GeForce GT 730
Radeon HD 3850 X2
GeForce GT 730 vs Radeon HD 3850 X2 Performance Spectrum
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 730 vs Radeon HD 3850 X2 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.
Path of Exile 2
Counter-Strike 2
League of Legends
Valorant
Among Us
Apex Legends
ARC Raiders
Baldur's Gate 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
GeForce GT 730 vs Radeon HD 3850 X2: 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 730
2014Why buy it
- ✅Costs $260 less on MSRP ($89 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
- ✅Delivers 293.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 9.3 vs 2.4 G3D/$ ($89 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
- ✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 1 GB).
- ✅Draws 64W instead of 254W, a 190W reduction.
- ✅Measures 145mm instead of 267mm, a 122mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 3850 X2 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌2014 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
Radeon HD 3850 X2
2011Why buy it
- ✅70.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
Trade-offs
- ❌Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌2011 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
- ❌292.1% HIGHER MSRP$349 MSRPvs$89 MSRP
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.4 vs 9.3 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs $89 MSRP).
- ❌296.9% higher power demand at 254W vs 64W.
Quick Answers
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GeForce GT 730 vs Radeon HD 3850 X2 Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
GeForce GT 730
The GeForce GT 730 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 29 2014. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock speed is 993 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 64W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 824 points. Launch price was $89.
Radeon HD 3850 X2
The Radeon HD 3850 X2 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in September 19 2011. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 800 MHz. It has 960 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 254W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 822 points.
Graphics Performance
The GeForce GT 730 scores 824 and the Radeon HD 3850 X2 reaches 822 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GT 730 is built on Kepler while the Radeon HD 3850 X2 uses TeraScale 2, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce GT 730) vs 960 (Radeon HD 3850 X2). Raw compute: 0.7626 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 730) vs 1.536 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 3850 X2).
| Feature | GeForce GT 730 | Radeon HD 3850 X2 |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 824 | 822 |
| Architecture | Kepler | TeraScale 2 |
| Process Node | 28 nm | 40 nm |
| Shading Units | 384 | 960 ×2+150% |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 0.7626 TFLOPS | 1.536 TFLOPS ×2+101% |
| ROPs | 16 | 32 ×2+100% |
| TMUs | 32 | 48 ×2+50% |
| L1 Cache | 32 KB | 192 KB+500% |
| L2 Cache | 256 KB | 512 KB+100% |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce GT 730 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 3850 X2 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce GT 730 | Radeon HD 3850 X2 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 730 has 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 3850 X2 carries 1 GB. GeForce GT 730 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 730 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 3850 X2. L2 Cache: 256 KB (GeForce GT 730) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 3850 X2) — the Radeon HD 3850 X2 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce GT 730 | Radeon HD 3850 X2 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 (GeForce GT 730) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 3850 X2). OpenGL: 4.6 vs 3.3. Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 2.
| Feature | GeForce GT 730 | Radeon HD 3850 X2 |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12+19% | 10.1 |
| OpenGL | 4.6+39% | 3.3 |
| Max Displays | 3+50% | 2 |
Media & Encoding
Decoder: NVDEC 1st gen vs UVD+. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GeForce GT 730) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 3850 X2).
| Feature | GeForce GT 730 | Radeon HD 3850 X2 |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | None | — |
| Decoder | NVDEC 1st gen | UVD+ |
| Codecs | H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 | H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce GT 730 draws 64W versus the Radeon HD 3850 X2's 254W — a 119.5% difference. The GeForce GT 730 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (GeForce GT 730) vs 450W (Radeon HD 3850 X2). Power connectors: None vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 145mm vs 267mm, occupying 1 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 90°C.
| Feature | GeForce GT 730 | Radeon HD 3850 X2 |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 64W-75% | 254W |
| Recommended PSU | 300W-33% | 450W |
| Power Connector | None | 2x 6-pin |
| Length | 145mm | 267mm |
| Height | 69mm | — |
| Slots | 1-50% | 2 |
| Temp (Load) | 75°C-17% | 90°C |
| Perf/Watt | 12.9+303% | 3.2 |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce GT 730 came in at $89, while the Radeon HD 3850 X2 launched at $349. On MSRP, GeForce GT 730 was 74.5% cheaper ($260 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 9.3 (GeForce GT 730) vs 2.4 (Radeon HD 3850 X2) — the GeForce GT 730 offers 287.5% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GT 730 (2014 vs 2011).
| Feature | GeForce GT 730 | Radeon HD 3850 X2 |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $89-74% | $349 |
| Performance per Dollar | 9.3+288% | 2.4 |
| Codename | GK107 | Barts |
| Release | May 29 2014 | September 19 2011 |
| Ranking | #777 | #630 |
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