In a bid to step up the pressure on NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 970 and the product-stack below it, AMD is getting its add-in board (AIB) graphics card partners to launch cost-effective variants of the Radeon R9 390, with 4 GB of memory, instead of the 8 GB that was standard to the SKU. These cards feature 4 GB of memory across the chip's 512-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface, and could help AMD and its partners shave a few dozen Dollars off the standard version, which is currently selling for as low as $309.4 GB of memory would make the R9 390 a complete re-brand of the R9 290, if not for its clock speeds. The custom-design variants of the 4 GB R9 390 ship with clock speeds that are 10% higher than those of the R9 290, and the performance was found to be proportionately higher, by Expreview. Of the three cards spotted crawling their way out of product launch pipes in China, the ones from XFX and PowerColor retain the design and packaging of their 8 GB siblings; while Sapphire mated the chip with a new dual-fan cooler with a meaty, split aluminium fin-stack heatsink.

37 Comments on AMD Readies 4 GB Variant of the Radeon R9 390

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#1 GhostRyder

Well...Seems a little late for this to be coming out now. Plus how much will this actually shave off the price because I do not see it doing an extreme amount. Though if its priced low enough it will make the already attractive price point of the 390 8gb even more attractive since the 8gb is considered mostly overkill. Posted on Dec 14th 2015, 18:40 Reply

#2 Aquinus

Resident Wat-man At this point, why not just get a 290 or 290X? The only benefit that the 390 has is decent clocks out of the box and memory ICs rated for more than simply 1600Mhz (I was able to push 1725Mhz with a little aux voltage tweaking,) in addition to the 8GB. Posted on Dec 14th 2015, 19:01 Reply

#3 wolar

It becomes abit confusing with the variety the amd provides now.. for 20-40$ you can get something better(in almost each 3xx card to the next) .. still nice to have options though. Posted on Dec 14th 2015, 19:02 Reply

#4 cadaveca

My name is Dave Aquinus At this point, why not just get a 290 or 290X? The only benefit that the 390 has is decent clocks out of the box and memory ICs rated for more than simply 1600Mhz (I was able to push 1725Mhz with a little aux voltage tweaking,) in addition to the 8GB. According to local retailers, 290/x is EOL. Obviously the 4 GB 390 seals the deal. now we just need 385/340 rebrands to complete the series. According to local retailers, 290/x is EOL. Obviously the 4 GB 390 seals the deal. now we just need 385/340 rebrands to complete the series. Posted on Dec 14th 2015, 19:13 Reply

#5 Xzibit

Could be a regional launch much like the 370X. Posted on Dec 14th 2015, 19:43 Reply

#6 64K

Yeah, I was on Newegg earlier today and only a few models of 290x left and as usual Amazon is gouging customers because they are getting in short supply. Sapphire 290x on sale for $479. I like Amazon but damn. Posted on Dec 14th 2015, 20:02 Reply

#7 Brusfantomet

wolar It becomes abit confusing with the variety the amd provides now.. for 20-40$ you can get something better(in almost each 3xx card to the next) .. still nice to have options though. Here in Norway the 290 and 290x is all but sold out, and seeing the 290



Sure, hawaii is power hungry like mid century European dictators but at least it gets things done, and the coop version is the most



Of course, this all depend on AMD actually pricing the card right, if it picks up where the 290 left (250 - 200 usd, working in krone is different) it shuld be a massive hit. But AMD have been pricing stuff not at the optimum price point lately (see furry nano), so fingers crossed, a rebirth of the 290 at 290 prices will be the mid level performance card for the user not that interested in power consumption. Here in Norway the 290 and 290x is all but sold out, and seeing the 290 is the best 1080p and upwards card it all comes down to pricing,Sure, hawaii is power hungry like mid century European dictators but at least it gets things done, and the coop version is the most powerful card tested at this time, sure it gets curb stomped when CF fails and you end up at the mercy of the AMD driver team, but when the coding monkeys do their job and CF kicks in there are no cards capable of giving the same performance.Of course, this all depend on AMD actually pricing the card right, if it picks up where the 290 left (250 - 200 usd, working in krone is different) it shuld be a massive hit. But AMD have been pricing stuff not at the optimum price point lately (see furry nano), so fingers crossed, a rebirth of the 290 at 290 prices will be the mid level performance card for the user not that interested in power consumption. Posted on Dec 14th 2015, 20:04 Reply

