GeForce 800A vs Radeon HD 3850 AGP

CPU

GPU

GeForce 800A

2014Core: 1082 MHzBoost: 1150 MHz

Similar parts

·······

Buy on Amazon

Radeon HD 3850 AGP

2012Boost: 1000 MHz

Similar parts

·······

Buy on Amazon

GeForce 800A vs Radeon HD 3850 AGP Performance Spectrum

GeForce 800A

0.5 GB 33

435

+0.7%

GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER

Radeon HD 3850 AGP

1 GB 130

432

0.0%

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 800A vs Radeon HD 3850 AGP 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 800A vs Radeon HD 3850 AGP: 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 800A

2014

Why buy it

✅Costs $30 less on MSRP ($100 MSRP vs $130 MSRP).
✅Delivers 30.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 4.3 vs 3.3 G3D/$ ($100 MSRP vs $130 MSRP).
✅Draws 33W instead of 130W, a 97W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 3850 AGP across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2014 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 3850 AGP

2012

Why buy it

✅19.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 512 MB).

Trade-offs

❌2012 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
30% HIGHER MSRP
$130 MSRPvs$100 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 3.3 vs 4.3 G3D/$ ($130 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).
❌293.9% higher power demand at 130W vs 33W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 3850 AGP is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 19.2% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce 800A instead at 435 vs 432, 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 800A is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a newer 2014 generation instead of 2012. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce 800A makes the most sense to buy today. It is $30 cheaper on MSRP at $100 vs $130, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 30.9% (4.3 vs 3.3), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon HD 3850 AGP still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce 800A vs Radeon HD 3850 AGP Technical Specifications

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

GeForce 800A

The GeForce 800A 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: 435 points.

Radeon HD 3850 AGP

The Radeon HD 3850 AGP is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 5 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 130W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 432 points. Launch price was $249.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce 800A scores 435 and the Radeon HD 3850 AGP reaches 432 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 800A is built on Maxwell while the Radeon HD 3850 AGP uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 256 (GeForce 800A) vs 1,024 (Radeon HD 3850 AGP). Raw compute: 0.5888 TFLOPS (GeForce 800A) vs 1.761 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 3850 AGP). Boost clocks: 1150 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	GeForce 800A	Radeon HD 3850 AGP
G3D Mark Score	435	432
Architecture	Maxwell	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	256	1024+300%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.5888 TFLOPS	1.761 TFLOPS+199%
Boost Clock	1150 MHz+15%	1000 MHz
ROPs	8	32+300%
TMUs	16	64+300%
L1 Cache	128 KB	256 KB+100%
L2 Cache	1 MB+100%	0.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 800A gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 3850 AGP leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce 800A	Radeon HD 3850 AGP
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 800A has 512 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 3850 AGP carries 1 GB. Radeon HD 3850 AGP 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 800A and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 3850 AGP. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce 800A) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 3850 AGP) — the GeForce 800A has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce 800A	Radeon HD 3850 AGP
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	1 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	1 MB+100%	0.5 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce 800A) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 3850 AGP). Vulkan: N/A vs N/A. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 3.3. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce 800A	Radeon HD 3850 AGP
DirectX	12 (11_0)+19%	10.1
Vulkan	N/A	N/A
OpenGL	4.6+39%	3.3
Max Displays	2	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (GeForce 800A) vs None (Radeon HD 3850 AGP). Decoder: VP5 vs UVD 1.0. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce 800A) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 3850 AGP).

Feature	GeForce 800A	Radeon HD 3850 AGP
Encoder	NVENC	None
Decoder	VP5	UVD 1.0
Codecs	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 800A draws 33W versus the Radeon HD 3850 AGP's 130W — a 119% difference. The GeForce 800A is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 800A) vs 450W (Radeon HD 3850 AGP). Power connectors: Legacy vs 8-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 230mm, occupying 0 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: 85 vs 80.

Feature	GeForce 800A	Radeon HD 3850 AGP
TDP	33W-75%	130W
Recommended PSU	350W-22%	450W
Power Connector	Legacy	8-pin
Length	0mm	230mm
Height	0mm	111mm
Slots	0-100%	1
Temp (Load)	85	80-6%
Perf/Watt	13.2+300%	3.3

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 800A came in at $100, while the Radeon HD 3850 AGP launched at $130. On MSRP, GeForce 800A was 23.1% cheaper ($30 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 4.3 (GeForce 800A) vs 3.3 (Radeon HD 3850 AGP) — the GeForce 800A offers 30.3% better value. The newer card here is GeForce 800A (2014 vs 2012).

Feature	GeForce 800A	Radeon HD 3850 AGP
MSRP	$100-23%	$130
Performance per Dollar	4.3+30%	3.3
Codename	GM108	Pitcairn
Release	July 22 2014	March 5 2012
Ranking	#832	#503

Search GeForce 800A on Amazon

Search Radeon HD 3850 AGP 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.