How the Radeon R9 390 performs at 1080p, 1440p and 4K
At 1080p the Radeon R9 390 averages about 30 fps on High across the 14 games people check most. Newer games need Low or Medium, and some will not reach 60 fps at all.
At 1440p the typical result drops to 22 fps. 1440p is a stretch; stay at 1080p or use upscaling. At 4K it is about 12 fps. 4K is not what this card is for.
The heaviest game we checked is Black Myth: Wukong, at 16 fps on High at 1080p. The lightest is VALORANT, which the card handles at 271 fps. If your own games are somewhere in between, the table above shows where.
Memory and power
Eight gigabytes covers 1080p and most 1440p play. A few recent games at Ultra textures want more, and that is the first thing that will date this card.
The Radeon R9 390 is rated at 275 W. With a mid-range processor, plan on a 650 W power supply (550 W is the minimum). That is a moderate load. Any case with a front intake fan will keep it cool.
Where it sits
Released in 2015, the Radeon R9 390 is 11 years old, and the newest games already treat it as an entry level card. The next card up in our list is the Radeon RX 480, about 6% faster (launch price $239). The next card down is the Radeon RX 470, about 14% slower.
It launched at $329, which works out to 2.4 points of performance per $100. Prices on the used and discount market are different, so treat this as a way to compare cards, not as today's price.
Which processor to pair it with, and who it suits
To keep a processor from holding it back at 1080p, you want something like a Ryzen 3 1200, and the same chip is enough at 1440p. Slower processors will still work, but you give up some of the card's speed.
The Radeon R9 390 is an entry level card. It is fine for 1080p at Medium, for older games at High and for esports titles at any setting. If you play new releases, look one tier up.