GeForce GT 1010 vs Radeon HD 8850M

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 GT 1010 vs Radeon HD 8850M 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 GT 1010 vs Radeon HD 8850M: 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 GT 1010

2021

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 13.9 vs 0 G3D/$ ($70 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Radeon HD 8850M is already obsolete for modern gaming, so GeForce GT 1010 is the less risky modern option long term.
✅Draws 30W instead of 50W, a 20W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 8850M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 2 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.

Radeon HD 8850M

2013

Why buy it

✅14.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 512 MB).

Trade-offs

❌2013 hardware with 2 GB 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 13.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $70 MSRP).
❌66.7% higher power demand at 50W vs 30W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 8850M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 14.1% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0.1% in PassMark G3D (973 vs 972), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce GT 1010 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 14nm process instead of 28nm and a newer 2021 generation instead of 2013. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce GT 1010 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. Radeon HD 8850M still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GT 1010 vs Radeon HD 8850M Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GT 1010

The GeForce GT 1010 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 13 2021. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1228 MHz to 1468 MHz. It has 256 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 972 points.

Radeon HD 8850M

The Radeon HD 8850M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 1 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 575 MHz to 625 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 973 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GT 1010 scores 972 and the Radeon HD 8850M reaches 973 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GT 1010 is built on Pascal while the Radeon HD 8850M uses GCN 1.0, both on 14 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 256 (GeForce GT 1010) vs 640 (Radeon HD 8850M). Raw compute: 0.7516 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 1010) vs 0.8 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8850M). Boost clocks: 1468 MHz vs 625 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GT 1010	Radeon HD 8850M
G3D Mark Score	972	973
Architecture	Pascal	GCN 1.0
Process Node	14 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	256	640+150%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.7516 TFLOPS	0.8 TFLOPS+6%
Boost Clock	1468 MHz+135%	625 MHz
ROPs	16	16
TMUs	16	40+150%
L1 Cache	32 KB	160 KB+400%
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GT 1010 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 8850M leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GT 1010	Radeon HD 8850M
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 GT 1010 has 512 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 8850M carries 2 GB. Radeon HD 8850M gives you 300% 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 GT 1010 and System on the Radeon HD 8850M.

Feature	GeForce GT 1010	Radeon HD 8850M
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	2 GB+300%
Memory Type	GDDR5	Shared
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	System
Bus Width	64-bit	System
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (12_1) (GeForce GT 1010) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon HD 8850M). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 6.

Feature	GeForce GT 1010	Radeon HD 8850M
DirectX	12 (12_1)	12 (11_1)
Vulkan	1.4+17%	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	2	6+200%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (GeForce GT 1010) vs UVD3 (Radeon HD 8850M). Decoder: VP8 (Feature Set H) vs UVD 3.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265 (HEVC),VP8,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce GT 1010) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,DivX (Radeon HD 8850M).

Feature	GeForce GT 1010	Radeon HD 8850M
Encoder	None	UVD3
Decoder	VP8 (Feature Set H)	UVD 3.0
Codecs	H.264,H.265 (HEVC),VP8,VP9,MPEG-2,VC-1	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,DivX

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GT 1010 draws 30W versus the Radeon HD 8850M's 50W — a 50% difference. The GeForce GT 1010 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (GeForce GT 1010) vs 350W (Radeon HD 8850M). Power connectors: None vs 1x 6-pin. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 75°C.

Feature	GeForce GT 1010	Radeon HD 8850M
TDP	30W-40%	50W
Recommended PSU	300W-14%	350W
Power Connector	None	1x 6-pin
Length	147mm	—
Height	69mm	—
Slots	1	0-100%
Temp (Load)	75	75°C
Perf/Watt	32.4+66%	19.5

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce GT 1010 (2021 vs 2013).

Feature	GeForce GT 1010	Radeon HD 8850M
MSRP	$70	—
Codename	GP108	Venus
Release	January 13 2021	April 1 2013
Ranking	#895	#894

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