GeForce 8300 GS vs Radeon HD 3470

NVIDIA

GeForce 8300 GS

2014Core: 1082 MHzBoost: 1150 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 3470

2008Core: 750 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce 8300 GS vs Radeon HD 3470 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 8300 GS vs Radeon HD 3470 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 8300 GS vs Radeon HD 3470: 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 8300 GS

2014

Why buy it

  • 0.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $10 less on MSRP ($50 MSRP vs $60 MSRP).
  • Delivers 17.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 2.3 vs 1.9 G3D/$ ($50 MSRP vs $60 MSRP).
  • Draws 33W instead of 150W, a 117W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • 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 3470

2008

Why buy it

  • Measures 168mm instead of 170mm, a 2mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce 8300 GS 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.
  • 20% HIGHER MSRP
    $60 MSRPvs$50 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.9 vs 2.3 G3D/$ ($60 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).
  • 354.5% higher power demand at 150W vs 33W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce 8300 GS is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 0.7% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon HD 3470 instead at 117 vs 115, 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 8300 GS is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 55nm and a newer 2014 generation instead of 2008. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce 8300 GS makes the most sense to buy today. It is $10 cheaper on MSRP at $50 vs $60, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 17.9% (2.3 vs 1.9), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce 8300 GS vs Radeon HD 3470 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce 8300 GS

The GeForce 8300 GS 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: 115 points.

AMD

Radeon HD 3470

The Radeon HD 3470 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 25 2008. It features the TeraScale architecture. The core clock speed is 750 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 117 points. Launch price was $299.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce 8300 GS scores 115 and the Radeon HD 3470 reaches 117 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 8300 GS is built on Maxwell while the Radeon HD 3470 uses TeraScale, both on 28 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 256 (GeForce 8300 GS) vs 800 (Radeon HD 3470). Raw compute: 0.5888 TFLOPS (GeForce 8300 GS) vs 1.2 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 3470).

FeatureGeForce 8300 GSRadeon HD 3470
G3D Mark Score
115
117+2%
Architecture
Maxwell
TeraScale
Process Node
28 nm
55 nm
Shading Units
256
800+213%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.5888 TFLOPS
1.2 TFLOPS+104%
ROPs
8
16+100%
TMUs
16
40+150%
L1 Cache
128 KB
160 KB+25%
L2 Cache
1 MB+300%
0.25 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 8300 GS gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 3470 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce 8300 GSRadeon HD 3470
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 8300 GS and 64-bit on the Radeon HD 3470. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce 8300 GS) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon HD 3470) — the GeForce 8300 GS has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce 8300 GSRadeon HD 3470
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: 10.0 (GeForce 8300 GS) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 3470). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce 8300 GSRadeon HD 3470
DirectX
10.0
10.1
Max Displays
2
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (GeForce 8300 GS) vs UVD (Radeon HD 3470). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP2 vs UVD.

FeatureGeForce 8300 GSRadeon HD 3470
Encoder
No
UVD
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP2
UVD
Codecs
MPEG-2,H.264
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 8300 GS draws 33W versus the Radeon HD 3470's 150W — a 127.9% difference. The GeForce 8300 GS is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 8300 GS) vs 350W (Radeon HD 3470). Power connectors: Legacy vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 170mm vs 168mm, occupying 1 vs 1 slots.

FeatureGeForce 8300 GSRadeon HD 3470
TDP
33W-78%
150W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
Legacy
1x 6-pin
Length
170mm
168mm
Height
106mm
Slots
1
1
Temp (Load)
65°C
Perf/Watt
3.5+338%
0.8
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 8300 GS came in at $50, while the Radeon HD 3470 launched at $60. On MSRP, GeForce 8300 GS was 16.7% cheaper ($10 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.3 (GeForce 8300 GS) vs 1.9 (Radeon HD 3470) — the GeForce 8300 GS offers 21.1% better value. The newer card here is GeForce 8300 GS (2014 vs 2008).

FeatureGeForce 8300 GSRadeon HD 3470
MSRP
$50-17%
$60
Performance per Dollar
2.3+21%
1.9
Codename
GM108
RV770
Release
July 22 2014
June 25 2008
Ranking
#832
#784

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