GeForce 8400M GS vs Mobility Radeon X1700

NVIDIA

GeForce 8400M GS

2014Core: 1029 MHzBoost: 1124 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Mobility Radeon X1700

2010Core: 700 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce 8400M GS vs Mobility Radeon X1700 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 8400M GS vs Mobility Radeon X1700: 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 8400M GS

2014

Why buy it

  • Draws 33W instead of 50W, a 17W reduction.
  • More future proof: Maxwell (2014−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 128 MB vs 256 MB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2014 hardware with 128 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 2% HIGHER MSRP
    $50 MSRPvs$49 MSRP

Mobility Radeon X1700

2010

Why buy it

  • Costs $1 less on MSRP ($49 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (256 MB vs 128 MB).

Trade-offs

  • 2010 hardware with 256 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 51.5% higher power demand at 50W vs 33W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Mobility Radeon X1700 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 1% in PassMark G3D (105 vs 104), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce 8400M GS is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2014 generation instead of 2010. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Mobility Radeon X1700 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $1 cheaper on MSRP at $49 vs $50, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 3% (2.1 vs 2.1), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Mobility Radeon X1700 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce 8400M GS has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce 8400M GS vs Mobility Radeon X1700 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce 8400M GS

The GeForce 8400M GS is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 12 2014. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 1029 MHz to 1124 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 33W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 104 points.

AMD

Mobility Radeon X1700

The Mobility Radeon X1700 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 7 2010. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 700 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 105 points.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce 8400M GS scores 104 and the Mobility Radeon X1700 reaches 105 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 8400M GS is built on Maxwell while the Mobility Radeon X1700 uses TeraScale 2, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce 8400M GS) vs 800 (Mobility Radeon X1700). Raw compute: 0.8632 TFLOPS (GeForce 8400M GS) vs 1.12 TFLOPS (Mobility Radeon X1700).

FeatureGeForce 8400M GSMobility Radeon X1700
G3D Mark Score
104
105
Architecture
Maxwell
TeraScale 2
Process Node
28 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
384
800+108%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.8632 TFLOPS
1.12 TFLOPS+30%
ROPs
8
16+100%
TMUs
16
40+150%
L1 Cache
192 KB+140%
80 KB
L2 Cache
1 MB+300%
0.25 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 8400M GS gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Mobility Radeon X1700 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce 8400M GSMobility Radeon X1700
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 8400M GS has 128 MB of VRAM, while the Mobility Radeon X1700 carries 256 MB. Mobility Radeon X1700 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 8400M GS and 128-bit on the Mobility Radeon X1700. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce 8400M GS) vs 0.25 MB (Mobility Radeon X1700) — the GeForce 8400M GS has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce 8400M GSMobility Radeon X1700
VRAM Capacity
0.125 GB
0.25 GB+100%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
L2 Cache
1 MB+300%
0.25 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10_0 (GeForce 8400M GS) vs 9.0c (Mobility Radeon X1700). OpenGL: 3.3 vs 2.0. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce 8400M GSMobility Radeon X1700
DirectX
10_0+11%
9.0c
OpenGL
3.3+65%
2.0
Max Displays
2
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: PureVideo (GeForce 8400M GS) vs Avivo (Mobility Radeon X1700). Decoder: PureVideo vs Avivo. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,WMV9 (GeForce 8400M GS) vs MPEG-2,VC-1 (Mobility Radeon X1700).

FeatureGeForce 8400M GSMobility Radeon X1700
Encoder
PureVideo
Avivo
Decoder
PureVideo
Avivo
Codecs
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,WMV9
MPEG-2,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 8400M GS draws 33W versus the Mobility Radeon X1700's 50W — a 41% difference. The GeForce 8400M GS is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 8400M GS) vs 350W (Mobility Radeon X1700). Power connectors: Legacy vs PCIe-powered. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 80°C.

FeatureGeForce 8400M GSMobility Radeon X1700
TDP
33W-34%
50W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
Legacy
PCIe-powered
Slots
0
Temp (Load)
80°C
80°C
Perf/Watt
3.2+52%
2.1
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 8400M GS came in at $50, while the Mobility Radeon X1700 launched at $49. On MSRP, Mobility Radeon X1700 was 2% cheaper ($1 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.1 (GeForce 8400M GS) vs 2.1 (Mobility Radeon X1700) — the Mobility Radeon X1700 offers 0% better value. The newer card here is GeForce 8400M GS (2014 vs 2010).

FeatureGeForce 8400M GSMobility Radeon X1700
MSRP
$50
$49-2%
Performance per Dollar
2.1
2.1
Codename
GM108
Broadway
Release
March 12 2014
January 7 2010
Ranking
#854
#846

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