GeForce GT 330 vs Radeon HD 3850

CPU

GPU

GeForce GT 330

2017Core: 1228 MHzBoost: 1468 MHz

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Radeon HD 3850

2012Boost: 1000 MHz

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GeForce GT 330 vs Radeon HD 3850 Performance Spectrum

GeForce GT 330

0.5 GB 30

393

0.0%

GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU

Radeon HD 3850

1 GB 130

401

+2.0%

Radeon HD 7450

Radeon HD 5470

Radeon HD 2900 GT

Mobility Radeon HD 565v

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 330 vs Radeon HD 3850 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 330 vs Radeon HD 3850: 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 330

2017

Why buy it

✅Costs $80 less on MSRP ($99 MSRP vs $179 MSRP).
✅Delivers 77.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 4.0 vs 2.2 G3D/$ ($99 MSRP vs $179 MSRP).
✅Draws 30W instead of 130W, a 100W reduction.
✅Measures 175mm instead of 208mm, a 33mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 3850 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2017 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon HD 3850

2012

Why buy it

✅15.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 512 MB).

Trade-offs

❌2012 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
80.8% HIGHER MSRP
$179 MSRPvs$99 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.2 vs 4.0 G3D/$ ($179 MSRP vs $99 MSRP).
❌333.3% higher power demand at 130W vs 30W.
❌18.9% longer card at 208mm vs 175mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 3850 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 15.6% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2% in PassMark G3D (401 vs 393), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce GT 330 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 14nm 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?

GeForce GT 330 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $80 cheaper on MSRP at $99 vs $179, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 77.2% (4.0 vs 2.2), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon HD 3850 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GT 330 vs Radeon HD 3850 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GT 330

The GeForce GT 330 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 17 2017. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1228 MHz to 1468 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 393 points. Launch price was $79.

Radeon HD 3850

The Radeon HD 3850 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: 401 points. Launch price was $249.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GT 330 scores 393 and the Radeon HD 3850 reaches 401 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GT 330 is built on Pascal while the Radeon HD 3850 uses GCN 1.0, both on 14 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce GT 330) vs 1,024 (Radeon HD 3850). Raw compute: 1.127 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 330) vs 1.761 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 3850). Boost clocks: 1468 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GT 330	Radeon HD 3850
G3D Mark Score	393	401+2%
Architecture	Pascal	GCN 1.0
Process Node	14 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	384	1024+167%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.127 TFLOPS	1.761 TFLOPS+56%
Boost Clock	1468 MHz+47%	1000 MHz
ROPs	16	32+100%
TMUs	24	64+167%
L1 Cache	144 KB	256 KB+78%
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GT 330 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 3850 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GT 330	Radeon HD 3850
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 330 has 512 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 3850 carries 1 GB. Radeon HD 3850 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 GT 330 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 3850.

Feature	GeForce GT 330	Radeon HD 3850
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	1 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	64-bit	128-bit+100%
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.1 (10_1) (GeForce GT 330) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 3850). OpenGL: 3.3 vs 3.3. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce GT 330	Radeon HD 3850
DirectX	11.1 (10_1)+10%	10.1
OpenGL	3.3	3.3
Max Displays	2	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Decoder: PureVideo HD vs UVD+. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce GT 330) vs H.264,VC-1,DivX,MPEG-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 3850).

Feature	GeForce GT 330	Radeon HD 3850
Encoder	PureVideo HD	—
Decoder	PureVideo HD	UVD+
Codecs	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1	H.264,VC-1,DivX,MPEG-1,MPEG-2

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GT 330 draws 30W versus the Radeon HD 3850's 130W — a 125% difference. The GeForce GT 330 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (GeForce GT 330) vs 450W (Radeon HD 3850). Power connectors: None vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 175mm vs 208mm, occupying 1 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: 80 vs 80°C.

Feature	GeForce GT 330	Radeon HD 3850
TDP	30W-77%	130W
Recommended PSU	300W-33%	450W
Power Connector	None	1x 6-pin
Length	175mm	208mm
Height	111mm	—
Slots	1	1
Temp (Load)	80	80°C
Perf/Watt	13.1+323%	3.1

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GT 330 came in at $99, while the Radeon HD 3850 launched at $179. On MSRP, GeForce GT 330 was 44.7% cheaper ($80 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 4.0 (GeForce GT 330) vs 2.2 (Radeon HD 3850) — the GeForce GT 330 offers 81.8% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GT 330 (2017 vs 2012).

Feature	GeForce GT 330	Radeon HD 3850
MSRP	$99-45%	$179
Performance per Dollar	4.0+82%	2.2
Codename	GP108	Pitcairn
Release	May 17 2017	March 5 2012
Ranking	#641	#503

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