#8 newtekie1

Semi-Retired Folder So they've basically taken away the only positive marketing point for the 390... Posted on Dec 14th 2015, 21:14 Reply

#9 NC37

newtekie1 So they've basically taken away the only positive marketing point for the 390... Exactly what I thought. What's the point of a 390 if it isn't 8GB? For that matter, why did they even launch the 380X? Everyone raves on the 380X but if you actually look at the benches it shows it's gimped as bad as the 285 was. They should have just made the 380X a gimped 390 with 4-6GB VRAM. Maybe actually have done that 384bit bus that was considered. Guess they'd be afraid it would take away sales from the 390 and 380 if they released something good in the $200-300 price point. Exactly what I thought. What's the point of a 390 if it isn't 8GB? For that matter, why did they even launch the 380X? Everyone raves on the 380X but if you actually look at the benches it shows it's gimped as bad as the 285 was. They should have just made the 380X a gimped 390 with 4-6GB VRAM. Maybe actually have done that 384bit bus that was considered. Guess they'd be afraid it would take away sales from the 390 and 380 if they released something good in the $200-300 price point. Posted on Dec 14th 2015, 21:25 Reply

#10 xorbe

64K Yeah, I was on Newegg earlier today and only a few models of 290x left and as usual Amazon is gouging customers because they are getting in short supply. Sapphire 290x on sale for $479. I like Amazon but damn. Sold by 3rd party KW-TECH ... business as normal, lol Sold by 3rd party KW-TECH ... business as normal, lol Posted on Dec 14th 2015, 21:52 Reply

#11 Casecutter

Yea a little odd they start talking this so quickly after the $230 380X. I though as Xzibit some regional offering like in Asia but all the AIB's and color packages make me think otherwise. With so many 8Gb 390 have priced as low as $280 with rebates, does this have a place for say $260? IDK.



I'd like to see AMD rework there pricing the 380 2Gb $170/ 4Gb $190, 380X 4Gb $220, this 390 4Gb $260/ 8Gb $300, 390X $370 Posted on Dec 14th 2015, 22:01 Reply

#12 Musaab

The legendary GTX 970, It has placed itself beside the legends like 8800 GTS, ATi 9700, GeForce 256, TNT 2 and 3DFX Voodoo series.

And it took the crown for best seller for an entire year and it's still fighting for places in the top ten list with GTX 980Ti and GTX 960. Posted on Dec 14th 2015, 22:09 Reply

#13 Brusfantomet

Musaab The legendary GTX 970, It has placed itself beside the legends like 8800 GTS, ATi 9700, GeForce 256, TNT 2 and 3DFX Voodoo series.

And it took the crown for best seller for an entire year and it's still fighting for places in the top ten list with GTX 980Ti and GTX 960. For absolute For absolute prefromance the 970 an 290 trade blows, but the 290 was cheaper than a 970 (especially in the Scandinavian markets where a 290x is the same price as the 970) so if the extra 85 W gaming power draw it becomes a easy choice in my book. Posted on Dec 14th 2015, 23:16 Reply

#14 GhostRyder

Musaab The legendary GTX 970, It has placed itself beside the legends like 8800 GTS, ATi 9700, GeForce 256, TNT 2 and 3DFX Voodoo series.

