GeForce GT 730M vs Radeon HD 3850 X2

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 730M is positioned at rank 203 and the Radeon HD 3850 X2 is on rank 303, so the GeForce GT 730M offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.•
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar GeForce GT 730M

#193

Radeon RX 550X (móvel)

MSRP: $35|Avg: $35

404%

#195

GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $150

366%

#196

GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $100

365%

#200

GeForce GTX 1050 (Mobile)

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $50

332%

#201

Radeon RX 6300

MSRP: $60|Avg: $40

330%

#203

GeForce GT 730M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $45

100%

#206

Radeon RX Vega M GL / 870

MSRP: $150|Avg: $150

97%

#208

Radeon RX Vega M GL

MSRP: $150|Avg: $150

97%

#212

GeForce GTX 780M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $60

95%

#216

Radeon 8040S

MSRP: $400|Avg: $400

91%

#217

Radeon R7 +8G

MSRP: $49|Avg: $20

90%

Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

Performance Per Dollar Radeon HD 3850 X2

#1

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

MSRP: $399|Avg: $280

3074%

#2

GeForce RTX 5060

MSRP: $299|Avg: $299

2953%

#3

Radeon RX 5600 XT

MSRP: $279|Avg: $180

2919%

#4

Radeon RX 9060

MSRP: $249|Avg: $249

2914%

#5

GeForce RTX 5050

MSRP: $249|Avg: $249

2908%

#6

GeForce RTX 3050 OEM

MSRP: $249|Avg: $150

2891%

#7

Arc A580

MSRP: $179|Avg: $179

2855%

#8

Radeon RX 9060 XT

MSRP: $299|Avg: $299

2844%

#9

Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB

MSRP: $299|Avg: $299

2818%

#10

Radeon RX 7600

MSRP: $269|Avg: $250

2810%

#11

Radeon RX 6600

MSRP: $329|Avg: $180

2776%

#12

GeForce RTX 4060

MSRP: $299|Avg: $299

2770%

#13

Arc B570

MSRP: $219|Avg: $219

2720%

#14

Arc B580

MSRP: $249|Avg: $249

2719%

#288

Radeon R5 430 OEM

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $13

3390%

#303

Radeon HD 3850 X2

MSRP: $349|Avg: $349

100%

#304

Radeon HD 4290

MSRP: $60|Avg: $10

100%

#306

Radeon HD 5450

MSRP: $60|Avg: $40

96%

#308

Radeon HD 3850

MSRP: $179|Avg: $179

95%

#309

Radeon HD 4200

MSRP: $50|Avg: $10

95%

#311

Radeon HD 4270

MSRP: $50|Avg: $10

93%

#312

Radeon E6460

MSRP: $150|Avg: $40

92%

#313

Radeon HD 6290

MSRP: $50|Avg: $50

89%

#314

GeForce GTX 280

MSRP: $649|Avg: $649

84%

#315

Radeon HD 3470

MSRP: $60|Avg: $15

83%

#316

Radeon HD 3000

MSRP: $50|Avg: $10

81%

#317

Radeon HD 6250

MSRP: $50|Avg: $50

80%

#318

GeForce GT 120

MSRP: $100|Avg: $40

80%

Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

Performance Comparison

About G3D Mark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

The Radeon HD 3850 X2 is the superior choice for raw performance. It leads with a 1.9% higher G3D Mark score. However, the GeForce GT 730M offers more VRAM, which may be beneficial for texture-heavy scenarios at higher resolutions.

Insight	GeForce GT 730M	Radeon HD 3850 X2
Performance	❌Lower raw frame rates (-1.9%)	✅Leading raw performance (+1.9%)
Longevity	🛑Obsolete Architecture (2013 / Kepler (2012−2018))	🛑Obsolete Architecture (2011 / TeraScale 2 (2009−2015))
Ecosystem	Supports FSR Upscaling	Supports FSR Upscaling
VRAM	✅ More VRAM (+100%)	❌ Less VRAM capacity
Efficiency	💡 Excellent Perf/Watt	⚡ Higher Power Consumption
Case Fit	—	Standard Size (267mm)

💎 Value Proposition

The GeForce GT 730M offers a compelling cost-to-performance ratio. While both GPUs are considered legacy components by modern standards, the GeForce GT 730M holds the technical lead. Priced at $45 (vs $349), it costs 87% less, resulting in a 661.4% higher cost efficiency score.

Insight	GeForce GT 730M	Radeon HD 3850 X2
Cost Efficiency	✅Better overall value (+661.4%)	❌Lower cost efficiency
Upfront Cost	✅More affordable ($45)	⚠️Higher upfront cost ($349)

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.

GeForce GT 730M Benchmark Check

Radeon HD 3850 X2 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GT 730M and Radeon HD 3850 X2

GeForce GT 730M

The GeForce GT 730M 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: 807 points.

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 730M scores 807 and the Radeon HD 3850 X2 reaches 822 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GT 730M 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 730M) vs 960 (Radeon HD 3850 X2). Raw compute: 0.7427 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 730M) vs 1.536 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 3850 X2).

Feature	GeForce GT 730M	Radeon HD 3850 X2
G3D Mark Score	807	822+2%
Architecture	Kepler	TeraScale 2
Process Node	28 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	384	960 ×2+150%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.7427 TFLOPS	1.536 TFLOPS ×2+107%
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)

Feature	GeForce GT 730M	Radeon HD 3850 X2
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 730M comes with 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 3850 X2 has 1 GB. The GeForce GT 730M 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 730M) 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 730M	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: 11.0 (GeForce GT 730M) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 3850 X2). OpenGL: 4.2 vs 3.3. Maximum simultaneous displays: 1 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce GT 730M	Radeon HD 3850 X2
DirectX	11.0+9%	10.1
OpenGL	4.2+27%	3.3
Max Displays	1	2+100%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Decoder: PureVideo HD VP5 vs UVD+. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP (GeForce GT 730M) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 3850 X2).

Feature	GeForce GT 730M	Radeon HD 3850 X2
Encoder	NVENC 1.0	—
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP5	UVD+
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GT 730M draws 50W versus the Radeon HD 3850 X2's 254W — a 134.2% difference. The GeForce GT 730M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GT 730M) vs 450W (Radeon HD 3850 X2). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 267mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 90°C.

Feature	GeForce GT 730M	Radeon HD 3850 X2
TDP	50W-80%	254W
Recommended PSU	350W-22%	450W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	2x 6-pin
Length	0mm	267mm
Height	0mm	—
Slots	0-100%	2
Temp (Load)	75°C-17%	90°C
Perf/Watt	16.1+403%	3.2

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GT 730M costs 87.1% less ($304 savings) at current market prices. Performance per dollar (G3D Mark / price): 17.9 (GeForce GT 730M) vs 2.4 (Radeon HD 3850 X2) — the GeForce GT 730M offers 645.8% better value. The GeForce GT 730M is the newer GPU (2013 vs 2011).