GeForce 9500M vs Mobility Radeon HD 3430

NVIDIA

GeForce 9500M

2015Core: 928 MHzBoost: 1020 MHz
VS
AMD

Mobility Radeon HD 3430

2009Core: 550 MHz

GeForce 9500M vs Mobility Radeon HD 3430 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 9500M vs Mobility Radeon HD 3430: 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 9500M

2015

Why buy it

  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (512 MB vs 256 MB).
  • More future proof: Maxwell (2014−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 2015 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 2.0 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $49 MSRP).
  • 150% higher power demand at 75W vs 30W.

Mobility Radeon HD 3430

2009

Why buy it

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 2.0 vs 0 G3D/$ ($49 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • Draws 30W instead of 75W, a 45W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 256 MB vs 512 MB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2009 hardware with 256 MB 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 9500M is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 6.1% in PassMark G3D (104 vs 98), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce 9500M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 512 MB vs 256 MB of VRAM, a 28nm process instead of 55nm, and a newer 2015 generation instead of 2009. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Mobility Radeon HD 3430 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Mobility Radeon HD 3430 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce 9500M has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce 9500M vs Mobility Radeon HD 3430 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce 9500M

The GeForce 9500M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in October 27 2015. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 928 MHz to 1020 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 104 points.

AMD

Mobility Radeon HD 3430

The Mobility Radeon HD 3430 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 9 2009. It features the TeraScale architecture. The core clock speed is 550 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 98 points.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce 9500M scores 104 versus the Mobility Radeon HD 3430's 98 — the GeForce 9500M leads by 6.1%. The GeForce 9500M is built on Maxwell while the Mobility Radeon HD 3430 uses TeraScale, both on 28 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 640 (GeForce 9500M) vs 800 (Mobility Radeon HD 3430). Raw compute: 1.306 TFLOPS (GeForce 9500M) vs 0.88 TFLOPS (Mobility Radeon HD 3430).

FeatureGeForce 9500MMobility Radeon HD 3430
G3D Mark Score
104+6%
98
Architecture
Maxwell
TeraScale
Process Node
28 nm
55 nm
Shading Units
640
800+25%
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.306 TFLOPS+48%
0.88 TFLOPS
ROPs
16
16
TMUs
40
40
L1 Cache
320 KB+100%
160 KB
L2 Cache
2 MB+700%
0.25 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 9500M gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Mobility Radeon HD 3430 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce 9500MMobility Radeon HD 3430
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 9500M has 512 MB of VRAM, while the Mobility Radeon HD 3430 carries 256 MB. GeForce 9500M 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 9500M and 64-bit on the Mobility Radeon HD 3430. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce 9500M) vs 0.25 MB (Mobility Radeon HD 3430) — the GeForce 9500M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce 9500MMobility Radeon HD 3430
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB+100%
0.25 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit+100%
64-bit
L2 Cache
2 MB+700%
0.25 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.1 (10_0) (GeForce 9500M) vs 10.1 (Mobility Radeon HD 3430). OpenGL: 3.3 vs 3.3. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce 9500MMobility Radeon HD 3430
DirectX
11.1 (10_0)+10%
10.1
OpenGL
3.3
3.3
Max Displays
2
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No NVENC (G84) (GeForce 9500M) vs Avivo HD (Mobility Radeon HD 3430). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP3 vs UVD. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce 9500M) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Mobility Radeon HD 3430).

FeatureGeForce 9500MMobility Radeon HD 3430
Encoder
No NVENC (G84)
Avivo HD
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP3
UVD
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 9500M draws 75W versus the Mobility Radeon HD 3430's 30W — a 85.7% difference. The Mobility Radeon HD 3430 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 9500M) vs 350W (Mobility Radeon HD 3430). Power connectors: Legacy vs PCIe-powered.

FeatureGeForce 9500MMobility Radeon HD 3430
TDP
75W
30W-60%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
Legacy
PCIe-powered
Slots
0-100%
1
Temp (Load)
85°C
Perf/Watt
1.4
3.3+136%
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce 9500M (2015 vs 2009).

FeatureGeForce 9500MMobility Radeon HD 3430
MSRP
$49
Codename
GM107
M98
Release
October 27 2015
January 9 2009
Ranking
#671
#927

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