GeForce G205M vs Radeon HD 3000

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 G205M vs Radeon HD 3000 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 G205M vs Radeon HD 3000: 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 G205M

2016

Why buy it

✅Draws 16W instead of 186W, a 170W reduction.
✅More future proof: Maxwell (2014−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 3000 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2016 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 1.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $50 MSRP).

Radeon HD 3000

2011

Why buy it

✅2.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 1.9 vs 0 G3D/$ ($50 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌2011 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌1062.5% higher power demand at 186W vs 16W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 3000 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 2.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 4.3% in PassMark G3D (96 vs 92), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce G205M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2016 generation instead of 2011. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 3000 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 3000 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce G205M has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce G205M vs Radeon HD 3000 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce G205M

The GeForce G205M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 25 2016. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 965 MHz to 993 MHz. It has 256 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 16W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 92 points.

Radeon HD 3000

The Radeon HD 3000 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in December 1 2011. It features the TeraScale 3 architecture. The core clock speed is 750 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 186W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 96 points. Launch price was $180.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce G205M scores 92 and the Radeon HD 3000 reaches 96 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce G205M is built on Maxwell while the Radeon HD 3000 uses TeraScale 3, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 256 (GeForce G205M) vs 1,280 (Radeon HD 3000). Raw compute: 0.5084 TFLOPS (GeForce G205M) vs 1.92 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 3000).

Feature	GeForce G205M	Radeon HD 3000
G3D Mark Score	92	96+4%
Architecture	Maxwell	TeraScale 3
Process Node	28 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	256	1280+400%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.5084 TFLOPS	1.92 TFLOPS+278%
ROPs	8	32+300%
TMUs	24	80+233%
L1 Cache	128 KB	320 KB+150%
L2 Cache	1 MB+100%	0.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce G205M gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 3000 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce G205M	Radeon HD 3000
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

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Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 512 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce G205M and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 3000. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce G205M) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 3000) — the GeForce G205M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce G205M	Radeon HD 3000
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	0.5 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	1 MB+100%	0.5 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10.0 (GeForce G205M) vs 10.0 (Radeon HD 3000). Maximum simultaneous displays: 1 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce G205M	Radeon HD 3000
DirectX	10.0	10.0
Max Displays	1	2+100%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (GeForce G205M) vs UVD (Radeon HD 3000). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP3 vs UVD.

Feature	GeForce G205M	Radeon HD 3000
Encoder	No	UVD
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP3	UVD
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1	—

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce G205M draws 16W versus the Radeon HD 3000's 186W — a 168.3% difference. The GeForce G205M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce G205M) vs 350W (Radeon HD 3000). Power connectors: Legacy vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 1mm, occupying 0 vs 0 slots.

Feature	GeForce G205M	Radeon HD 3000
TDP	16W-91%	186W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	Legacy	1x 6-pin
Length	0mm	1mm
Height	0mm	—
Slots	0	0
Temp (Load)	70°C	—
Perf/Watt	5.8+1060%	0.5

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce G205M (2016 vs 2011).

Feature	GeForce G205M	Radeon HD 3000
MSRP	—	$50
Codename	GM108	Cayman
Release	March 25 2016	December 1 2011
Ranking	#864	#598

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