GeForce GT 720M vs Radeon HD 3850 AGP
GeForce GT 720M
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Radeon HD 3850 AGP
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Performance Spectrum - GPU
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.
Value Upgrade Path
This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (G3D Mark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money. The GeForce GT 720M is positioned at rank 189 and the Radeon HD 3850 AGP is on rank 283, so the GeForce GT 720M offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar GeForce GT 720M
Performance Per Dollar Radeon HD 3850 AGP
Performance Comparison
About G3D Mark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
The GeForce GT 720M is the superior choice for raw performance. It leads with a 1.9% higher G3D Mark score and 100% more VRAM (2 GB vs 1 GB). This advantage makes it significantly better for higher resolutions (1440p/4K) and graphic-intensive titles compared to the Radeon HD 3850 AGP.
| Insight | GeForce GT 720M | Radeon HD 3850 AGP |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | ✅Leading raw performance (+1.9%) | ❌Lower raw frame rates (-1.9%) |
| Longevity | 🛑Obsolete Architecture (2013 / Kepler (2012−2018)) | 🛑Obsolete Architecture (2012 / GCN 1.0 (2012−2020)) |
| Ecosystem | Supports FSR Upscaling | Supports FSR Upscaling |
| VRAM | ✅ More VRAM (+100%) | ❌ Less VRAM capacity |
| Efficiency | 💡 Excellent Perf/Watt | ⚡ Higher Power Consumption |
| Case Fit | — | 📏 Compact / SFF Friendly |
💎 Value Proposition
While current pricing data is unavailable, the GeForce GT 720M remains the clear technical winner. Check real-time availability to determine if the performance gap justifies the market price.
Performance Check
Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 7800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.
Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.
Technical Specifications
Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GT 720M and Radeon HD 3850 AGP
GeForce GT 720M
The GeForce GT 720M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 9 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 941 MHz to 967 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 440 points.
Radeon HD 3850 AGP
The Radeon HD 3850 AGP 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: 432 points. Launch price was $249.
Graphics Performance
The GeForce GT 720M scores 440 and the Radeon HD 3850 AGP reaches 432 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GT 720M is built on Kepler while the Radeon HD 3850 AGP uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 384 (GeForce GT 720M) vs 1,024 (Radeon HD 3850 AGP). Raw compute: 0.7427 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 720M) vs 1.761 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 3850 AGP). Boost clocks: 967 MHz vs 1000 MHz.
| Feature | GeForce GT 720M | Radeon HD 3850 AGP |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 440+2% | 432 |
| Architecture | Kepler | GCN 1.0 |
| Process Node | 28 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 384 | 1024+167% |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 0.7427 TFLOPS | 1.761 TFLOPS+137% |
| Boost Clock | 967 MHz | 1000 MHz+3% |
| ROPs | 16 | 32+100% |
| TMUs | 32 | 64+100% |
| L1 Cache | 32 KB | 256 KB+700% |
| L2 Cache | 256 KB | 512 KB+100% |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
| Feature | GeForce GT 720M | Radeon HD 3850 AGP |
|---|---|---|
| Upscaling Tech | FSR 1.0 (Software) | FSR 1.0 (Software) |
| Frame Generation | Not Supported | Not Supported |
| Ray Reconstruction | No | No |
| Low Latency | Standard | AMD Anti-Lag |
Video Memory (VRAM)
The GeForce GT 720M comes with 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 3850 AGP has 1 GB. The GeForce GT 720M offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 64-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 256 KB (GeForce GT 720M) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 3850 AGP) — the Radeon HD 3850 AGP has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce GT 720M | Radeon HD 3850 AGP |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 2 GB+100% | 1 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | Unknown | Unknown |
| Bus Width | 64-bit | 128-bit+100% |
| L2 Cache | 256 KB | 512 KB+100% |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce GT 720M) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 3850 AGP). Vulkan: 1.2 vs N/A. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 3.3. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.
| Feature | GeForce GT 720M | Radeon HD 3850 AGP |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 (11_0)+19% | 10.1 |
| Vulkan | 1.2 | N/A |
| OpenGL | 4.6+39% | 3.3 |
| Max Displays | 2 | 2 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: None (GeForce GT 720M) vs None (Radeon HD 3850 AGP). Decoder: PureVideo HD (VP5) vs UVD 1.0. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce GT 720M) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 3850 AGP).
| Feature | GeForce GT 720M | Radeon HD 3850 AGP |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | None | None |
| Decoder | PureVideo HD (VP5) | UVD 1.0 |
| Codecs | H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 | H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce GT 720M draws 50W versus the Radeon HD 3850 AGP's 130W — a 88.9% difference. The GeForce GT 720M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GT 720M) vs 450W (Radeon HD 3850 AGP). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 8-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 230mm, occupying 0 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 80.
| Feature | GeForce GT 720M | Radeon HD 3850 AGP |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 50W-62% | 130W |
| Recommended PSU | 350W-22% | 450W |
| Power Connector | PCIe-powered | 8-pin |
| Length | 0mm | 230mm |
| Height | 0mm | 111mm |
| Slots | 0-100% | 1 |
| Temp (Load) | 75-6% | 80 |
| Perf/Watt | 8.8+167% | 3.3 |
Value Analysis
The GeForce GT 720M is the newer GPU (2013 vs 2012).
| Feature | GeForce GT 720M | Radeon HD 3850 AGP |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | — | $130 |
| Avg Price (30d) | — | $130 |
| Codename | GK107 | Pitcairn |
| Release | January 9 2013 | March 5 2012 |
| Ranking | #792 | #503 |
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