GeForce 6500 vs RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700

GeForce 6500

2012Core: 1058 MHz

RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700

2025Core: 1660 MHzBoost: 2920 MHz

Performance Spectrum - GPU

0.0%

GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile 3 GB

GeForce GTX 780 Ti

GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile

GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU

RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700

300

+10.5%

MOBILITY RADEON 7000 IGP

MOBILITY RADEON 9700

MOBILITY RADEON 9550

MOBILITY RADEON 9600

Radeon HD 7950 / R9 280

Radeon R9 Fury

Radeon RX 5700

Radeon RX 6700

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.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (G3D Mark) per dollar. The GeForce 6500 is positioned at rank #359 in our cost-efficiency ranking, representing a Lower cost-benefit for your build. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.•
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar GeForce 6500

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

MSRP: $399|Avg: $280

19089%

GeForce RTX 5060

MSRP: $299|Avg: $299

18339%

Radeon RX 5600 XT

MSRP: $279|Avg: $180

18126%

Radeon RX 9060

MSRP: $249|Avg: $249

18095%

GeForce RTX 5050

MSRP: $249|Avg: $249

18058%

GeForce RTX 3050 OEM

MSRP: $249|Avg: $150

17955%

Arc A580

MSRP: $179|Avg: $179

17729%

Radeon RX 9060 XT

MSRP: $299|Avg: $299

17663%

Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB

MSRP: $299|Avg: $299

17500%

#10

Radeon RX 7600

MSRP: $269|Avg: $250

17453%

#11

Radeon RX 6600

MSRP: $329|Avg: $180

17242%

#12

GeForce RTX 4060

MSRP: $299|Avg: $299

17205%

#13

Arc B570

MSRP: $219|Avg: $219

16895%

#14

Arc B580

MSRP: $249|Avg: $249

16884%

#343

Radeon R5 430 OEM

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $13

21053%

#359

GeForce 6500

MSRP: $100|Avg: $5

100%

#360

RADEON X800 GT

MSRP: $249|Avg: $15

89%

#361

GeForce 6600

MSRP: $270|Avg: $10

84%

#362

RADEON 9550

MSRP: $129|Avg: $30

71%

#363

Radeon X1600

MSRP: $199|Avg: $49

66%

#364

GeForce FX 5700LE

MSRP: $100|Avg: $10

66%

#365

GeForce PCX 5750

MSRP: $150|Avg: $15

61%

#366

GeForce FX 5700

MSRP: $199|Avg: $15

55%

#367

RADEON X800 XT

MSRP: $499|Avg: $20

53%

#368

RADEON X800 XL

MSRP: $349|Avg: $15

53%

#369

RADEON 9600 XT

MSRP: $199|Avg: $15

47%

#370

RADEON X800 PRO

MSRP: $399|Avg: $15

42%

#371

GeForce FX 5200LE

MSRP: $43|Avg: $25

42%

#372

GeForce FX 5200SE

MSRP: $99|Avg: $10

32%

#373

GeForce FX 5200

MSRP: $70|Avg: $25

29%

Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

Performance Per Dollar

Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

Performance Comparison

About G3D Mark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

⚠️ Generational Difference

The RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 is significantly newer (2025 vs 2012). The RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 likely supports modern features like Ray Tracing, Tensor Cores, and DLSS/FSR upscaling, which act as force multipliers for performance. The GeForce 6500 lacks this hardware feature set, limiting its longevity in modern titles despite any raw power similarities.

🚀 Performance Leadership

The RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 is the superior choice for raw performance. It leads with a 10.5% higher G3D Mark score and 100% more VRAM (512 MB vs 256 MB). This advantage makes it significantly better for higher resolutions (1440p/4K) and graphic-intensive titles compared to the GeForce 6500.