And it took the crown for best seller for an entire year and it's still fighting for places in the top ten list with GTX 980Ti and GTX 960. Don't get what that has to do with anything...Either way they both are on equal grounds and even with this variant its going to be a trade of more high speed ram for higher power consumption all at very much the same performance game dependent. wolar It becomes abit confusing with the variety the amd provides now.. for 20-40$ you can get something better(in almost each 3xx card to the next) .. still nice to have options though. I guess it gets down to having a lot of variety. Can be good but its almost a bit to much overall. Then again, just means the user wins in choice I guess.



Still not sure why they would wait this late in the game... Don't get what that has to do with anything...Either way they both are on equal grounds and even with this variant its going to be a trade of more high speed ram for higher power consumption all at very much the same performance game dependent.I guess it gets down to having a lot of variety. Can be good but its almost a bit to much overall. Then again, just means the user wins in choice I guess.Still not sure why they would wait this late in the game... Posted on Dec 14th 2015, 23:35 Reply

#15 happita

More choice is always better. If this thing is $20-$30 cheaper than the 8GB variant, then it will definitely nab some sales here and there. They probably didn't want to release this version too early as to not cannibalize the 8GB sales numbers. Enough time and sales have passed for them to consider releasing this at the appropriate time, which was now. Also considering that the 290 is going to be EOL, this was a good idea. Posted on Dec 14th 2015, 23:53 Reply

#16 Musaab

GhostRyder Don't get what that has to do with anything...Either way they both are on equal grounds and even with this variant its going to be a trade of more high speed ram for higher power consumption all at very much the same performance game dependent.... The problem with legend is that it make most of the people believe that they make the right choice by picking it up among all the competitors even if the competitors have many superiority points. The problem with legend is that it make most of the people believe that they make the right choice by picking it up among all the competitors even if the competitors have many superiority points. Posted on Dec 15th 2015, 0:58 Reply

#17 NC37

Musaab The legendary GTX 970, It has placed itself beside the legends like 8800 GTS, ATi 9700, GeForce 256, TNT 2 and 3DFX Voodoo series.

And it took the crown for best seller for an entire year and it's still fighting for places in the top ten list with GTX 980Ti and GTX 960. Add the 460 to that list. Fermi was pretty legendary as it was the first real major update since the old G92 that actually broke new ground and had the best price/performance ratios. Especially for SLI users.



970 would have been "legendary" had nVidia not screwed their customers by gimping the VRAM. Only reason it still sells is because people don't read and just buy whatever everyone else has bought. 970 should go down as the best way nVidia ever created to get people to buy 980s. Add the 460 to that list. Fermi was pretty legendary as it was the first real major update since the old G92 that actually broke new ground and had the best price/performance ratios. Especially for SLI users.970 would have been "legendary" had nVidia not screwed their customers by gimping the VRAM. Only reason it still sells is because people don't read and just buy whatever everyone else has bought. 970 should go down as the best way nVidia ever created to get people to buy 980s. Posted on Dec 15th 2015, 1:02 Reply

#18 Musaab

NC37 Add the 460 to that list. Fermi was pretty legendary as it was the first real major update since the old G92 that actually broke new ground and had the best price/performance ratios. Especially for SLI users.



970 would have been "legendary" had nVidia not screwed their customers by gimping the VRAM. Only reason it still sells is because people don't read and just buy whatever everyone else has bought. 970 should go down as the best way nVidia ever created to get people to buy 980s. I can't agree with you because even the people who red these tests and knew about the 3.5M/512k kept buying the 970 because of the qualities and performance the 970 offer. I can't agree with you because even the people who red these tests and knew about the 3.5M/512k kept buying the 970 because of the qualities and performance the 970 offer. Posted on Dec 15th 2015, 1:28 Reply

#19 荷兰大母猪

Let me translate 黑狼 to English. It means "black wolf". Posted on Dec 15th 2015, 1:57 Reply

#20 Ciric

For 1080p it's a great card, even though i would be looking at a second hand 290 instead, (or even cf 7950's).



