GeForce 820A vs Radeon HD 3870
GeForce 820A
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Radeon HD 3870
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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 820A is positioned at rank 452 and the Radeon HD 3870 is on rank 298, so the Radeon HD 3870 offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar GeForce 820A
Performance Per Dollar Radeon HD 3870
Performance Comparison
About G3D Mark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
The GeForce 820A is the superior choice for raw performance. It leads with a 0.7% higher G3D Mark score. However, the Radeon HD 3870 offers more VRAM, which may be beneficial for texture-heavy scenarios at higher resolutions.
| Insight | GeForce 820A | Radeon HD 3870 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | — | — |
💎 Value Proposition
The Radeon HD 3870 offers a compelling cost-to-performance ratio. While both GPUs are considered legacy components by modern standards, the Radeon HD 3870 holds the technical lead. Priced at $15 (vs $30), it costs 50% less, resulting in a 98.6% higher cost efficiency score.
| Insight | GeForce 820A | Radeon HD 3870 |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ❌Lower cost efficiency | ✅Better overall value (+98.6%) |
| Upfront Cost | ⚠️Higher upfront cost ($30) | ✅More affordable ($15) |
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 820A and Radeon HD 3870
GeForce 820A
The GeForce 820A 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: 556 points.
Radeon HD 3870
The Radeon HD 3870 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: 552 points. Launch price was $349.
Graphics Performance
The GeForce 820A scores 556 and the Radeon HD 3870 reaches 552 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 820A is built on Maxwell while the Radeon HD 3870 uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 256 (GeForce 820A) vs 1,280 (Radeon HD 3870). Raw compute: 0.5888 TFLOPS (GeForce 820A) vs 2.56 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 3870).
| Feature | GeForce 820A | Radeon HD 3870 |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 556 | 552 |
| Architecture | Maxwell | GCN 1.0 |
| Process Node | 28 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 256 | 1280+400% |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 0.5888 TFLOPS | 2.56 TFLOPS+335% |
| ROPs | 8 | 32+300% |
| TMUs | 16 | 80+400% |
| L1 Cache | 128 KB | 320 KB+150% |
| L2 Cache | 1 MB+100% | 0.5 MB |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
| Feature | GeForce 820A | Radeon HD 3870 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 820A comes with 512 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 3870 has 1 GB. The Radeon HD 3870 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 128-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce 820A) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 3870) — the GeForce 820A has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce 820A | Radeon HD 3870 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Media & Encoding
Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce 820A) vs H.264 (Radeon HD 3870).
| Feature | GeForce 820A | Radeon HD 3870 |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | N/A | — |
| Decoder | PureVideo HD (VP5) | — |
| Codecs | H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 | H.264 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce 820A draws 33W versus the Radeon HD 3870's 200W — a 143.3% difference. The GeForce 820A is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 820A) vs 300W (Radeon HD 3870). Power connectors: Legacy vs 1x 6-pin.
| Feature | GeForce 820A | Radeon HD 3870 |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 33W-84% | 200W |
| Recommended PSU | 350W | 300W-14% |
| Power Connector | Legacy | 1x 6-pin |
| Length | 0mm | — |
| Height | 0mm | — |
| Slots | 0 | — |
| Temp (Load) | 70 | — |
| Perf/Watt | 16.8+500% | 2.8 |
Value Analysis
The GeForce 820A launched at $100 MSRP and currently averages $30, while the Radeon HD 3870 launched at $219 and now averages $15. The Radeon HD 3870 costs 50% less ($15 savings) at current market prices. Performance per dollar (G3D Mark / price): 18.5 (GeForce 820A) vs 36.8 (Radeon HD 3870) — the Radeon HD 3870 offers 98.9% better value. The GeForce 820A is the newer GPU (2014 vs 2012).
| Feature | GeForce 820A | Radeon HD 3870 |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $100-54% | $219 |
| Avg Price (30d) | $30 | $15-50% |
| Performance per Dollar | 18.5 | 36.8+99% |
| Codename | GM108 | Pitcairn |
| Release | July 22 2014 | March 5 2012 |
| Ranking | #832 | #460 |
Top Performing GPUs
The most powerful gpus ranked by G3D Mark benchmark scores.
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