GeForce 9650M GS vs Radeon HD 8330E

NVIDIA

GeForce 9650M GS

2012Core: 790 MHzBoost: 835 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 8330E

2010Core: 800 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce 9650M GS vs Radeon HD 8330E 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 9650M GS vs Radeon HD 8330E 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 9650M GS vs Radeon HD 8330E: 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 9650M GS

2012

Why buy it

  • 3.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Draws 30W instead of 175W, a 145W reduction.
  • More future proof: Kepler (2012−2018) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 2012 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 563.3% HIGHER MSRP
    $199 MSRPvs$30 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.4 vs 8.7 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $30 MSRP).

Radeon HD 8330E

2010

Why buy it

  • Costs $169 less on MSRP ($30 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
  • Delivers 543.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 8.7 vs 1.4 G3D/$ ($30 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce 9650M GS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2010 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 483.3% higher power demand at 175W vs 30W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce 9650M GS is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 3.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 3.1% in PassMark G3D (270 vs 262), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce 9650M GS is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2012 generation instead of 2010. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon HD 8330E makes the most sense to buy today. It is $169 cheaper on MSRP at $30 vs $199, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 543.7% (8.7 vs 1.4), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 8330E is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce 9650M GS has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce 9650M GS vs Radeon HD 8330E Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce 9650M GS

The GeForce 9650M GS is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 22 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 790 MHz to 835 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 270 points.

AMD

Radeon HD 8330E

The Radeon HD 8330E is manufactured by AMD. It was released in February 25 2010. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 800 MHz. It has 1120 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 175W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 262 points.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce 9650M GS scores 270 and the Radeon HD 8330E reaches 262 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 9650M GS is built on Kepler while the Radeon HD 8330E uses TeraScale 2, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 768 (GeForce 9650M GS) vs 1,120 (Radeon HD 8330E).

FeatureGeForce 9650M GSRadeon HD 8330E
G3D Mark Score
270+3%
262
Architecture
Kepler
TeraScale 2
Process Node
28 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
768
1120+46%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 9650M GS gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 8330E leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce 9650M GSRadeon HD 8330E
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)

Both cards ship with 512 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce 9650M GS and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 8330E.

FeatureGeForce 9650M GSRadeon HD 8330E
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.1 (10_0) (GeForce 9650M GS) vs 12 (FL12_0) (Radeon HD 8330E). OpenGL: 3.3 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce 9650M GSRadeon HD 8330E
DirectX
11.1 (10_0)
12 (FL12_0)+8%
OpenGL
3.3
4.6+39%
Max Displays
2
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No NVENC (G84) (GeForce 9650M GS) vs UVD 4.2 (Radeon HD 8330E). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP2 vs VCE 2.0. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,WMV9 (GeForce 9650M GS) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Radeon HD 8330E).

FeatureGeForce 9650M GSRadeon HD 8330E
Encoder
No NVENC (G84)
UVD 4.2
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP2
VCE 2.0
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,WMV9
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 9650M GS draws 30W versus the Radeon HD 8330E's 175W — a 141.5% difference. The GeForce 9650M GS is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 9650M GS) vs 350W (Radeon HD 8330E). Power connectors: Legacy vs 1x 6-pin. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 75°C.

FeatureGeForce 9650M GSRadeon HD 8330E
TDP
30W-83%
175W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
Legacy
1x 6-pin
Length
0mm
Height
0mm
Slots
0
0
Temp (Load)
85°C
75°C-12%
Perf/Watt
9.0+500%
1.5
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 9650M GS came in at $199, while the Radeon HD 8330E launched at $30. On MSRP, Radeon HD 8330E was 84.9% cheaper ($169 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.4 (GeForce 9650M GS) vs 8.7 (Radeon HD 8330E) — the Radeon HD 8330E offers 521.4% better value. The newer card here is GeForce 9650M GS (2012 vs 2010).

FeatureGeForce 9650M GSRadeon HD 8330E
MSRP
$199
$30-85%
Performance per Dollar
1.4
8.7+521%
Codename
N13E-GE
Cypress
Release
March 22 2012
February 25 2010
Ranking
#690
#724

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