Chipversus Index
Jump to Section

FirePro V3800 vs GeForce GT 230

CPUCPUGPUGPU

FirePro V3800

2010Core: 690 MHz
Buy on Amazon
VS
NVIDIA

GeForce GT 230

2017Core: 1228 MHzBoost: 1468 MHz
Similar parts
·······
Buy on Amazon

FirePro V3800 vs GeForce GT 230 Performance Spectrum

FirePro V3800
4 GB 74
321
0.0%
brand logoRadeon HD 6230
brand logoMobility Radeon. HD 5470
brand logoRadeon HD 4650
brand logoMobility Radeon HD 5165
brand logoRadeon RX 5300M
brand logoRadeon RX 6550M
brand logoRadeon RX 7600M XT
brand logoRadeon RX 6700 XT
GeForce GT 230
0.5 GB 30
323
+0.6%
brand logoGeForce 8600 GS
brand logoGeForce GT 230M
brand logoGeForce GT 415
brand logoGeForce GT 415M
brand logoGeForce GTX 1050
brand logoGeForce GTX 1060 3GB
brand logoGeForce GTX 1070 Ti
brand logoGeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU

About G3D Mark

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 V3800 vs GeForce GT 230: 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 V3800

2010

Why buy it

  • ✅700% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 512 MB).

Trade-offs

  • ❌2010 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • ❌
    193.2% HIGHER MSRP
    $129 MSRPvs$44 MSRP
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.5 vs 7.3 G3D/$ ($129 MSRP vs $44 MSRP).
  • ❌146.7% higher power demand at 74W vs 30W.

GeForce GT 230

2017

Why buy it

  • ✅Costs $85 less on MSRP ($44 MSRP vs $129 MSRP).
  • ✅Delivers 195% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 7.3 vs 2.5 G3D/$ ($44 MSRP vs $129 MSRP).
  • ✅Draws 30W instead of 74W, a 44W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • ❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • ❌2017 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce GT 230 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 0.6% in PassMark G3D (323 vs 321), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
FirePro V3800 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 4 GB vs 512 MB of VRAM. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce GT 230 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $85 cheaper on MSRP at $44 vs $129, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 195% (7.3 vs 2.5), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, GeForce GT 230 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, FirePro V3800 has the stronger long-term case.

FirePro V3800 vs GeForce GT 230 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

FirePro V3800

The FirePro V3800 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 26 2010. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 690 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 74W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 321 points. Launch price was $479.

NVIDIA

GeForce GT 230

The GeForce GT 230 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 17 2017. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1228 MHz to 1468 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 323 points. Launch price was $79.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The FirePro V3800 scores 321 and the GeForce GT 230 reaches 323 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FirePro V3800 is built on TeraScale 2 while the GeForce GT 230 uses Pascal, both on 40 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 800 (FirePro V3800) vs 384 (GeForce GT 230). Raw compute: 1.104 TFLOPS (FirePro V3800) vs 1.127 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 230).

FeatureFirePro V3800GeForce GT 230
G3D Mark Score
321
323
Architecture
TeraScale 2
Pascal
Process Node
40 nm
14 nm
Shading Units
800+108%
384
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.104 TFLOPS
1.127 TFLOPS+2%
ROPs
16
16
TMUs
40+67%
24
L1 Cache
80 KB
144 KB+80%
L2 Cache
256 KB
512 KB+100%
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GT 230 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The FirePro V3800 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureFirePro V3800GeForce GT 230
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The FirePro V3800 has 4 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce GT 230 carries 512 MB. FirePro V3800 gives you 700% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the FirePro V3800 and 64-bit on the GeForce GT 230. L2 Cache: 256 KB (FirePro V3800) vs 512 KB (GeForce GT 230) — the GeForce GT 230 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureFirePro V3800GeForce GT 230
VRAM Capacity
4 GB+700%
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
64-bit
L2 Cache
256 KB
512 KB+100%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.2 (FirePro V3800) vs 10.0 (GeForce GT 230). Vulkan: N/A vs None. OpenGL: 4.4 vs 3.3. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

FeatureFirePro V3800GeForce GT 230
DirectX
11.2+12%
10.0
Vulkan
N/A
None
OpenGL
4.4+33%
3.3
Max Displays
2
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (FirePro V3800) vs No (GeForce GT 230). Decoder: UVD 2.3 vs PureVideo HD VP3. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (FirePro V3800) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (GeForce GT 230).

FeatureFirePro V3800GeForce GT 230
Encoder
None
No
Decoder
UVD 2.3
PureVideo HD VP3
Codecs
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1
MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro V3800 draws 74W versus the GeForce GT 230's 30W — a 84.6% difference. The GeForce GT 230 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro V3800) vs 350W (GeForce GT 230). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 168mm vs 168mm, occupying 1 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: 80 vs 75°C.

FeatureFirePro V3800GeForce GT 230
TDP
74W
30W-59%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
PCIe-powered
Length
168mm
168mm
Height
69mm
111mm
Slots
1
1
Temp (Load)
80
75°C-6%
Perf/Watt
4.3
10.8+151%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro V3800 came in at $129, while the GeForce GT 230 launched at $44. On MSRP, GeForce GT 230 was 65.9% cheaper ($85 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.5 (FirePro V3800) vs 7.3 (GeForce GT 230) — the GeForce GT 230 offers 192% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GT 230 (2017 vs 2010).

FeatureFirePro V3800GeForce GT 230
MSRP
$129
$44-66%
Performance per Dollar
2.5
7.3+192%
Codename
Juniper
GP108
Release
April 26 2010
May 17 2017
Ranking
#780
#641
Search FirePro V3800 on AmazonSearch GeForce GT 230 on Amazon

Affiliate Disclosure

ChipVERSUS is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through our links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support our work in providing comprehensive PC building guides and tools.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.