GeForce GTS 250M vs Radeon R5 330

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 GTS 250M vs Radeon R5 330 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 GTS 250M vs Radeon R5 330: 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 GTS 250M

2010

Why buy it

✅13.8% 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.
❌2010 hardware with 1 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 6.5 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $81 MSRP).
❌112% higher power demand at 106W vs 50W.

Radeon R5 330

2017

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 6.5 vs 0 G3D/$ ($81 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 1 GB).
✅Draws 50W instead of 106W, a 56W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GTS 250M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2017 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce GTS 250M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 13.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon R5 330 instead at 523 vs 520, 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 GTS 250M 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 R5 330 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 R5 330 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTS 250M has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTS 250M vs Radeon R5 330 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTS 250M

The GeForce GTS 250M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 13 2010. It features the Fermi architecture. The core clock speed is 783 MHz. It has 192 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 106W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 520 points. Launch price was $129.

Radeon R5 330

The Radeon R5 330 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 18 2017. It features the GCN 3.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 730 MHz to 1024 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 523 points.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTS 250M scores 520 and the Radeon R5 330 reaches 523 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTS 250M is built on Fermi while the Radeon R5 330 uses GCN 3.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 192 (GeForce GTS 250M) vs 384 (Radeon R5 330). Raw compute: 0.6013 TFLOPS (GeForce GTS 250M) vs 0.7864 TFLOPS (Radeon R5 330).

Feature	GeForce GTS 250M	Radeon R5 330
G3D Mark Score	520	523
Architecture	Fermi	GCN 3.0
Process Node	40 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	192	384+100%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.6013 TFLOPS	0.7864 TFLOPS+31%
ROPs	16+100%	8
TMUs	32+33%	24
L1 Cache	256 KB+167%	96 KB
L2 Cache	256 KB+100%	128 KB

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTS 250M gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R5 330 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTS 250M	Radeon R5 330
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 GTS 250M has 1 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R5 330 carries 2 GB. Radeon R5 330 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 GTS 250M and 128-bit on the Radeon R5 330. L2 Cache: 256 KB (GeForce GTS 250M) vs 128 KB (Radeon R5 330) — the GeForce GTS 250M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTS 250M	Radeon R5 330
VRAM Capacity	1 GB	2 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	256 KB+100%	128 KB

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Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.1 (10_1) (GeForce GTS 250M) vs 12 (FL 11_1) (Radeon R5 330). OpenGL: 2.1 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce GTS 250M	Radeon R5 330
DirectX	11.1 (10_1)	12 (FL 11_1)+8%
OpenGL	2.1	4.6+119%
Max Displays	2	2

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Media & Encoding

Decoder: PureVideo HD VP4 vs UVD 3.1. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP (GeForce GTS 250M) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon R5 330).

Feature	GeForce GTS 250M	Radeon R5 330
Encoder	PureVideo HD VP4	—
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP4	UVD 3.1
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTS 250M draws 106W versus the Radeon R5 330's 50W — a 71.8% difference. The Radeon R5 330 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (GeForce GTS 250M) vs 350W (Radeon R5 330). Power connectors: Legacy vs PCIe-powered.

Feature	GeForce GTS 250M	Radeon R5 330
TDP	106W	50W-53%
Recommended PSU	300W-14%	350W
Power Connector	Legacy	PCIe-powered
Length	—	168mm
Height	—	69mm
Slots	0-100%	1
Temp (Load)	85°C	—
Perf/Watt	4.9	10.5+114%

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Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon R5 330 (2017 vs 2010).

Feature	GeForce GTS 250M	Radeon R5 330
MSRP	—	$81
Codename	GF106	Weston
Release	September 13 2010	April 18 2017
Ranking	#791	#873

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