GeForce GT 420M vs Radeon HD 3850

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 420M 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 420M 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 420M

2012

Why buy it

✅Draws 32W instead of 130W, a 98W reduction.

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.
❌2012 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 2.2 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $179 MSRP).

Radeon HD 3850

2012

Why buy it

✅57.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 2.2 vs 0 G3D/$ ($179 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅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.
❌306.3% higher power demand at 130W vs 32W.

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 57.6% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.3% in PassMark G3D (401 vs 392), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce GT 420M 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?

Radeon HD 3850 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 3850 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GT 420M has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GT 420M vs Radeon HD 3850 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GT 420M

The GeForce GT 420M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 22 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from Up to 625 MHz to 645 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 32W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 392 points.

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.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GT 420M scores 392 and the Radeon HD 3850 reaches 401 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GT 420M is built on Kepler while the Radeon HD 3850 uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 384 (GeForce GT 420M) vs 1,024 (Radeon HD 3850). Raw compute: 0.48 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 420M) vs 1.761 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 3850). Boost clocks: 645 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GT 420M	Radeon HD 3850
G3D Mark Score	392	401+2%
Architecture	Kepler	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	384	1024+167%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.48 TFLOPS	1.761 TFLOPS+267%
Boost Clock	645 MHz	1000 MHz+55%
ROPs	16	32+100%
TMUs	32	64+100%
L1 Cache	32 KB	256 KB+700%
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GT 420M 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 420M	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

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GT 420M 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 128-bit on the GeForce GT 420M and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 3850. L2 Cache: 256 KB (GeForce GT 420M) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 3850) — the Radeon HD 3850 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GT 420M	Radeon HD 3850
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	1 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%

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Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.0 (GeForce GT 420M) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 3850). OpenGL: 4.0 vs 3.3. Maximum simultaneous displays: 1 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce GT 420M	Radeon HD 3850
DirectX	11.0+9%	10.1
OpenGL	4.0+21%	3.3
Max Displays	1	2+100%

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Media & Encoding

Decoder: PureVideo HD VP4 vs UVD+. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP (GeForce GT 420M) vs H.264,VC-1,DivX,MPEG-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 3850).

Feature	GeForce GT 420M	Radeon HD 3850
Encoder	No	—
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP4	UVD+
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP	H.264,VC-1,DivX,MPEG-1,MPEG-2

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GT 420M draws 32W versus the Radeon HD 3850's 130W — a 121% difference. The GeForce GT 420M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GT 420M) vs 450W (Radeon HD 3850). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 208mm, occupying 0 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 80°C.

Feature	GeForce GT 420M	Radeon HD 3850
TDP	32W-75%	130W
Recommended PSU	350W-22%	450W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	1x 6-pin
Length	0mm	208mm
Height	0mm	—
Slots	0-100%	1
Temp (Load)	75°C-6%	80°C
Perf/Watt	12.3+297%	3.1