GeForce GTX 260M vs Radeon HD 3850

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 260M vs Radeon HD 3850 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 260M vs Radeon HD 3850: 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 260M

2008

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 3850 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2008 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 2.2 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $179 MSRP).
❌40% higher power demand at 182W vs 130W.

Radeon HD 3850

2012

Why buy it

✅12.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 2.2 vs 0 G3D/$ ($179 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Draws 130W instead of 182W, a 52W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌2012 hardware with 1 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?

Radeon HD 3850 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 12.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 5% in PassMark G3D (401 vs 382), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce GTX 260M 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 HD 3850 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 3850 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 260M has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 260M vs Radeon HD 3850 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 260M

The GeForce GTX 260M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in June 16 2008. It features the Tesla 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 576 MHz. It has 192 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 182W. Manufactured using 65 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 382 points. Launch price was $449.

Radeon HD 3850

The Radeon HD 3850 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: 401 points. Launch price was $249.

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Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GTX 260M scores 382 versus the Radeon HD 3850's 401 — the Radeon HD 3850 leads by 5%. The GeForce GTX 260M is built on Tesla 2.0 while the Radeon HD 3850 uses GCN 1.0, both on 65 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 192 (GeForce GTX 260M) vs 1,024 (Radeon HD 3850). Raw compute: 0.4769 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 260M) vs 1.761 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 3850).

Feature	GeForce GTX 260M	Radeon HD 3850
G3D Mark Score	382	401+5%
Architecture	Tesla 2.0	GCN 1.0
Process Node	65 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	192	1024+433%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.4769 TFLOPS	1.761 TFLOPS+269%
ROPs	28	32+14%
TMUs	64	64
L2 Cache	224 KB	512 KB+129%

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 260M gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 3850 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 260M	Radeon HD 3850
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)

Both cards ship with 1 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce GTX 260M and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 3850. L2 Cache: 224 KB (GeForce GTX 260M) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 3850) — the Radeon HD 3850 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 260M	Radeon HD 3850
VRAM Capacity	1 GB	1 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	224 KB	512 KB+129%

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Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.1 (10_0) (GeForce GTX 260M) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 3850). OpenGL: 3.3 vs 3.3. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce GTX 260M	Radeon HD 3850
DirectX	11.1 (10_0)+10%	10.1
OpenGL	3.3	3.3
Max Displays	2	2

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Media & Encoding

Decoder: PureVideo HD VP2 vs UVD+. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce GTX 260M) vs H.264,VC-1,DivX,MPEG-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 3850).

Feature	GeForce GTX 260M	Radeon HD 3850
Encoder	PureVideo HD VP2	—
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP2	UVD+
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2	H.264,VC-1,DivX,MPEG-1,MPEG-2

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 260M draws 182W versus the Radeon HD 3850's 130W — a 33.3% difference. The Radeon HD 3850 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 260M) vs 450W (Radeon HD 3850). Power connectors: None vs 1x 6-pin. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 80°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 260M	Radeon HD 3850
TDP	182W	130W-29%
Recommended PSU	350W-22%	450W
Power Connector	None	1x 6-pin
Length	—	208mm
Slots	0-100%	1
Temp (Load)	85°C	80°C-6%
Perf/Watt	2.1	3.1+48%

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Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon HD 3850 (2012 vs 2008).

Feature	GeForce GTX 260M	Radeon HD 3850
MSRP	—	$179
Codename	GT200	Pitcairn
Release	June 16 2008	March 5 2012
Ranking	#821	#503

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