision floating-point numbers (32-bit) are used for common multimedia and graphics processing tasks, while double-precision floating-point numbers (64-bit) are required for scientific computing that demands a wide numeric range and high accuracy.
2.961 TFLOPS
FP64 (double)
?
An important metric for measuring GPU performance is floating-point computing capability. Double-precision floating-point numbers (64-bit) are required for scientific computing that demands a wide numeric range and high accuracy, while single-precision floating-point numbers (32-bit) are used for common multimedia and graphics processing tasks. Half-precision floating-point numbers (16-bit) are used for applications like machine learning, where lower precision is acceptable.
185.1 GFLOPS
FP32 (float)
?
An important metric for measuring GPU performance is floating-point computing capability. Single-precision floating-point numbers (32-bit) are used for common multimedia and graphics processing tasks, while double-precision floating-point numbers (64-bit) are required for scientific computing that demands a wide numeric range and high accuracy. Half-precision floating-point numbers (16-bit) are used for applications like machine learning, where lower precision is acceptable.
2.902 TFLOPS

Miscellaneous

Shading Units
?
The most fundamental processing unit is the Streaming Processor (SP), where specific instructions and tasks are executed. GPUs perform parallel computing, which means multiple SPs work simultaneously to process tasks.
2048
L1 Cache
16 KB (per CU)
L2 Cache
512KB
TDP
75W
Vulkan Version
?
Vulkan is a cross-platform graphics and compute API by Khronos Group, offering high performance and low CPU overhead. It lets developers control the GPU directly, reduces rendering overhead, and supports multi-threading and multi-core processors.
1.2
OpenCL Version
2.0
OpenGL
4.6
DirectX
12 (12_0)
Power Connectors
None
Shader Model
6.3
ROPs
?
The Raster Operations Pipeline (ROPs) is primarily responsible for handling lighting and reflection calculations in games, as well as managing effects like anti-aliasing (AA), high resolution, smoke, and fire. The more demanding the anti-aliasing and lighting effects in a game, the higher the performance requirements for the ROPs; otherwise, it may result in a sharp drop in frame rate.
32

Benchmarks

FP32 (float)
Score
2.902 TFLOPS

Compared to Other GPU

FP32 (float) / TFLOPS
Arc A350
3.133 +8%
Radeon R9 M485X
3.02 +4.1%
Radeon R9 M390X
2.902
Radeon HD 7950 Monica BIOS 1
2.785 -4%
FirePro V8800
2.693 -7.2%