FireStream 9270 vs Radeon HD 7850M

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 9270 vs Radeon HD 7850M 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.

FireStream 9270 vs Radeon HD 7850M: 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 9270

2008

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 0.9 vs 0 G3D/$ ($1,499 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌2008 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌300% higher power demand at 160W vs 40W.

Radeon HD 7850M

2012

Why buy it

✅Draws 40W instead of 160W, a 120W reduction.
✅More future proof: GCN 1.0 (2012−2020) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌2012 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 0.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $1,499 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 7850M is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 2.4% in PassMark G3D (1,373 vs 1,341), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.

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

FireStream 9270 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 9270 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. Radeon HD 7850M still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

FireStream 9270 vs Radeon HD 7850M Technical Specifications

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

FireStream 9270

The FireStream 9270 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 13 2008. It features the TeraScale architecture. The core clock speed is 750 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 160W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,341 points.

Radeon HD 7850M

The Radeon HD 7850M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 24 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 675 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 40W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,373 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The FireStream 9270 scores 1,341 and the Radeon HD 7850M reaches 1,373 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FireStream 9270 is built on TeraScale while the Radeon HD 7850M uses GCN 1.0, both on 55 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 800 (FireStream 9270) vs 640 (Radeon HD 7850M). Raw compute: 1.2 TFLOPS (FireStream 9270) vs 0.864 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7850M).

Feature	FireStream 9270	Radeon HD 7850M
G3D Mark Score	1,341	1,373+2%
Architecture	TeraScale	GCN 1.0
Process Node	55 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	800+25%	640
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.2 TFLOPS+39%	0.864 TFLOPS
ROPs	16	16
TMUs	40	40
L1 Cache	160 KB	160 KB
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	FireStream 9270	Radeon HD 7850M
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	Standard	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 2 GB of video memory. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the FireStream 9270 and System on the Radeon HD 7850M.

Feature	FireStream 9270	Radeon HD 7850M
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	Shared
Bus Width	64-bit	System
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10.1 (FireStream 9270) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon HD 7850M). OpenGL: 3.3 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 1 vs 6.

Feature	FireStream 9270	Radeon HD 7850M
DirectX	10.1	12 (11_1)+19%
OpenGL	3.3	4.6+39%
Max Displays	1	6+500%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (FireStream 9270) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7850M). Decoder: UVD 2.2 vs UVD 3. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (FireStream 9270) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4,DivX (Radeon HD 7850M).

Feature	FireStream 9270	Radeon HD 7850M
Encoder	None	VCE 1.0
Decoder	UVD 2.2	UVD 3
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4,DivX

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FireStream 9270 draws 160W versus the Radeon HD 7850M's 40W — a 120% difference. The Radeon HD 7850M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FireStream 9270) vs 350W (Radeon HD 7850M). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 1x 6-pin. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 70°C.

Feature	FireStream 9270	Radeon HD 7850M
TDP	160W	40W-75%
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	1x 6-pin
Length	241mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	1-50%
Temp (Load)	85°C	70°C-18%
Perf/Watt	8.4	34.3+308%

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon HD 7850M (2012 vs 2008).

Feature	FireStream 9270	Radeon HD 7850M
MSRP	$1499	—
Codename	RV770	Heathrow
Release	November 13 2008	April 24 2012
Ranking	#790	#787

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