GeForce 840A vs Radeon HD 4850 X2

NVIDIA

GeForce 840A

2014Core: 1029 MHzBoost: 1124 MHz
VS
AMD

Radeon HD 4850 X2

2008Core: 625 MHz

GeForce 840A vs Radeon HD 4850 X2 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 840A vs Radeon HD 4850 X2 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 840A vs Radeon HD 4850 X2: 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 840A

2014

Why buy it

  • 25.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $299 less on MSRP ($100 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
  • Delivers 293% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 11.2 vs 2.8 G3D/$ ($100 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
  • Draws 33W instead of 250W, a 217W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • 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 4850 X2

2008

Why buy it

  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 512 MB).

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce 840A across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2008 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 299% HIGHER MSRP
    $399 MSRPvs$100 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.8 vs 11.2 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).
  • 657.6% higher power demand at 250W vs 33W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce 840A is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 25.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon HD 4850 X2 instead at 1,132 vs 1,115, 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 840A 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 840A makes the most sense to buy today. It is $299 cheaper on MSRP at $100 vs $399, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 293% (11.2 vs 2.8), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce 840A vs Radeon HD 4850 X2 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce 840A

The GeForce 840A is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 17 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: 1,115 points.

AMD

Radeon HD 4850 X2

The Radeon HD 4850 X2 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 7 2008. It features the TeraScale architecture. The core clock speed is 625 MHz. It has 800 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,132 points. Launch price was $420.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce 840A scores 1,115 and the Radeon HD 4850 X2 reaches 1,132 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 840A is built on Maxwell while the Radeon HD 4850 X2 uses TeraScale, both on 28 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce 840A) vs 800 (Radeon HD 4850 X2). Raw compute: 0.8632 TFLOPS (GeForce 840A) vs 1 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 4850 X2).

FeatureGeForce 840ARadeon HD 4850 X2
G3D Mark Score
1,115
1,132+2%
Architecture
Maxwell
TeraScale
Process Node
28 nm
55 nm
Shading Units
384
800 ×2+108%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.8632 TFLOPS
1 TFLOPS ×2+16%
ROPs
8
16 ×2+100%
TMUs
16
40 ×2+150%
L1 Cache
192 KB+20%
160 KB
L2 Cache
1 MB+300%
0.25 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 840A gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 4850 X2 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce 840ARadeon HD 4850 X2
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 840A has 512 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 4850 X2 carries 1 GB. Radeon HD 4850 X2 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 840A and 64-bit on the Radeon HD 4850 X2. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce 840A) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon HD 4850 X2) — the GeForce 840A has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce 840ARadeon HD 4850 X2
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
1 GB+100%
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: 12 (11_0) (GeForce 840A) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 4850 X2). Vulkan: 1.1 vs N/A. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 3.3. Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce 840ARadeon HD 4850 X2
DirectX
12 (11_0)+19%
10.1
Vulkan
1.1
N/A
OpenGL
4.5+36%
3.3
Max Displays
3
4+33%
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Maxwell) (GeForce 840A) vs None (Radeon HD 4850 X2). Decoder: NVDEC (Maxwell) vs UVD 2.2. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce 840A) vs MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264 (Radeon HD 4850 X2).

FeatureGeForce 840ARadeon HD 4850 X2
Encoder
NVENC (Maxwell)
None
Decoder
NVDEC (Maxwell)
UVD 2.2
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 840A draws 33W versus the Radeon HD 4850 X2's 250W — a 153.4% difference. The GeForce 840A is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 840A) vs 500W (Radeon HD 4850 X2). Power connectors: Legacy vs 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 95.

FeatureGeForce 840ARadeon HD 4850 X2
TDP
33W-87%
250W
Recommended PSU
350W-30%
500W
Power Connector
Legacy
1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
Length
267mm
Height
111mm
Slots
2
Temp (Load)
75°C-21%
95
Perf/Watt
33.8+651%
4.5
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 840A came in at $100, while the Radeon HD 4850 X2 launched at $399. On MSRP, GeForce 840A was 74.9% cheaper ($299 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 11.2 (GeForce 840A) vs 2.8 (Radeon HD 4850 X2) — the GeForce 840A offers 300% better value. The newer card here is GeForce 840A (2014 vs 2008).

FeatureGeForce 840ARadeon HD 4850 X2
MSRP
$100-75%
$399
Performance per Dollar
11.2+300%
2.8
Codename
GM108
R700
Release
March 17 2014
November 7 2008
Ranking
#850
#848

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.