GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT vs Radeon HD 8450G

CPU

GPU

GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT

2017Core: 1506 MHzBoost: 1709 MHz

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Radeon HD 8450G

2012Boost: 1000 MHz

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GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT vs Radeon HD 8450G Performance Spectrum

GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT

0.5 GB 120

325

0.0%

GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU

Radeon HD 8450G

0.5 GB 130

334

+2.8%

Mobility Radeon HD 5430

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 GT 120 / 9500 GT vs Radeon HD 8450G 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 120 / 9500 GT vs Radeon HD 8450G: 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 120 / 9500 GT

2017

Why buy it

✅More future proof: Pascal (2016−2021) on 16nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 8450G across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2017 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
70% HIGHER MSRP
$85 MSRPvs$50 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 3.8 vs 6.7 G3D/$ ($85 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).

Radeon HD 8450G

2012

Why buy it

✅12.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $35 less on MSRP ($50 MSRP vs $85 MSRP).
✅Delivers 74.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 6.7 vs 3.8 G3D/$ ($50 MSRP vs $85 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌2012 hardware with 512 MB 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?

Radeon HD 8450G is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 12.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.8% in PassMark G3D (334 vs 325), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 16nm process instead of 28nm and a newer 2017 generation instead of 2012. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 8450G makes the most sense to buy today. It is $35 cheaper on MSRP at $50 vs $85, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 74.7% (6.7 vs 3.8), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 8450G is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT vs Radeon HD 8450G Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT

The GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in December 26 2017. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1506 MHz to 1709 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 120W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 325 points.

Radeon HD 8450G

The Radeon HD 8450G is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 5 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 130W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 334 points. Launch price was $249.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT scores 325 and the Radeon HD 8450G reaches 334 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT is built on Pascal while the Radeon HD 8450G uses GCN 1.0, both on 16 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,280 (GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT) vs 1,024 (Radeon HD 8450G). Raw compute: 4.375 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT) vs 1.761 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8450G). Boost clocks: 1709 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT	Radeon HD 8450G
G3D Mark Score	325	334+3%
Architecture	Pascal	GCN 1.0
Process Node	16 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1280+25%	1024
Compute (TFLOPS)	4.375 TFLOPS+148%	1.761 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1709 MHz+71%	1000 MHz
ROPs	40+25%	32
TMUs	80+25%	64
L1 Cache	480 KB+88%	256 KB
L2 Cache	1.25 MB+150%	0.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 8450G leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT	Radeon HD 8450G
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)

Both cards ship with 512 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 8450G. L2 Cache: 1.25 MB (GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 8450G) — the GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT	Radeon HD 8450G
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	0.5 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	64-bit	128-bit+100%
L2 Cache	1.25 MB+150%	0.5 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10.0 (GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT) vs 11 (11_0) (Radeon HD 8450G). OpenGL: 3.3 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT	Radeon HD 8450G
DirectX	10.0	11 (11_0)+10%
OpenGL	3.3	4.4+33%
Max Displays	4+100%	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT) vs No (Radeon HD 8450G). Decoder: PureVideo VP2 vs UVD 3. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264 (GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,DivX (Radeon HD 8450G).

Feature	GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT	Radeon HD 8450G
Encoder	None	No
Decoder	PureVideo VP2	UVD 3
Codecs	MPEG-2,VC-1,H.264	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,DivX

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT draws 120W versus the Radeon HD 8450G's 130W — a 8% difference. The GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT) vs 350W (Radeon HD 8450G). Power connectors: None vs 1x 6-pin. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 70°C.

Feature	GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT	Radeon HD 8450G
TDP	120W-8%	130W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	None	1x 6-pin
Length	168mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	1	0-100%
Temp (Load)	75	70°C-7%
Perf/Watt	2.7+4%	2.6

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT came in at $85, while the Radeon HD 8450G launched at $50. On MSRP, Radeon HD 8450G was 41.2% cheaper ($35 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 3.8 (GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT) vs 6.7 (Radeon HD 8450G) — the Radeon HD 8450G offers 76.3% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT (2017 vs 2012).

Feature	GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT	Radeon HD 8450G
MSRP	$85	$50-41%
Performance per Dollar	3.8	6.7+76%
Codename	GP106	Pitcairn
Release	December 26 2017	March 5 2012
Ranking	#289	#503

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