GeForce 8800 GS vs Radeon R5 235

NVIDIA

GeForce 8800 GS

2008Core: 500 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon R5 235

2016Core: 780 MHzBoost: 1030 MHz
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GeForce 8800 GS vs Radeon R5 235 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 8800 GS vs Radeon R5 235 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 8800 GS vs Radeon R5 235: 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 8800 GS

2008

Why buy it

  • 33.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 768 MB vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2008 hardware with 768 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 206.1% HIGHER MSRP
    $150 MSRPvs$49 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.2 vs 6.9 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs $49 MSRP).
  • 400% higher power demand at 150W vs 30W.

Radeon R5 235

2016

Why buy it

  • Costs $101 less on MSRP ($49 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
  • Delivers 211.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 6.9 vs 2.2 G3D/$ ($49 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
  • 33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 768 MB).
  • Draws 30W instead of 150W, a 120W reduction.
  • Measures 168mm instead of 229mm, a 61mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce 8800 GS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2016 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce 8800 GS is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 33.7% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon R5 235 instead at 336 vs 330, 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 8800 GS is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon R5 235 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $101 cheaper on MSRP at $49 vs $150, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 211.7% (6.9 vs 2.2), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R5 235 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce 8800 GS has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce 8800 GS vs Radeon R5 235 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce 8800 GS

The GeForce 8800 GS is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in July 15 2008. It features the G9x architecture. The core clock speed is 500 MHz. It has 224 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 65 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 330 points.

AMD

Radeon R5 235

The Radeon R5 235 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 15 2016. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 780 MHz to 1030 MHz. It has 320 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 336 points.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce 8800 GS scores 330 and the Radeon R5 235 reaches 336 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 8800 GS is built on G9x while the Radeon R5 235 uses GCN 1.0, both on 65 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 224 (GeForce 8800 GS) vs 320 (Radeon R5 235).

FeatureGeForce 8800 GSRadeon R5 235
G3D Mark Score
330
336+2%
Architecture
G9x
GCN 1.0
Process Node
65 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
224
320+43%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 8800 GS gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R5 235 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce 8800 GSRadeon R5 235
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 8800 GS has 768 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon R5 235 carries 1 GB. Radeon R5 235 gives you 33.3% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the GeForce 8800 GS and 128-bit on the Radeon R5 235.

FeatureGeForce 8800 GSRadeon R5 235
VRAM Capacity
0.75 GB
1 GB+33%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
64-bit
128-bit+100%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10.0 (GeForce 8800 GS) vs 11.2 (Radeon R5 235). Vulkan: None vs N/A. OpenGL: 3.3 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce 8800 GSRadeon R5 235
DirectX
10.0
11.2+12%
Vulkan
None
N/A
OpenGL
3.3
4.4+33%
Max Displays
2
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (GeForce 8800 GS) vs None (Radeon R5 235). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP2 vs UVD 3.1. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264 (GeForce 8800 GS) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4,MVC (Radeon R5 235).

FeatureGeForce 8800 GSRadeon R5 235
Encoder
No
None
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP2
UVD 3.1
Codecs
MPEG-2,H.264
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4,MVC
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 8800 GS draws 150W versus the Radeon R5 235's 30W — a 133.3% difference. The Radeon R5 235 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 8800 GS) vs 350W (Radeon R5 235). Power connectors: Legacy vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 229mm vs 168mm, occupying 1 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 75.

FeatureGeForce 8800 GSRadeon R5 235
TDP
150W
30W-80%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
Legacy
PCIe-powered
Length
229mm
168mm
Height
111mm
111mm
Slots
1
1
Temp (Load)
85°C
75-12%
Perf/Watt
2.2
11.2+409%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 8800 GS came in at $150, while the Radeon R5 235 launched at $49. On MSRP, Radeon R5 235 was 67.3% cheaper ($101 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.2 (GeForce 8800 GS) vs 6.9 (Radeon R5 235) — the Radeon R5 235 offers 213.6% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R5 235 (2016 vs 2008).

FeatureGeForce 8800 GSRadeon R5 235
MSRP
$150
$49-67%
Performance per Dollar
2.2
6.9+214%
Codename
NB9E-GTX
Jet
Release
July 15 2008
May 15 2016
Ranking
#825
#922

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