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FireStream 9170 vs GeForce GT 735M

CPUCPUGPUGPU

FireStream 9170

2010Core: 825 MHz
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VS
NVIDIA

GeForce GT 735M

2013Core: 980 MHz
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Buy on Amazon

FireStream 9170 vs GeForce GT 735M Performance Spectrum

FireStream 9170
0.5 GB 225
647
0.0%
brand logoMobility Radeon HD 565v
brand logoRadeon HD 3850 AGP
brand logoRadeon R5 M420
brand logoRadeon R5 420
brand logoRadeon RX 6300
brand logoRadeon RX 7600M
brand logoRadeon RX 7600M XT
brand logoRadeon RX 6700 XT
GeForce GT 735M
2 GB 50
655
+1.2%
brand logoGeForce 9800M GTS
brand logoGeForce 800A
brand logoGeForce 615
brand logoGeForce 720A
brand logoGeForce GTX 760 Ti
brand logoGeForce GTX 1060 6 GB
brand logoGeForce GTX 1070 Ti
brand logoGeForce RTX 2080 SUPER

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.

FireStream 9170 vs GeForce GT 735M: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

FireStream 9170

2010

Why buy it

  • ✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 0.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($1,999 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • ❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • ❌2010 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • ❌350% higher power demand at 225W vs 50W.

GeForce GT 735M

2013

Why buy it

  • ✅300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 512 MB).
  • ✅Draws 50W instead of 225W, a 175W reduction.
  • ✅More future proof: Kepler (2012−2018) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • ❌2013 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 0.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $1,999 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce GT 735M is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 1.2% in PassMark G3D (655 vs 647), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
FireStream 9170 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?
FireStream 9170 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. GeForce GT 735M still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

FireStream 9170 vs GeForce GT 735M Technical Specifications

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

AMD

FireStream 9170

The FireStream 9170 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 23 2010. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 825 MHz. It has 1600 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 225W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 647 points.

NVIDIA

GeForce GT 735M

The GeForce GT 735M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in June 25 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock speed is 980 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 655 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The FireStream 9170 scores 647 and the GeForce GT 735M reaches 655 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FireStream 9170 is built on TeraScale 2 while the GeForce GT 735M uses Kepler, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,600 (FireStream 9170) vs 384 (GeForce GT 735M). Raw compute: 2.64 TFLOPS (FireStream 9170) vs 0.7526 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 735M).

FeatureFireStream 9170GeForce GT 735M
G3D Mark Score
647
655+1%
Architecture
TeraScale 2
Kepler
Process Node
40 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
1600+317%
384
Compute (TFLOPS)
2.64 TFLOPS+251%
0.7526 TFLOPS
ROPs
32+100%
16
TMUs
80+150%
32
L1 Cache
160 KB+400%
32 KB
L2 Cache
512 KB+100%
256 KB
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GT 735M gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The FireStream 9170 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureFireStream 9170GeForce GT 735M
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 FireStream 9170 has 512 MB of VRAM, while the GeForce GT 735M carries 2 GB. GeForce GT 735M gives you 300% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the FireStream 9170 and 64-bit on the GeForce GT 735M. L2 Cache: 512 KB (FireStream 9170) vs 256 KB (GeForce GT 735M) — the FireStream 9170 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureFireStream 9170GeForce GT 735M
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
2 GB+300%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
64-bit
L2 Cache
512 KB+100%
256 KB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10.1 (FireStream 9170) vs 11.0 (GeForce GT 735M). OpenGL: 3.3 vs 4.2. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 1.

FeatureFireStream 9170GeForce GT 735M
DirectX
10.1
11.0+9%
OpenGL
3.3
4.2+27%
Max Displays
2+100%
1
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (FireStream 9170) vs NVENC 1.0 (GeForce GT 735M). Decoder: UVD+ vs PureVideo HD VP5. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (FireStream 9170) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP (GeForce GT 735M).

FeatureFireStream 9170GeForce GT 735M
Encoder
None
NVENC 1.0
Decoder
UVD+
PureVideo HD VP5
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FireStream 9170 draws 225W versus the GeForce GT 735M's 50W — a 127.3% difference. The GeForce GT 735M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FireStream 9170) vs 350W (GeForce GT 735M). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 241mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 75°C.

FeatureFireStream 9170GeForce GT 735M
TDP
225W
50W-78%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
PCIe-powered
Length
241mm
0mm
Height
111mm
0mm
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
85°C
75°C-12%
Perf/Watt
2.9
13.1+352%
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce GT 735M (2013 vs 2010).

FeatureFireStream 9170GeForce GT 735M
MSRP
$1999
—
Codename
Cypress
GK107
Release
June 23 2010
June 25 2013
Ranking
#631
#726
Search FireStream 9170 on AmazonSearch GeForce GT 735M on Amazon

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