GeForce 800A vs Radeon HD 3850 AGP
GeForce 800A
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Radeon HD 3850 AGP
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Performance Spectrum - GPU
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.
Value Upgrade Path
This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (G3D Mark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money. The GeForce 800A is positioned at rank 504 and the Radeon HD 3850 AGP is on rank 283, so the Radeon HD 3850 AGP offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar GeForce 800A
Performance Per Dollar Radeon HD 3850 AGP
Performance Comparison
About G3D Mark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
The GeForce 800A is the superior choice for raw performance. It leads with a 0.7% higher G3D Mark score. However, the Radeon HD 3850 AGP offers more VRAM, which may be beneficial for texture-heavy scenarios at higher resolutions.
| Insight | GeForce 800A | Radeon HD 3850 AGP |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | ✅Leading raw performance (+0.7%) | ❌Lower raw frame rates (-0.7%) |
| Longevity | 🛑Obsolete Architecture (2014 / Maxwell (2014−2017)) | 🛑Obsolete Architecture (2012 / GCN 1.0 (2012−2020)) |
| Ecosystem | Supports FSR Upscaling | Supports FSR Upscaling |
| VRAM | ❌ Less VRAM capacity | ✅ More VRAM (+100%) |
| Efficiency | 💡 Excellent Perf/Watt | ⚡ Higher Power Consumption |
| Case Fit | — | 📏 Compact / SFF Friendly |
💎 Value Proposition
The GeForce 800A offers a compelling cost-to-performance ratio. While both GPUs are considered legacy components by modern standards, the GeForce 800A holds the technical lead. Priced at $30 (vs $130), it costs 77% less, resulting in a 336.3% higher cost efficiency score.
| Insight | GeForce 800A | Radeon HD 3850 AGP |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ✅Better overall value (+336.3%) | ❌Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | ✅More affordable ($30) | ⚠️Higher upfront cost ($130) |
Performance Check
Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 7800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.
Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.
Technical Specifications
Side-by-side comparison of GeForce 800A and Radeon HD 3850 AGP
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)
| Feature | GeForce 800A | Radeon HD 3850 AGP |
|---|---|---|
| Upscaling Tech | FSR 1.0 (Software) | FSR 1.0 (Software) |
| Frame Generation | Not Supported | Not Supported |
| Ray Reconstruction | No | No |
| Low Latency | Standard | AMD Anti-Lag |
Video Memory (VRAM)
The GeForce 800A comes with 512 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 3850 AGP has 1 GB. The Radeon HD 3850 AGP offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 128-bit vs 128-bit. 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
The GeForce 800A launched at $100 MSRP and currently averages $30, while the Radeon HD 3850 AGP launched at $130 and now averages $130. The GeForce 800A costs 76.9% less ($100 savings) at current market prices. Performance per dollar (G3D Mark / price): 14.5 (GeForce 800A) vs 3.3 (Radeon HD 3850 AGP) — the GeForce 800A offers 339.4% better value. The GeForce 800A is the newer GPU (2014 vs 2012).
| Feature | GeForce 800A | Radeon HD 3850 AGP |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $100-23% | $130 |
| Avg Price (30d) | $30-77% | $130 |
| Performance per Dollar | 14.5+339% | 3.3 |
| Codename | GM108 | Pitcairn |
| Release | July 22 2014 | March 5 2012 |
| Ranking | #832 | #503 |
Top Performing GPUs
The most powerful gpus ranked by G3D Mark benchmark scores.
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