GeForce 9650M GT vs Radeon X1800 GTO

NVIDIA

GeForce 9650M GT

2015Core: 928 MHzBoost: 1020 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon X1800 GTO

2020Core: 1825 MHzBoost: 2250 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce 9650M GT vs Radeon X1800 GTO 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 GT vs Radeon X1800 GTO 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 GT vs Radeon X1800 GTO: 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 GT

2015

Why buy it

  • Costs $149 less on MSRP ($100 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
  • Delivers 141.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 1.4 vs 0.6 G3D/$ ($100 MSRP vs $249 MSRP).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 512 MB).
  • Draws 75W instead of 300W, a 225W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon X1800 GTO across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2015 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon X1800 GTO

2020

Why buy it

  • 2.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • GeForce 9650M GT is already obsolete for modern gaming, so Radeon X1800 GTO is the less risky modern option long term.
  • More future proof: RDNA 2.0 (2020−2025) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • Older hardware, 512 MB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.
  • 149% HIGHER MSRP
    $249 MSRPvs$100 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0.6 vs 1.4 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).
  • 300% higher power demand at 300W vs 75W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon X1800 GTO is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 2.7% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.9% in PassMark G3D (141 vs 137), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon X1800 GTO is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer upscaling stack, FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 7nm process instead of 28nm, 72 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2020 generation instead of 2015. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce 9650M GT makes the most sense to buy today. It is $149 cheaper on MSRP at $100 vs $249, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 141.9% (1.4 vs 0.6), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, GeForce 9650M GT is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon X1800 GTO has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce 9650M GT vs Radeon X1800 GTO Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce 9650M GT

The GeForce 9650M GT 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: 137 points.

AMD

Radeon X1800 GTO

The Radeon X1800 GTO is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 28 2020. It features the RDNA 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1825 MHz to 2250 MHz. It has 4608 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. It features 72 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 141 points. Launch price was $649.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce 9650M GT scores 137 and the Radeon X1800 GTO reaches 141 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 9650M GT is built on Maxwell while the Radeon X1800 GTO uses RDNA 2.0, both on 28 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 640 (GeForce 9650M GT) vs 4,608 (Radeon X1800 GTO). Raw compute: 1.306 TFLOPS (GeForce 9650M GT) vs 20.74 TFLOPS (Radeon X1800 GTO). Boost clocks: 1020 MHz vs 2250 MHz.

FeatureGeForce 9650M GTRadeon X1800 GTO
G3D Mark Score
137
141+3%
Architecture
Maxwell
RDNA 2.0
Process Node
28 nm
7 nm
Shading Units
640
4608+620%
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.306 TFLOPS
20.74 TFLOPS+1488%
Boost Clock
1020 MHz
2250 MHz+121%
ROPs
16
128+700%
TMUs
40
288+620%
L1 Cache
0.31 MB
1 MB+223%
L2 Cache
2 MB
4 MB+100%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 9650M GT gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon X1800 GTO leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce 9650M GTRadeon X1800 GTO
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 9650M GT has 1 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon X1800 GTO carries 512 MB. GeForce 9650M GT 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 9650M GT and 64-bit on the Radeon X1800 GTO. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce 9650M GT) vs 4 MB (Radeon X1800 GTO) — the Radeon X1800 GTO has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce 9650M GTRadeon X1800 GTO
VRAM Capacity
1 GB+100%
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
128-bit+100%
64-bit
L2 Cache
2 MB
4 MB+100%
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 9650M GT draws 75W versus the Radeon X1800 GTO's 300W — a 120% difference. The GeForce 9650M GT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 9650M GT) vs 350W (Radeon X1800 GTO). Power connectors: Legacy vs PCIe-powered.

FeatureGeForce 9650M GTRadeon X1800 GTO
TDP
75W-75%
300W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
Legacy
PCIe-powered
Slots
0
Temp (Load)
80°C
Perf/Watt
1.8+260%
0.5
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 9650M GT came in at $100, while the Radeon X1800 GTO launched at $249. On MSRP, GeForce 9650M GT was 59.8% cheaper ($149 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.4 (GeForce 9650M GT) vs 0.6 (Radeon X1800 GTO) — the GeForce 9650M GT offers 133.3% better value. The newer card here is Radeon X1800 GTO (2020 vs 2015).

FeatureGeForce 9650M GTRadeon X1800 GTO
MSRP
$100-60%
$249
Performance per Dollar
1.4+133%
0.6
Codename
GM107
Navi 21
Release
October 27 2015
October 28 2020
Ranking
#671
#42

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