e: typo Posted on Dec 15th 2015, 2:01 Reply

#21 GhostRyder

Musaab The problem with legend is that it make most of the people believe that they make the right choice by picking it up among all the competitors even if the competitors have many superiority points. Which has 0 to do with this thread... Musaab I can't agree with you because even the people who red these tests and knew about the 3.5M/512k kept buying the 970 because of the qualities and performance the 970 offer. No, its because of its cost and people not reading. Most people buy OEM products and the 970 is a king for value among those because the cost of said pc is cheaper. Nvidia has better ties with oems, hence the best value performance card from them sells like hot cakes. Change the wording to 3.5gb and I bet people would pay more attention when buying and either upgrade to the 980 or buy something else. Still, its all again irrelevant to this thread. NC37 Add the 460 to that list. Fermi was pretty legendary as it was the first real major update since the old G92 that actually broke new ground and had the best price/performance ratios. Especially for SLI users.



970 would have been "legendary" had nVidia not screwed their customers by gimping the VRAM. Only reason it still sells is because people don't read and just buy whatever everyone else has bought. 970 should go down as the best way nVidia ever created to get people to buy 980s. I had twin 460 SE's at one point which were decent cards thought first generation Fermi was a bit meh. The second generation was awesome and I loved my pair of 580's. Which has 0 to do with this thread...No, its because of its cost and people not reading. Most people buy OEM products and the 970 is a king for value among those because the cost of said pc is cheaper. Nvidia has better ties with oems, hence the best value performance card from them sells like hot cakes. Change the wording to 3.5gb and I bet people would pay more attention when buying and either upgrade to the 980 or buy something else. Still, its all again irrelevant to this thread.I had twin 460 SE's at one point which were decent cards thought first generation Fermi was a bit meh. The second generation was awesome and I loved my pair of 580's. Posted on Dec 15th 2015, 5:04 Reply

#22 Luis Ku

GhostRyder Which has 0 to do with this thread...



No, its because of its cost and people not reading. Most people buy OEM products and the 970 is a king for value among those because the cost of said pc is cheaper. Nvidia has better ties with oems, hence the best value performance card from them sells like hot cakes. Change the wording to 3.5gb and I bet people would pay more attention when buying and either upgrade to the 980 or buy something else. Still, its all again irrelevant to this thread.





I had twin 460 SE's at one point which were decent cards thought first generation Fermi was a bit meh. The second generation was awesome and I loved my pair of 580's. You are wrong my friend, everyone who reads still agrees the 970 is a damn good card. I knew about the 3.5gb of vram and still proceeded to buy two of them. The first one I got has 0 issues gaming at 1440p 60hz so I decided to get another one for my little brother. We both have 450watt power supplies in our systems so a 390 was out of the question since we have overclocked i7's in our systems. The 970 fit in nicely and handled a good overclock and we aren't overloading our power supplies. Different strokes for different folks, the 970 is still very well regarded in the community even among those who read and are well informed. You are wrong my friend, everyone who reads still agrees the 970 is a damn good card. I knew about the 3.5gb of vram and still proceeded to buy two of them. The first one I got has 0 issues gaming at 1440p 60hz so I decided to get another one for my little brother. We both have 450watt power supplies in our systems so a 390 was out of the question since we have overclocked i7's in our systems. The 970 fit in nicely and handled a good overclock and we aren't overloading our power supplies. Different strokes for different folks, the 970 is still very well regarded in the community even among those who read and are well informed. Posted on Dec 15th 2015, 6:55 Reply

#23 RejZoR

I'd rather have R9-290X than GTX 970. Any day. Posted on Dec 15th 2015, 8:21 Reply

#24 RCoon

Am I the only person that cares more about the box than the card that comes in it? Seriously, look at that thing. Posted on Dec 15th 2015, 8:57 Reply

#25 lZKoce

RCoon Am I the only person that cares more about the box than the card that comes in it? Seriously, look at that thing. Naaah, you are not the only one. Look at what XFX did...look at it...it is majestic ;) Naaah, you are not the only one. Look at what XFX did...look at it...it is majestic ;) Posted on Dec 15th 2015, 9:33 Reply