GeForce 6800 vs Radeon HD 3470

CPU

GPU

GeForce 6800

2014Core: 1082 MHzBoost: 1150 MHz

Similar parts

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Radeon HD 3470

2008Core: 750 MHz

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GeForce 6800 vs Radeon HD 3470 Performance Spectrum

GeForce 6800

0.25 GB 33

113

0.0%

GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile

GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU

Radeon HD 3470

0.5 GB 150

117

+3.5%

Mobility Radeon HD 3410

Radeon HD 2350

Mobility Radeon HD 3450

Mobility Radeon HD 2400 XT

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.

GeForce 6800 vs Radeon HD 3470 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 vs Radeon HD 3470: 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

2014

Why buy it

✅0.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Draws 33W instead of 150W, a 117W reduction.
✅More future proof: Maxwell (2014−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 256 MB vs 512 MB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2014 hardware with 256 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
398.3% HIGHER MSRP
$299 MSRPvs$60 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0.4 vs 1.9 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs $60 MSRP).
❌17.9% longer card at 198mm vs 168mm.

Radeon HD 3470

2008

Why buy it

✅Costs $239 less on MSRP ($60 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Delivers 416% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 1.9 vs 0.4 G3D/$ ($60 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (512 MB vs 256 MB).
✅Measures 168mm instead of 198mm, a 30mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce 6800 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2008 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌354.5% higher power demand at 150W vs 33W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce 6800 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 0.7% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon HD 3470 instead at 117 vs 113, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.

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

GeForce 6800 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 55nm and a newer 2014 generation instead of 2008. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 3470 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $239 cheaper on MSRP at $60 vs $299, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 416% (1.9 vs 0.4), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 3470 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce 6800 has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce 6800 vs Radeon HD 3470 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce 6800

The GeForce 6800 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in July 22 2014. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 1082 MHz to 1150 MHz. It has 256 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 33W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 113 points.

Radeon HD 3470

The Radeon HD 3470 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 25 2008. It features the TeraScale architecture. The core clock speed is 750 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 117 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce 6800 scores 113 and the Radeon HD 3470 reaches 117 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 6800 is built on Maxwell while the Radeon HD 3470 uses TeraScale, both on 28 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 256 (GeForce 6800) vs 800 (Radeon HD 3470). Raw compute: 0.5888 TFLOPS (GeForce 6800) vs 1.2 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 3470).

Feature	GeForce 6800	Radeon HD 3470
G3D Mark Score	113	117+4%
Architecture	Maxwell	TeraScale
Process Node	28 nm	55 nm
Shading Units	256	800+213%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.5888 TFLOPS	1.2 TFLOPS+104%
ROPs	8	16+100%
TMUs	16	40+150%
L1 Cache	128 KB	160 KB+25%
L2 Cache	1 MB+300%	0.25 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 6800 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 3470 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce 6800	Radeon HD 3470
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

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce 6800 has 256 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 3470 carries 512 MB. Radeon HD 3470 gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce 6800 and 64-bit on the Radeon HD 3470. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce 6800) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon HD 3470) — the GeForce 6800 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce 6800	Radeon HD 3470
VRAM Capacity	0.25 GB	0.5 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit+100%	64-bit
L2 Cache	1 MB+300%	0.25 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 9.0c (GeForce 6800) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 3470). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce 6800	Radeon HD 3470
DirectX	9.0c	10.1+12%
Max Displays	2	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (GeForce 6800) vs UVD (Radeon HD 3470). Decoder: PureVideo (VP1) vs UVD.

Feature	GeForce 6800	Radeon HD 3470
Encoder	None	UVD
Decoder	PureVideo (VP1)	UVD
Codecs	MPEG-2,WMV	—

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 6800 draws 33W versus the Radeon HD 3470's 150W — a 127.9% difference. The GeForce 6800 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 6800) vs 350W (Radeon HD 3470). Power connectors: Legacy vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 198mm vs 168mm, occupying 1 vs 1 slots.

Feature	GeForce 6800	Radeon HD 3470
TDP	33W-78%	150W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	Legacy	1x 6-pin
Length	198mm	168mm
Height	111mm	—
Slots	1	1
Temp (Load)	80	—
Perf/Watt	3.4+325%	0.8

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 6800 came in at $299, while the Radeon HD 3470 launched at $60. On MSRP, Radeon HD 3470 was 79.9% cheaper ($239 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 0.4 (GeForce 6800) vs 1.9 (Radeon HD 3470) — the Radeon HD 3470 offers 375% better value. The newer card here is GeForce 6800 (2014 vs 2008).

Feature	GeForce 6800	Radeon HD 3470
MSRP	$299	$60-80%
Performance per Dollar	0.4	1.9+375%
Codename	GM108	RV770
Release	July 22 2014	June 25 2008
Ranking	#832	#784

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