GeForce 9800M GS vs Mobility Radeon HD 5730

NVIDIA

GeForce 9800M GS

2008Core: 500 MHz
VS
AMD

Mobility Radeon HD 5730

2010Core: 700 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce 9800M GS vs Mobility Radeon HD 5730 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 9800M GS vs Mobility Radeon HD 5730: 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 9800M GS

2008

Why buy it

  • Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2008 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 100% HIGHER MSRP
    $200 MSRPvs$100 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.6 vs 5.1 G3D/$ ($200 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).
  • 200% higher power demand at 150W vs 50W.

Mobility Radeon HD 5730

2010

Why buy it

  • Costs $100 less on MSRP ($100 MSRP vs $200 MSRP).
  • Delivers 96.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.1 vs 2.6 G3D/$ ($100 MSRP vs $200 MSRP).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 512 MB).
  • Draws 50W instead of 150W, a 100W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • 2010 hardware with 1 GB 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 9800M GS is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 1.8% in PassMark G3D (517 vs 508), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce 9800M 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?
Mobility Radeon HD 5730 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $100 cheaper on MSRP at $100 vs $200, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 96.5% (5.1 vs 2.6), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Mobility Radeon HD 5730 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce 9800M GS has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce 9800M GS vs Mobility Radeon HD 5730 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce 9800M GS

The GeForce 9800M GS 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: 517 points.

AMD

Mobility Radeon HD 5730

The Mobility Radeon HD 5730 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 7 2010. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 700 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 508 points.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce 9800M GS scores 517 and the Mobility Radeon HD 5730 reaches 508 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 9800M GS is built on G9x while the Mobility Radeon HD 5730 uses TeraScale 2, both on 65 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 224 (GeForce 9800M GS) vs 800 (Mobility Radeon HD 5730).

FeatureGeForce 9800M GSMobility Radeon HD 5730
G3D Mark Score
517+2%
508
Architecture
G9x
TeraScale 2
Process Node
65 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
224
800+257%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 9800M GS gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Mobility Radeon HD 5730 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce 9800M GSMobility Radeon HD 5730
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 9800M GS has 512 MB of VRAM, while the Mobility Radeon HD 5730 carries 1 GB. Mobility Radeon HD 5730 gives you 100% 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 9800M GS and 128-bit on the Mobility Radeon HD 5730.

FeatureGeForce 9800M GSMobility Radeon HD 5730
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
1 GB+100%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
64-bit
128-bit+100%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.1 (10_0) (GeForce 9800M GS) vs 11.0 (Mobility Radeon HD 5730). OpenGL: 3.3 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 6.

FeatureGeForce 9800M GSMobility Radeon HD 5730
DirectX
11.1 (10_0)
11.0
OpenGL
3.3
4.4+33%
Max Displays
2
6+200%
🎬

Media & Encoding

Decoder: PureVideo HD (VP3) vs UVD 2.3. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce 9800M GS) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Mobility Radeon HD 5730).

FeatureGeForce 9800M GSMobility Radeon HD 5730
Encoder
UVD 2.3
Decoder
PureVideo HD (VP3)
UVD 2.3
Codecs
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 9800M GS draws 150W versus the Mobility Radeon HD 5730's 50W — a 100% difference. The Mobility Radeon HD 5730 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 9800M GS) vs 350W (Mobility Radeon HD 5730). Power connectors: Legacy vs PCIe-powered. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 85°C.

FeatureGeForce 9800M GSMobility Radeon HD 5730
TDP
150W
50W-67%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
Legacy
PCIe-powered
Slots
0
Temp (Load)
85°C
85°C
Perf/Watt
3.4
10.2+200%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 9800M GS came in at $200, while the Mobility Radeon HD 5730 launched at $100. On MSRP, Mobility Radeon HD 5730 was 50% cheaper ($100 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.6 (GeForce 9800M GS) vs 5.1 (Mobility Radeon HD 5730) — the Mobility Radeon HD 5730 offers 96.2% better value. The newer card here is Mobility Radeon HD 5730 (2010 vs 2008).

FeatureGeForce 9800M GSMobility Radeon HD 5730
MSRP
$200
$100-50%
Performance per Dollar
2.6
5.1+96%
Codename
NB9E-GTX
Broadway
Release
July 15 2008
January 7 2010
Ranking
#825
#846

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