Insight	GeForce 6500	RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700
Performance	❌Lower raw frame rates (-10.5%)	✅Leading raw performance (+10.5%)
Longevity	🛑Obsolete Architecture (2012 / Kepler (2012−2018))	RDNA 4.0 (2025) (4nm)
Ecosystem	Supports FSR Upscaling	Supports FSR Upscaling
VRAM	❌ Less VRAM capacity	✅ More VRAM (+100%)
Efficiency	💡 Excellent Perf/Watt	⚡ Higher Power Consumption
Case Fit	📏 Compact / SFF Friendly	📏 Compact / SFF Friendly

💎 Value Proposition

The GeForce 6500 offers a compelling cost-to-performance ratio. Priced at $5 versus $30 for the RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700, it costs 83% less. While it maintains basic entry-level capabilities, this results in a 442.9% higher cost efficiency score.

Insight	GeForce 6500	RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700
Cost Efficiency	✅Better overall value (+442.9%)	❌Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅More affordable ($5)	⚠️Higher upfront cost ($30)

Performance Check

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 7800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

GeForce 6500 Benchmark Check

RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce 6500 and RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700

GeForce 6500

The GeForce 6500 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 6 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock speed is 1058 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 65W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 38 points. Launch price was $109.

RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700

The RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in July 23 2025. It features the RDNA 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1660 MHz to 2920 MHz. It has 4096 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. It features 64 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 42 points. Launch price was $1,299.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce 6500 scores 38 versus the RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700's 42 — the RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 leads by 10.5%. The GeForce 6500 is built on Kepler while the RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 uses RDNA 4.0, both on 28 nm vs 4 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce 6500) vs 4,096 (RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700). Raw compute: 0.8125 TFLOPS (GeForce 6500) vs 47.84 TFLOPS (RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700).

Feature	GeForce 6500	RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700
G3D Mark Score	38	42+11%
Architecture	Kepler	RDNA 4.0
Process Node	28 nm	4 nm
Shading Units	384	4096+967%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.8125 TFLOPS	47.84 TFLOPS+5788%
ROPs	16	128+700%
TMUs	32	256+700%
L2 Cache	0.25 MB	8 MB+3100%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce 6500	RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700
Upscaling Tech	FSR 1.0 (Software)	FSR 1.0 (Software)
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	Standard	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce 6500 comes with 256 MB of VRAM, while the RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 has 512 MB. The RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 128-bit vs 64-bit. L2 Cache: 0.25 MB (GeForce 6500) vs 8 MB (RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700) — the RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce 6500	RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700
VRAM Capacity	0.25 GB	0.5 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	128-bit+100%	64-bit
L2 Cache	0.25 MB	8 MB+3100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 9.0c (GeForce 6500) vs 9.0 (RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700). Vulkan: None vs N/A. OpenGL: 2.1 vs 2.0. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce 6500	RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700
DirectX	9.0c	9.0
Vulkan	None	N/A
OpenGL	2.1+5%	2.0
Max Displays	2	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (GeForce 6500) vs None (RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700). Decoder: PureVideo vs VideoShader. Supported codecs: MPEG-2 (GeForce 6500) vs MPEG-2 (RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700).

Feature	GeForce 6500	RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700
Encoder	No	None
Decoder	PureVideo	VideoShader
Codecs	MPEG-2	MPEG-2

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 6500 draws 65W versus the RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700's 300W — a 128.8% difference. The GeForce 6500 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 6500) vs 350W (RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700). Power connectors: Legacy vs Legacy. Card length: 168mm vs 175mm, occupying 1 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: 65°C vs 70.

Feature	GeForce 6500	RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700
TDP	65W-78%	300W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	Legacy	Legacy
Length	168mm	175mm
Height	100mm	100mm
Slots	1	1
Temp (Load)	65°C-7%	70
Perf/Watt	0.6+500%	0.1

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce 6500 launched at $100 MSRP and currently averages $5, while the RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 launched at $0 and now averages $30. The GeForce 6500 costs 83.3% less ($25 savings) at current market prices. Performance per dollar (G3D Mark / price): 7.6 (GeForce 6500) vs 1.4 (RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700) — the GeForce 6500 offers 442.9% better value. The RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 is the newer GPU (2025 vs 2012).