GeForce 720A vs Radeon HD 3870 X2

CPU

GPU

GeForce 720A

2015Core: 928 MHzBoost: 941 MHz

Buy on Amazon

Radeon HD 3870 X2

2008Core: 700 MHz

Buy on Amazon

GeForce 720A vs Radeon HD 3870 X2 Performance Spectrum

GeForce 720A

0.5 GB 33

577

0.0%

GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB

GeForce GTX 1070 Ti

GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER

Radeon HD 3870 X2

0.5 GB 286

587

+1.7%

Radeon HD 7970 / R9 280X

Radeon RX 7600M

Radeon RX 7600M XT

Radeon RX 6700 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 720A vs Radeon HD 3870 X2 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 720A vs Radeon HD 3870 X2: 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 720A

2015

Why buy it

✅18.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $419 less on MSRP ($30 MSRP vs $449 MSRP).
✅Delivers 1371.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 19.2 vs 1.3 G3D/$ ($30 MSRP vs $449 MSRP).
✅Draws 33W instead of 286W, a 253W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌2015 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon HD 3870 X2

2008

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce 720A 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.
❌
1396.7% HIGHER MSRP
$449 MSRPvs$30 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.3 vs 19.2 G3D/$ ($449 MSRP vs $30 MSRP).
❌766.7% higher power demand at 286W vs 33W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce 720A is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 18.6% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon HD 3870 X2 instead at 587 vs 577, 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 720A is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 55nm and a newer 2015 generation instead of 2008. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce 720A makes the most sense to buy today. It is $419 cheaper on MSRP at $30 vs $449, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 1371.2% (19.2 vs 1.3), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce 720A vs Radeon HD 3870 X2 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce 720A

The GeForce 720A is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 13 2015. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 928 MHz to 941 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 33W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 577 points.

Radeon HD 3870 X2

The Radeon HD 3870 X2 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in August 12 2008. It features the TeraScale architecture. The core clock speed is 700 MHz. It has 800 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 286W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 587 points. Launch price was $550.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce 720A scores 577 and the Radeon HD 3870 X2 reaches 587 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 720A is built on Maxwell while the Radeon HD 3870 X2 uses TeraScale, both on 28 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce 720A) vs 800 (Radeon HD 3870 X2). Raw compute: 0.7227 TFLOPS (GeForce 720A) vs 1.12 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 3870 X2).

Feature	GeForce 720A	Radeon HD 3870 X2
G3D Mark Score	577	587+2%
Architecture	Maxwell	TeraScale
Process Node	28 nm	55 nm
Shading Units	384	800 ×2+108%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.7227 TFLOPS	1.12 TFLOPS ×2+55%
ROPs	8	16 ×2+100%
TMUs	24	40 ×2+67%
L1 Cache	192 KB+20%	160 KB
L2 Cache	1 MB+300%	0.25 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 720A gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 3870 X2 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce 720A	Radeon HD 3870 X2
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)

Both cards ship with 512 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce 720A and 64-bit on the Radeon HD 3870 X2. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce 720A) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon HD 3870 X2) — the GeForce 720A has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce 720A	Radeon HD 3870 X2
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	0.5 GB
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: 12 (11_0) (GeForce 720A) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 3870 X2). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce 720A	Radeon HD 3870 X2
DirectX	12 (11_0)+19%	10.1
Max Displays	2	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (GeForce 720A) vs UVD+ (Radeon HD 3870 X2). Decoder: NVDEC vs UVD+.

Feature	GeForce 720A	Radeon HD 3870 X2
Encoder	NVENC	UVD+
Decoder	NVDEC	UVD+
Codecs	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1	—

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 720A draws 33W versus the Radeon HD 3870 X2's 286W — a 158.6% difference. The GeForce 720A is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 720A) vs 550W (Radeon HD 3870 X2). Power connectors: Legacy vs 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 267mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots.

Feature	GeForce 720A	Radeon HD 3870 X2
TDP	33W-88%	286W
Recommended PSU	350W-36%	550W
Power Connector	Legacy	1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
Length	0mm	267mm
Height	0mm	—
Slots	0-100%	2
Temp (Load)	85	—
Perf/Watt	17.5+733%	2.1

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 720A came in at $30, while the Radeon HD 3870 X2 launched at $449. On MSRP, GeForce 720A was 93.3% cheaper ($419 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 19.2 (GeForce 720A) vs 1.3 (Radeon HD 3870 X2) — the GeForce 720A offers 1376.9% better value. The newer card here is GeForce 720A (2015 vs 2008).

Feature	GeForce 720A	Radeon HD 3870 X2
MSRP	$30-93%	$449
Performance per Dollar	19.2+1377%	1.3
Codename	GM108	R700
Release	March 13 2015	August 12 2008
Ranking	#810	#796

Search GeForce 720A on Amazon

Search Radeon HD 3870 X2 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.