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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce GTX 1050

2016

Why buy it

✅Costs $190 less on MSRP ($110 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
✅Delivers 178.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 45.8 vs 16.4 G3D/$ ($110 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
✅Draws 60W instead of 75W, a 15W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

Radeon R9 M395

2015

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
172.7% HIGHER MSRP
$300 MSRPvs$110 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 16.4 vs 45.8 G3D/$ ($300 MSRP vs $110 MSRP).
❌25% higher power demand at 75W vs 60W.

GeForce GTX 1050

2016

Radeon R9 M395

2015

Why buy it

✅Costs $190 less on MSRP ($110 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
✅Delivers 178.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 45.8 vs 16.4 G3D/$ ($110 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
✅Draws 60W instead of 75W, a 15W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
172.7% HIGHER MSRP
$300 MSRPvs$110 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 16.4 vs 45.8 G3D/$ ($300 MSRP vs $110 MSRP).
❌25% higher power demand at 75W vs 60W.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 1050 better than Radeon R9 M395?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 5,033 vs 4,934 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer GeForce GTX 1050 is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, no meaningful modern upscaling stack, plus much lower power draw (60W vs 75W).

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce GTX 1050 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2016 generation instead of 2015, the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling, and a 14nm process instead of 28nm. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

GeForce GTX 1050 can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $110 MSRP. GeForce GTX 1050 is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. GeForce GTX 1050 is about $190 cheaper on MSRP at $110 MSRP versus $300 MSRP, and you are getting 2.0% higher G3D Mark. Moving to $110 MSRP gets you newer hardware, lower power draw (60W vs 75W), and no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

Is Radeon R9 M395 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon R9 M395 is still a strong gaming card in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. Price is really the swing factor here. If you find it at or below $300 MSRP, it remains a very sensible buy. GeForce GTX 1050 is still the safer recommendation for most fresh builds because it offers a cleaner overall package with newer hardware and no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

Games Benchmarks

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 9800X3D 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 GTX 1050 Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 M395 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1050	Radeon R9 M395
1080p
low	114 FPS	98 FPS
medium	100 FPS	81 FPS
high	81 FPS	62 FPS
ultra	60 FPS	37 FPS
1440p
low	101 FPS	84 FPS
medium	85 FPS	69 FPS
high	64 FPS	48 FPS
ultra	47 FPS	27 FPS
4K
low	40 FPS	27 FPS
medium	37 FPS	26 FPS
high	25 FPS	17 FPS
ultra	22 FPS	14 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1050 Open Radeon R9 M395

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 1050	Radeon R9 M395
1080p
low	129 FPS	89 FPS
medium	89 FPS	61 FPS
high	69 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	45 FPS	29 FPS
1440p
low	64 FPS	51 FPS
medium	43 FPS	29 FPS
high	28 FPS	21 FPS
ultra	20 FPS	15 FPS
4K
low	24 FPS	17 FPS
medium	16 FPS	11 FPS
high	12 FPS	8 FPS
ultra	8 FPS	6 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1050 Open Radeon R9 M395

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 1050	Radeon R9 M395
1080p
low	226 FPS	222 FPS
medium	181 FPS	178 FPS
high	151 FPS	148 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	111 FPS
1440p
low	170 FPS	167 FPS
medium	136 FPS	133 FPS
high	113 FPS	111 FPS
ultra	85 FPS	83 FPS
4K
low	113 FPS	111 FPS
medium	91 FPS	89 FPS
high	75 FPS	74 FPS
ultra	57 FPS	56 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1050 Open Radeon R9 M395

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 1050	Radeon R9 M395
1080p
low	226 FPS	129 FPS
medium	162 FPS	105 FPS
high	144 FPS	90 FPS
ultra	113 FPS	73 FPS
1440p
low	170 FPS	97 FPS
medium	125 FPS	80 FPS
high	112 FPS	69 FPS
ultra	85 FPS	55 FPS
4K
low	107 FPS	57 FPS
medium	74 FPS	44 FPS
high	64 FPS	35 FPS
ultra	48 FPS	26 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 1050 Open Radeon R9 M395

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 1050 and Radeon R9 M395

GeForce GTX 1050

The GeForce GTX 1050 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in October 25 2016. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1290 MHz to 1392 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 60W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,033 points. Launch price was $109.

Radeon R9 M395

The Radeon R9 M395 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 9 2015. It features the GCN architecture. The core clock speed is 834 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,934 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 1050 scores 5,033 and the Radeon R9 M395 reaches 4,934 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 1050 is built on Pascal while the Radeon R9 M395 uses GCN, both on 14 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 640 (GeForce GTX 1050) vs 1,792 (Radeon R9 M395).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1050	Radeon R9 M395
G3D Mark Score	5,033+2%	4,934
Architecture	Pascal	GCN
Process Node	14 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	640	1792+180%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 1050 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon R9 M395 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1050	Radeon R9 M395
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 feature 2 GB of GDDR5. Memory bandwidth: 112 GB/s (GeForce GTX 1050) vs 176 GB/s (Radeon R9 M395) — a 57.1% advantage for the Radeon R9 M395. Bus width: 128-bit vs 256-bit.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1050	Radeon R9 M395
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	112 GB/s	176 GB/s+57%
Bus Width	128-bit	256-bit+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (12_1) (GeForce GTX 1050) vs 12 (FL12_0) (Radeon R9 M395). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 3.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1050	Radeon R9 M395
DirectX	12 (12_1)	12 (FL12_0)
Vulkan	1.3+8%	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	3	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (6th Gen) (GeForce GTX 1050) vs UVD (Radeon R9 M395). Decoder: NVDEC (3rd Gen) vs VCE. Supported codecs: HEVC,H.264,VP9 (GeForce GTX 1050) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MPEG-4 (Radeon R9 M395).

Feature	GeForce GTX 1050	Radeon R9 M395
Encoder	NVENC (6th Gen)	UVD
Decoder	NVDEC (3rd Gen)	VCE
Codecs	HEVC,H.264,VP9	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MPEG-4

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 1050 draws 60W versus the Radeon R9 M395's 75W — a 22.2% difference. The GeForce GTX 1050 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (GeForce GTX 1050) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M395). Power connectors: None vs Mobile. Card length: 145mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 65 C vs 75°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 1050	Radeon R9 M395
TDP	60W-20%	75W
Recommended PSU	300W-14%	350W
Power Connector	None	Mobile
Length	145mm	0mm
Height	111mm	0mm
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	65 C-13%	75°C
Perf/Watt	83.9+28%	65.8

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 1050 launched at $110 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 M395 launched at $300. The GeForce GTX 1050 costs 63.3% less ($190 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 45.8 (GeForce GTX 1050) vs 16.4 (Radeon R9 M395) — the GeForce GTX 1050 offers 179.3% better value. The GeForce GTX 1050 is the newer GPU (2016 vs 2015).