GeForce 9800 GX2 vs Radeon HD 5600/5700

CPU

GPU

GeForce 9800 GX2

2008Core: 500 MHz

Similar parts

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Radeon HD 5600/5700

2010Boost: 880 MHz

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GeForce 9800 GX2 vs Radeon HD 5600/5700 Performance Spectrum

GeForce 9800 GX2

0.002 GB 150

613

0.0%

GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB

GeForce GTX 1070 Ti

GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER

Radeon HD 5600/5700

0.5 GB 250

615

+0.3%

Radeon HD 8310E

Radeon HD 7470M

Mobility Radeon HD 5000 Serisi

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 9800 GX2 vs Radeon HD 5600/5700 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 9800 GX2 vs Radeon HD 5600/5700: 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 9800 GX2

2008

Why buy it

✅Draws 150W instead of 250W, a 100W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 5600/5700 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 2 MB vs 512 MB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2008 hardware with 2 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
505.1% HIGHER MSRP
$599 MSRPvs$99 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.0 vs 6.2 G3D/$ ($599 MSRP vs $99 MSRP).

Radeon HD 5600/5700

2010

Why buy it

✅3.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $500 less on MSRP ($99 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).
✅Delivers 507% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 6.2 vs 1.0 G3D/$ ($99 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).
✅24900% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (512 MB vs 2 MB).
✅GeForce 9800 GX2 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so Radeon HD 5600/5700 is the less risky modern option long term.

Trade-offs

❌2010 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌66.7% higher power demand at 250W vs 150W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 5600/5700 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 0.3% in PassMark G3D (615 vs 613), so the answer here is pretty clean.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

Radeon HD 5600/5700 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 512 MB vs 2 MB of VRAM, the newer upscaling stack, FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 40nm process instead of 65nm, and a newer 2010 generation instead of 2008. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 5600/5700 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $500 cheaper on MSRP at $99 vs $599, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 507% (6.2 vs 1.0), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce 9800 GX2 vs Radeon HD 5600/5700 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce 9800 GX2

The GeForce 9800 GX2 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: 613 points.

Radeon HD 5600/5700

The Radeon HD 5600/5700 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in December 14 2010. It features the TeraScale 3 architecture. The boost clock speed is 880 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 615 points. Launch price was $369.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce 9800 GX2 scores 613 and the Radeon HD 5600/5700 reaches 615 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 9800 GX2 is built on G9x while the Radeon HD 5600/5700 uses TeraScale 3, both on 65 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 224 (GeForce 9800 GX2) vs 1,536 (Radeon HD 5600/5700).

Feature	GeForce 9800 GX2	Radeon HD 5600/5700
G3D Mark Score	613	615
Architecture	G9x	TeraScale 3
Process Node	65 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	224	1536+586%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 9800 GX2 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 5600/5700 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce 9800 GX2	Radeon HD 5600/5700
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 9800 GX2 has 2 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 5600/5700 carries 512 MB. Radeon HD 5600/5700 gives you 24900% 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 9800 GX2 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 5600/5700.

Feature	GeForce 9800 GX2	Radeon HD 5600/5700
VRAM Capacity	0.002 GB	0.5 GB+24900%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	64-bit	128-bit+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10.0 (GeForce 9800 GX2) vs 11 (11_0) (Radeon HD 5600/5700). OpenGL: 3.3 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce 9800 GX2	Radeon HD 5600/5700
DirectX	10.0	11 (11_0)+10%
OpenGL	3.3	4.4+33%
Max Displays	3+50%	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (GeForce 9800 GX2) vs No (Radeon HD 5600/5700). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP2 vs UVD 2.3. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264 (GeForce 9800 GX2) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,DivX (Radeon HD 5600/5700).

Feature	GeForce 9800 GX2	Radeon HD 5600/5700
Encoder	No	No
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP2	UVD 2.3
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,DivX

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 9800 GX2 draws 150W versus the Radeon HD 5600/5700's 250W — a 50% difference. The GeForce 9800 GX2 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 9800 GX2) vs 350W (Radeon HD 5600/5700). Power connectors: Legacy vs None. Card length: 267mm vs 168mm, occupying 2 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: 105°C vs 70°C.

Feature	GeForce 9800 GX2	Radeon HD 5600/5700
TDP	150W-40%	250W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	Legacy	None
Length	267mm	168mm
Height	111mm	111mm
Slots	2	1-50%
Temp (Load)	105°C	70°C-33%
Perf/Watt	4.1+64%	2.5

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 9800 GX2 came in at $599, while the Radeon HD 5600/5700 launched at $99. On MSRP, Radeon HD 5600/5700 was 83.5% cheaper ($500 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.0 (GeForce 9800 GX2) vs 6.2 (Radeon HD 5600/5700) — the Radeon HD 5600/5700 offers 520% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 5600/5700 (2010 vs 2008).

Feature	GeForce 9800 GX2	Radeon HD 5600/5700
MSRP	$599	$99-83%
Performance per Dollar	1.0	6.2+520%
Codename	NB9E-GTX	Cayman
Release	July 15 2008	December 14 2010
Ranking	#825	#596

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