GeForce GTX 470M vs Radeon HD 5850

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 470M vs Radeon HD 5850 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 470M vs Radeon HD 5850: 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 470M

2010

Why buy it

✅Draws 75W instead of 151W, a 76W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 5850 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2010 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 6.5 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $299 MSRP).

Radeon HD 5850

2009

Why buy it

✅73.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 6.5 vs 0 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 2 GB).

Trade-offs

❌2009 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌101.3% higher power demand at 151W vs 75W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 5850 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 73.2% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0.1% in PassMark G3D (1,955 vs 1,953), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce GTX 470M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a newer 2010 generation instead of 2009. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 5850 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 5850 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 470M has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 470M vs Radeon HD 5850 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 470M

The GeForce GTX 470M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 3 2010. It features the Fermi architecture. The core clock speed is 535 MHz. It has 288 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,953 points.

Radeon HD 5850

The Radeon HD 5850 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in September 30 2009. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 725 MHz. It has 1440 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 151W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,955 points. Launch price was $299.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 470M scores 1,953 and the Radeon HD 5850 reaches 1,955 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 470M is built on Fermi while the Radeon HD 5850 uses TeraScale 2, both on a 40 nm process. Shader units: 288 (GeForce GTX 470M) vs 1,440 (Radeon HD 5850). Raw compute: 0.6163 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 470M) vs 2.088 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 5850).

Feature	GeForce GTX 470M	Radeon HD 5850
G3D Mark Score	1,953	1,955
Architecture	Fermi	TeraScale 2
Process Node	40 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	288	1440+400%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.6163 TFLOPS	2.088 TFLOPS+239%
ROPs	24	32+33%
TMUs	48	72+50%
L1 Cache	384 KB+167%	144 KB
L2 Cache	384 KB	512 KB+33%

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 470M gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 5850 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 470M	Radeon HD 5850
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 GTX 470M has 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 5850 carries 2 GB. Radeon HD 5850 gives you 33.3% 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 GTX 470M and 256-bit on the Radeon HD 5850. L2 Cache: 384 KB (GeForce GTX 470M) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 5850) — the Radeon HD 5850 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 470M	Radeon HD 5850
VRAM Capacity	1.5 GB	2 GB+33%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	128 GB/s
Bus Width	128-bit	256-bit+100%
L2 Cache	384 KB	512 KB+33%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 ASP (GeForce GTX 470M) vs H.264 (Radeon HD 5850).

Feature	GeForce GTX 470M	Radeon HD 5850
Encoder	PureVideo HD VP4	—
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP4	—
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 ASP	H.264

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 470M draws 75W versus the Radeon HD 5850's 151W — a 67.3% difference. The GeForce GTX 470M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 470M) vs 500W (Radeon HD 5850). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 2x 6-pin.

Feature	GeForce GTX 470M	Radeon HD 5850
TDP	75W-50%	151W
Recommended PSU	350W-30%	500W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	2x 6-pin
Slots	0	—
Temp (Load)	85°C	—
Perf/Watt	26.0+102%	12.9

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Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce GTX 470M (2010 vs 2009).

Feature	GeForce GTX 470M	Radeon HD 5850
MSRP	—	$299
Codename	GF104	Cypress
Release	September 3 2010	September 30 2009
Ranking	#689	#682

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