GeForce 6800 GS vs Mobility Radeon HD 5430

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.

GeForce 6800 GS vs Mobility Radeon HD 5430 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.

GeForce 6800 GS vs Mobility Radeon HD 5430: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

GeForce 6800 GS

2008

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 256 MB vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2008 hardware with 256 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
408.2% HIGHER MSRP
$249 MSRPvs$49 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0.8 vs 3.7 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $49 MSRP).
❌200% higher power demand at 150W vs 50W.

Mobility Radeon HD 5430

2010

Why buy it

✅Costs $200 less on MSRP ($49 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
✅Delivers 379% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 3.7 vs 0.8 G3D/$ ($49 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
✅300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 256 MB).
✅Draws 50W instead of 150W, a 100W reduction.
✅Measures 1mm instead of 216mm, a 215mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌2010 hardware with 1 GB 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 6800 GS is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 6.1% in PassMark G3D (192 vs 181), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.

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

GeForce 6800 GS 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?

Mobility Radeon HD 5430 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $200 cheaper on MSRP at $49 vs $249, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 379% (3.7 vs 0.8), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Mobility Radeon HD 5430 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce 6800 GS has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce 6800 GS vs Mobility Radeon HD 5430 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce 6800 GS

The GeForce 6800 GS is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in July 15 2008. It features the G9x architecture. The core clock speed is 500 MHz. It has 224 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 65 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 192 points.

Mobility Radeon HD 5430

The Mobility Radeon HD 5430 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 7 2010. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 700 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 181 points.

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Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce 6800 GS scores 192 versus the Mobility Radeon HD 5430's 181 — the GeForce 6800 GS leads by 6.1%. The GeForce 6800 GS is built on G9x while the Mobility Radeon HD 5430 uses TeraScale 2, both on 65 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 224 (GeForce 6800 GS) vs 800 (Mobility Radeon HD 5430).

Feature	GeForce 6800 GS	Mobility Radeon HD 5430
G3D Mark Score	192+6%	181
Architecture	G9x	TeraScale 2
Process Node	65 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	224	800+257%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 6800 GS gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Mobility Radeon HD 5430 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce 6800 GS	Mobility Radeon HD 5430
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce 6800 GS has 256 MB of VRAM, while the Mobility Radeon HD 5430 carries 1 GB. Mobility Radeon HD 5430 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 GeForce 6800 GS and 128-bit on the Mobility Radeon HD 5430.

Feature	GeForce 6800 GS	Mobility Radeon HD 5430
VRAM Capacity	0.25 GB	1 GB+300%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	64-bit	128-bit+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 9.0c (GeForce 6800 GS) vs 11.2 (Mobility Radeon HD 5430). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 0.

Feature	GeForce 6800 GS	Mobility Radeon HD 5430
DirectX	9.0c	11.2+24%
Max Displays	2	0

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (GeForce 6800 GS) vs UVD 2.2 (Mobility Radeon HD 5430). Decoder: PureVideo vs UVD 2.2.

Feature	GeForce 6800 GS	Mobility Radeon HD 5430
Encoder	No	UVD 2.2
Decoder	PureVideo	UVD 2.2
Codecs	MPEG-2	—

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 6800 GS draws 150W versus the Mobility Radeon HD 5430's 50W — a 100% difference. The Mobility Radeon HD 5430 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 6800 GS) vs 350W (Mobility Radeon HD 5430). Power connectors: Legacy vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 216mm vs 1mm, occupying 1 vs 0 slots.

Feature	GeForce 6800 GS	Mobility Radeon HD 5430
TDP	150W	50W-67%
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	Legacy	PCIe-powered
Length	216mm	1mm
Height	111mm	—
Slots	1	0-100%
Temp (Load)	85°C	—
Perf/Watt	1.3	3.6+177%

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Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 6800 GS came in at $249, while the Mobility Radeon HD 5430 launched at $49. On MSRP, Mobility Radeon HD 5430 was 80.3% cheaper ($200 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 0.8 (GeForce 6800 GS) vs 3.7 (Mobility Radeon HD 5430) — the Mobility Radeon HD 5430 offers 362.5% better value. The newer card here is Mobility Radeon HD 5430 (2010 vs 2008).

Feature	GeForce 6800 GS	Mobility Radeon HD 5430
MSRP	$249	$49-80%
Performance per Dollar	0.8	3.7+363%
Codename	NB9E-GTX	Broadway
Release	July 15 2008	January 7 2010
Ranking	#825	#846

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