GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q vs Radeon HD 7850

CPU

GPU

GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q

2018Core: 1190 MHzBoost: 1328 MHz

GTX family

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Radeon HD 7850

2012Boost: 1000 MHz

Similar parts

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GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q vs Radeon HD 7850 Performance Spectrum

GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q

2 GB 75

3,925

+0.7%

GeForce GTX 1660 Ti with Max-Q Design

3,897

0.0%

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 GTX 1050 Max-Q vs Radeon HD 7850 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 GTX 1050 Max-Q vs Radeon HD 7850: 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 GTX 1050 Max-Q

2018

Why buy it

✅Radeon HD 7850 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q is the less risky modern option long term.
✅Draws 75W instead of 130W, a 55W reduction.
✅More future proof: Pascal (2016−2021) on 14nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7850 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2018 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 15.7 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

Radeon HD 7850

2012

Why buy it

✅22.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 15.7 vs 0 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

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.
❌73.3% higher power demand at 130W vs 75W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 7850 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 22.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q instead at 3,925 vs 3,897, 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 GTX 1050 Max-Q is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 14nm process instead of 28nm and a newer 2018 generation instead of 2012. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 7850 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 HD 7850 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q vs Radeon HD 7850 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q

The GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 3 2018. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1190 MHz to 1328 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,925 points.

Radeon HD 7850

The Radeon HD 7850 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: 3,897 points. Launch price was $249.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q scores 3,925 and the Radeon HD 7850 reaches 3,897 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q is built on Pascal while the Radeon HD 7850 uses GCN 1.0, both on 14 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 640 (GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q) vs 1,024 (Radeon HD 7850). Raw compute: 1.7 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q) vs 1.761 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7850). Boost clocks: 1328 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q	Radeon HD 7850
G3D Mark Score	3,925	3,897
Architecture	Pascal	GCN 1.0
Process Node	14 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	640	1024+60%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.7 TFLOPS	1.761 TFLOPS+4%
Boost Clock	1328 MHz+33%	1000 MHz
ROPs	16	32+100%
TMUs	40	64+60%
L1 Cache	240 KB	256 KB+7%
L2 Cache	1 MB+100%	0.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 7850 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q	Radeon HD 7850
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)

Both cards ship with 2 GB of video memory. Memory bandwidth: 112.1 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q) vs 153.6 GB/s (Radeon HD 7850) — a 37% advantage for the Radeon HD 7850. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q and 256-bit on the Radeon HD 7850. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 7850) — the GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q	Radeon HD 7850
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	112.1 GB/s	153.6 GB/s+37%
Bus Width	128-bit	256-bit+100%
L2 Cache	1 MB+100%	0.5 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (12_1) (GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q) vs 12 (Radeon HD 7850). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q	Radeon HD 7850
DirectX	12 (12_1)	12
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (6th Gen) (GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7850). Decoder: NVDEC (3rd Gen) vs UVD 3.1. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265 (HEVC),VP9 (GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q) vs H.264 (Radeon HD 7850).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q	Radeon HD 7850
Encoder	NVENC (6th Gen)	VCE 1.0
Decoder	NVDEC (3rd Gen)	UVD 3.1
Codecs	H.264,H.265 (HEVC),VP9	H.264

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q draws 75W versus the Radeon HD 7850's 130W — a 53.7% difference. The GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q) vs 500W (Radeon HD 7850). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 1x 6-pin.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q	Radeon HD 7850
TDP	75W-42%	130W
Recommended PSU	350W-30%	500W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	1x 6-pin
Length	—	210mm
Slots	0-100%	2
Temp (Load)	75°C	—
Perf/Watt	52.3+74%	30.0

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q (2018 vs 2012).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q	Radeon HD 7850
MSRP	—	$249
Codename	GP107	Pitcairn
Release	January 3 2018	March 5 2012
Ranking	#498	#503

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