GeForce 7800 GTX vs Radeon HD 8400

NVIDIA

GeForce 7800 GTX

2008Core: 500 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 8400

2012Core: 1000 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce 7800 GTX vs Radeon HD 8400 Performance Spectrum

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 7800 GTX vs Radeon HD 8400 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 7800 GTX vs Radeon HD 8400: 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 7800 GTX

2008

Why buy it

  • Draws 150W instead of 200W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 8400 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.
  • 1896.7% HIGHER MSRP
    $599 MSRPvs$30 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0.4 vs 9.0 G3D/$ ($599 MSRP vs $30 MSRP).

Radeon HD 8400

2012

Why buy it

  • 1.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $569 less on MSRP ($30 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).
  • Delivers 1919% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 9.0 vs 0.4 G3D/$ ($30 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • 2012 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 33.3% higher power demand at 200W vs 150W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD 8400 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 1.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1.1% in PassMark G3D (271 vs 268), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce 7800 GTX 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?
Radeon HD 8400 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $569 cheaper on MSRP at $30 vs $599, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 1919% (9.0 vs 0.4), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 8400 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce 7800 GTX has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce 7800 GTX vs Radeon HD 8400 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce 7800 GTX

The GeForce 7800 GTX 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: 268 points.

AMD

Radeon HD 8400

The Radeon HD 8400 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 5 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 271 points. Launch price was $349.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce 7800 GTX scores 268 and the Radeon HD 8400 reaches 271 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 7800 GTX is built on G9x while the Radeon HD 8400 uses GCN 1.0, both on 65 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 224 (GeForce 7800 GTX) vs 1,280 (Radeon HD 8400).

FeatureGeForce 7800 GTXRadeon HD 8400
G3D Mark Score
268
271+1%
Architecture
G9x
GCN 1.0
Process Node
65 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
224
1280+471%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 7800 GTX gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 8400 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce 7800 GTXRadeon HD 8400
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 64-bit on the GeForce 7800 GTX and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 8400.

FeatureGeForce 7800 GTXRadeon HD 8400
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
64-bit
128-bit+100%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 9.0c (GeForce 7800 GTX) vs 11.1 (Radeon HD 8400). OpenGL: 2.1 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce 7800 GTXRadeon HD 8400
DirectX
9.0c
11.1+23%
OpenGL
2.1
4.6+119%
Max Displays
2
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (GeForce 7800 GTX) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon HD 8400). Decoder: PureVideo vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: MPEG-2 (GeForce 7800 GTX) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MPEG-4 (Radeon HD 8400).

FeatureGeForce 7800 GTXRadeon HD 8400
Encoder
No
VCE 2.0
Decoder
PureVideo
UVD 4.2
Codecs
MPEG-2
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MPEG-4
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 7800 GTX draws 150W versus the Radeon HD 8400's 200W — a 28.6% difference. The GeForce 7800 GTX is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 7800 GTX) vs 350W (Radeon HD 8400). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 1x 6-pin. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 75.

FeatureGeForce 7800 GTXRadeon HD 8400
TDP
150W-25%
200W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
1x 6-pin
Length
228mm
Height
111mm
Slots
1
0-100%
Temp (Load)
85°C
75-12%
Perf/Watt
1.8+29%
1.4
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 7800 GTX came in at $599, while the Radeon HD 8400 launched at $30. On MSRP, Radeon HD 8400 was 95% cheaper ($569 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 0.4 (GeForce 7800 GTX) vs 9.0 (Radeon HD 8400) — the Radeon HD 8400 offers 2150% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 8400 (2012 vs 2008).

FeatureGeForce 7800 GTXRadeon HD 8400
MSRP
$599
$30-95%
Performance per Dollar
0.4
9.0+2150%
Codename
NB9E-GTX
Pitcairn
Release
July 15 2008
March 5 2012
Ranking
#825
#460

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