GeForce GT 740 vs Radeon HD 7850M

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 740 vs Radeon HD 7850M 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 740 vs Radeon HD 7850M: 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 740

2014

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 16.1 vs 0 G3D/$ ($89 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7850M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2014 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌60% higher power demand at 64W vs 40W.

Radeon HD 7850M

2012

Why buy it

✅28.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 1 GB).
✅Draws 40W instead of 64W, a 24W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌2012 hardware with 2 GB 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 16.1 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $89 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 7850M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 28.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GT 740 instead at 1,429 vs 1,373, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.

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

GeForce GT 740 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a newer 2014 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 740 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. Radeon HD 7850M still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GT 740 vs Radeon HD 7850M Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GT 740

The GeForce GT 740 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: 1,429 points. Launch price was $89.

Radeon HD 7850M

The Radeon HD 7850M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 24 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 675 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 40W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,373 points.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GT 740 scores 1,429 and the Radeon HD 7850M reaches 1,373 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GT 740 is built on Kepler while the Radeon HD 7850M uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 384 (GeForce GT 740) vs 640 (Radeon HD 7850M). Raw compute: 0.7626 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 740) vs 0.864 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7850M).

Feature	GeForce GT 740	Radeon HD 7850M
G3D Mark Score	1,429+4%	1,373
Architecture	Kepler	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	384	640+67%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.7626 TFLOPS	0.864 TFLOPS+13%
ROPs	16	16
TMUs	32	40+25%
L1 Cache	32 KB	160 KB+400%
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GT 740 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 7850M leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GT 740	Radeon HD 7850M
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 740 has 1 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 7850M carries 2 GB. Radeon HD 7850M 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 740 and System on the Radeon HD 7850M.

Feature	GeForce GT 740	Radeon HD 7850M
VRAM Capacity	1 GB	2 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	Shared
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	System
Bus Width	64-bit	System
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce GT 740) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon HD 7850M). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 6.

Feature	GeForce GT 740	Radeon HD 7850M
DirectX	12 (11_0)	12 (11_1)
Vulkan	1.1	1.2+9%
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	3	6+100%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st Gen (GeForce GT 740) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7850M). Decoder: VP5 vs UVD 3. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MPEG-4 (GeForce GT 740) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4,DivX (Radeon HD 7850M).

Feature	GeForce GT 740	Radeon HD 7850M
Encoder	NVENC 1st Gen	VCE 1.0
Decoder	VP5	UVD 3
Codecs	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MPEG-4	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4,DivX

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GT 740 draws 64W versus the Radeon HD 7850M's 40W — a 46.2% difference. The Radeon HD 7850M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (GeForce GT 740) vs 350W (Radeon HD 7850M). Power connectors: None vs 1x 6-pin. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 70°C.

Feature	GeForce GT 740	Radeon HD 7850M
TDP	64W	40W-38%
Recommended PSU	300W-14%	350W
Power Connector	None	1x 6-pin
Length	145mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	1	1
Temp (Load)	75	70°C-7%
Perf/Watt	22.3	34.3+54%

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce GT 740 (2014 vs 2012).

Feature	GeForce GT 740	Radeon HD 7850M
MSRP	$89	—
Codename	GK107	Heathrow
Release	May 29 2014	April 24 2012
Ranking	#777	#787

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