GeForce 8800 GTS vs Radeon HD 3850

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 GTS vs Radeon HD 3850 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 GTS vs Radeon HD 3850: 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 GTS

2008

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 3850 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 321 MB vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2008 hardware with 321 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
150.8% HIGHER MSRP
$449 MSRPvs$179 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0.9 vs 2.2 G3D/$ ($449 MSRP vs $179 MSRP).

Radeon HD 3850

2012

Why buy it

✅0.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $270 less on MSRP ($179 MSRP vs $449 MSRP).
✅Delivers 147.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 2.2 vs 0.9 G3D/$ ($179 MSRP vs $449 MSRP).
✅219.5% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 321 MB).
✅Draws 130W instead of 150W, a 20W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌2012 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?

Radeon HD 3850 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 0.2% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce 8800 GTS instead at 407 vs 401, 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 GTS 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 HD 3850 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $270 cheaper on MSRP at $179 vs $449, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 147.1% (2.2 vs 0.9), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 3850 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce 8800 GTS has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce 8800 GTS vs Radeon HD 3850 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce 8800 GTS

The GeForce 8800 GTS 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: 407 points.

Radeon HD 3850

The Radeon HD 3850 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 5 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 130W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 401 points. Launch price was $249.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce 8800 GTS scores 407 and the Radeon HD 3850 reaches 401 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 8800 GTS is built on G9x while the Radeon HD 3850 uses GCN 1.0, both on 65 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 224 (GeForce 8800 GTS) vs 1,024 (Radeon HD 3850).

Feature	GeForce 8800 GTS	Radeon HD 3850
G3D Mark Score	407+1%	401
Architecture	G9x	GCN 1.0
Process Node	65 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	224	1024+357%

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 8800 GTS gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 3850 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce 8800 GTS	Radeon HD 3850
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

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce 8800 GTS has 321 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 3850 carries 1 GB. Radeon HD 3850 gives you 219.5% 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 GTS and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 3850.

Feature	GeForce 8800 GTS	Radeon HD 3850
VRAM Capacity	0.313 GB	1 GB+219%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	64-bit	128-bit+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10.0 (GeForce 8800 GTS) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 3850). OpenGL: 3.3 vs 3.3. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce 8800 GTS	Radeon HD 3850
DirectX	10.0	10.1
OpenGL	3.3	3.3
Max Displays	2	2

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Media & Encoding

Decoder: PureVideo HD VP2 vs UVD+. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264 (GeForce 8800 GTS) vs H.264,VC-1,DivX,MPEG-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 3850).

Feature	GeForce 8800 GTS	Radeon HD 3850
Encoder	No	—
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP2	UVD+
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264	H.264,VC-1,DivX,MPEG-1,MPEG-2

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 8800 GTS draws 150W versus the Radeon HD 3850's 130W — a 14.3% difference. The Radeon HD 3850 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 8800 GTS) vs 450W (Radeon HD 3850). Power connectors: Legacy vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 229mm vs 208mm, occupying 2 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: 95°C vs 80°C.

Feature	GeForce 8800 GTS	Radeon HD 3850
TDP	150W	130W-13%
Recommended PSU	350W-22%	450W
Power Connector	Legacy	1x 6-pin
Length	229mm	208mm
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	1-50%
Temp (Load)	95°C	80°C-16%
Perf/Watt	2.7	3.1+15%

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Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 8800 GTS came in at $449, while the Radeon HD 3850 launched at $179. On MSRP, Radeon HD 3850 was 60.1% cheaper ($270 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 0.9 (GeForce 8800 GTS) vs 2.2 (Radeon HD 3850) — the Radeon HD 3850 offers 144.4% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 3850 (2012 vs 2008).

Feature	GeForce 8800 GTS	Radeon HD 3850
MSRP	$449	$179-60%
Performance per Dollar	0.9	2.2+144%
Codename	NB9E-GTX	Pitcairn
Release	July 15 2008	March 5 2012
Ranking	#825	#503

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