GeForce 9650M GS vs Radeon HD 8400E

NVIDIA

GeForce 9650M GS

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

Radeon HD 8400E

2012Core: 1000 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce 9650M GS vs Radeon HD 8400E 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 8400E 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 8400E: 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

  • Draws 30W instead of 200W, a 170W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 8400E across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 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$30 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.4 vs 9.2 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $30 MSRP).

Radeon HD 8400E

2012

Why buy it

  • 1.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $169 less on MSRP ($30 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
  • Delivers 578.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 9.2 vs 1.4 G3D/$ ($30 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).

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.
  • 566.7% higher power demand at 200W vs 30W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD 8400E is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 1.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.2% in PassMark G3D (276 vs 270), 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 because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon HD 8400E makes the most sense to buy today. It is $169 cheaper on MSRP at $30 vs $199, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 578.1% (9.2 vs 1.4), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 8400E 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 8400E 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 8400E

The Radeon HD 8400E is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 5 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 276 points. Launch price was $349.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce 9650M GS scores 270 and the Radeon HD 8400E reaches 276 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 9650M GS is built on Kepler while the Radeon HD 8400E uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 768 (GeForce 9650M GS) vs 1,280 (Radeon HD 8400E).

FeatureGeForce 9650M GSRadeon HD 8400E
G3D Mark Score
270
276+2%
Architecture
Kepler
GCN 1.0
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
768
1280+67%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 9650M GS gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 8400E leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce 9650M GSRadeon HD 8400E
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 8400E.

FeatureGeForce 9650M GSRadeon HD 8400E
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 9650M GS draws 30W versus the Radeon HD 8400E's 200W — a 147.8% difference. The GeForce 9650M GS is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 9650M GS) vs 350W (Radeon HD 8400E). Power connectors: Legacy vs 1x 6-pin.

FeatureGeForce 9650M GSRadeon HD 8400E
TDP
30W-85%
200W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
Legacy
1x 6-pin
Slots
0
Temp (Load)
85°C
Perf/Watt
9.0+543%
1.4
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 9650M GS came in at $199, while the Radeon HD 8400E launched at $30. On MSRP, Radeon HD 8400E was 84.9% cheaper ($169 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.4 (GeForce 9650M GS) vs 9.2 (Radeon HD 8400E) — the Radeon HD 8400E offers 557.1% better value.

FeatureGeForce 9650M GSRadeon HD 8400E
MSRP
$199
$30-85%
Performance per Dollar
1.4
9.2+557%
Codename
N13E-GE
Pitcairn
Release
March 22 2012
March 5 2012
Ranking
#690
#460

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