GeForce 6800 vs Radeon HD 4200

CPU

GPU

GeForce 6800

2014Core: 1082 MHzBoost: 1150 MHz

Similar parts

·······

Buy on Amazon

Radeon HD 4200

2009Core: 850 MHz

Similar parts

·······

Buy on Amazon

GeForce 6800 vs Radeon HD 4200 Performance Spectrum

GeForce 6800

0.25 GB 33

113

+0.9%

GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile

GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU

Radeon HD 4200

0.5 GB 190

112

0.0%

MOBILITY RADEON X700 XL

Mobility Radeon HD 4300 Serisi

Radeon HD 3200

Mobility Radeon HD 4250

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 4200 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 4200: 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

✅Draws 33W instead of 190W, a 157W 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.
❌
498% HIGHER MSRP
$299 MSRPvs$50 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0.4 vs 2.2 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).
❌19700% longer card at 198mm vs 1mm.

Radeon HD 4200

2009

Why buy it

✅Costs $249 less on MSRP ($50 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Delivers 492.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 2.2 vs 0.4 G3D/$ ($50 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (512 MB vs 256 MB).
✅Measures 1mm instead of 198mm, a 197mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌2009 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌475.8% higher power demand at 190W vs 33W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce 6800 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 0.9% in PassMark G3D (113 vs 112), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.

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 2009. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 4200 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $249 cheaper on MSRP at $50 vs $299, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 492.7% (2.2 vs 0.4), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 4200 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 4200 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 4200

The Radeon HD 4200 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 2 2009. It features the TeraScale architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 190W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 112 points. Launch price was $249.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce 6800 scores 113 and the Radeon HD 4200 reaches 112 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 6800 is built on Maxwell while the Radeon HD 4200 uses TeraScale, both on 28 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 256 (GeForce 6800) vs 800 (Radeon HD 4200). Raw compute: 0.5888 TFLOPS (GeForce 6800) vs 1.36 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 4200).

Feature	GeForce 6800	Radeon HD 4200
G3D Mark Score	113	112
Architecture	Maxwell	TeraScale
Process Node	28 nm	55 nm
Shading Units	256	800+213%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.5888 TFLOPS	1.36 TFLOPS+131%
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 4200 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce 6800	Radeon HD 4200
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 4200 carries 512 MB. Radeon HD 4200 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 4200. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce 6800) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon HD 4200) — the GeForce 6800 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce 6800	Radeon HD 4200
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 4200). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce 6800	Radeon HD 4200
DirectX	9.0c	10.1+12%
Max Displays	2	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (GeForce 6800) vs UVD 2 (Radeon HD 4200). Decoder: PureVideo (VP1) vs UVD 2.

Feature	GeForce 6800	Radeon HD 4200
Encoder	None	UVD 2
Decoder	PureVideo (VP1)	UVD 2
Codecs	MPEG-2,WMV	—

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 6800 draws 33W versus the Radeon HD 4200's 190W — a 140.8% difference. The GeForce 6800 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 6800) vs 350W (Radeon HD 4200). Power connectors: Legacy vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 198mm vs 1mm, occupying 1 vs 0 slots.

Feature	GeForce 6800	Radeon HD 4200
TDP	33W-83%	190W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	Legacy	1x 6-pin
Length	198mm	1mm
Height	111mm	—
Slots	1	0-100%
Temp (Load)	80	—
Perf/Watt	3.4+467%	0.6

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 6800 came in at $299, while the Radeon HD 4200 launched at $50. On MSRP, Radeon HD 4200 was 83.3% cheaper ($249 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 0.4 (GeForce 6800) vs 2.2 (Radeon HD 4200) — the Radeon HD 4200 offers 450% better value. The newer card here is GeForce 6800 (2014 vs 2009).

Feature	GeForce 6800	Radeon HD 4200
MSRP	$299	$50-83%
Performance per Dollar	0.4	2.2+450%
Codename	GM108	RV790
Release	July 22 2014	April 2 2009
Ranking	#832	#762

Search GeForce 6800 on Amazon

Search Radeon HD 4200 on Amazon

Affiliate Disclosure

ChipVERSUS is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through our links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support our work in providing comprehensive PC building guides and tools.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.