FirePro M2000 vs Radeon HD 3850 AGP

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

FirePro M2000 vs Radeon HD 3850 AGP FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

FirePro M2000 vs Radeon HD 3850 AGP: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

FirePro M2000

2012

Why buy it

✅Draws 43W instead of 130W, a 87W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌2012 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
130.8% HIGHER MSRP
$300 MSRPvs$130 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.4 vs 3.3 G3D/$ ($300 MSRP vs $130 MSRP).

Radeon HD 3850 AGP

2012

Why buy it

✅Costs $170 less on MSRP ($130 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
✅Delivers 134% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 3.3 vs 1.4 G3D/$ ($130 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌2012 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌202.3% higher power demand at 130W vs 43W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 3850 AGP is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 1.4% in PassMark G3D (432 vs 426), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

FirePro M2000 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 3850 AGP makes the most sense to buy today. It is $170 cheaper on MSRP at $130 vs $300, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 134% (3.3 vs 1.4), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 3850 AGP is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, FirePro M2000 has the stronger long-term case.

FirePro M2000 vs Radeon HD 3850 AGP Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

FirePro M2000

The FirePro M2000 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in July 1 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 800 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 43W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 426 points.

Radeon HD 3850 AGP

The Radeon HD 3850 AGP is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 5 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 130W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 432 points. Launch price was $249.

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Graphics Performance

The FirePro M2000 scores 426 and the Radeon HD 3850 AGP reaches 432 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FirePro M2000 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon HD 3850 AGP uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 640 (FirePro M2000) vs 1,024 (Radeon HD 3850 AGP). Raw compute: 1.024 TFLOPS (FirePro M2000) vs 1.761 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 3850 AGP).

Feature	FirePro M2000	Radeon HD 3850 AGP
G3D Mark Score	426	432+1%
Architecture	GCN 1.0	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	640	1024+60%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.024 TFLOPS	1.761 TFLOPS+72%
ROPs	16	32+100%
TMUs	40	64+60%
L1 Cache	160 KB	256 KB+60%
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	FirePro M2000	Radeon HD 3850 AGP
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	Standard	AMD Anti-Lag

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Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 1 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the FirePro M2000 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 3850 AGP. L2 Cache: 256 KB (FirePro M2000) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 3850 AGP) — the Radeon HD 3850 AGP has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	FirePro M2000	Radeon HD 3850 AGP
VRAM Capacity	1 GB	1 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	64-bit	128-bit+100%
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.1 (FirePro M2000) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 3850 AGP). Vulkan: None vs N/A. OpenGL: 4.2 vs 3.3. Maximum simultaneous displays: 6 vs 2.

Feature	FirePro M2000	Radeon HD 3850 AGP
DirectX	11.1+10%	10.1
Vulkan	None	N/A
OpenGL	4.2+27%	3.3
Max Displays	6+200%	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: UVD 3 (FirePro M2000) vs None (Radeon HD 3850 AGP). Decoder: UVD 3 vs UVD 1.0. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 Part 2 (FirePro M2000) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 3850 AGP).

Feature	FirePro M2000	Radeon HD 3850 AGP
Encoder	UVD 3	None
Decoder	UVD 3	UVD 1.0
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 Part 2	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro M2000 draws 43W versus the Radeon HD 3850 AGP's 130W — a 100.6% difference. The FirePro M2000 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro M2000) vs 450W (Radeon HD 3850 AGP). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 8-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 230mm, occupying 1 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: 65°C vs 80.

Feature	FirePro M2000	Radeon HD 3850 AGP
TDP	43W-67%	130W
Recommended PSU	350W-22%	450W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	8-pin
Length	0mm	230mm
Height	0mm	111mm
Slots	1	1
Temp (Load)	65°C-19%	80
Perf/Watt	9.9+200%	3.3

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro M2000 came in at $300, while the Radeon HD 3850 AGP launched at $130. On MSRP, Radeon HD 3850 AGP was 56.7% cheaper ($170 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.4 (FirePro M2000) vs 3.3 (Radeon HD 3850 AGP) — the Radeon HD 3850 AGP offers 135.7% better value.

Feature	FirePro M2000	Radeon HD 3850 AGP
MSRP	$300	$130-57%
Performance per Dollar	1.4	3.3+136%
Codename	Heathrow	Pitcairn
Release	July 1 2012	March 5 2012
Ranking	#710	#503

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