GeForce GTX 470M vs Radeon HD 6850

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 6850 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 6850: 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

✅50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 1 GB).
✅Draws 75W instead of 127W, a 52W reduction.
✅More future proof: Fermi (2010−2014) on 40nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 6850 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌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 10.8 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $179 MSRP).

Radeon HD 6850

2010

Why buy it

✅38.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 10.8 vs 0 G3D/$ ($179 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

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.
❌69.3% higher power demand at 127W vs 75W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 6850 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 38.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GTX 470M instead at 1,953 vs 1,938, 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 470M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 2 GB vs 1 GB of VRAM. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 6850 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 6850 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 6850 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 6850

The Radeon HD 6850 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 21 2010. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. It has 960 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 127W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,938 points. Launch price was $179.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 470M scores 1,953 and the Radeon HD 6850 reaches 1,938 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 470M is built on Fermi while the Radeon HD 6850 uses TeraScale 2, both on a 40 nm process. Shader units: 288 (GeForce GTX 470M) vs 960 (Radeon HD 6850). Raw compute: 0.6163 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 470M) vs 1.488 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6850).

Feature	GeForce GTX 470M	Radeon HD 6850
G3D Mark Score	1,953	1,938
Architecture	Fermi	TeraScale 2
Process Node	40 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	288	960+233%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.6163 TFLOPS	1.488 TFLOPS+141%
ROPs	24	32+33%
TMUs	48	48
L1 Cache	384 KB+100%	192 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 6850 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 470M	Radeon HD 6850
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 6850 carries 1 GB. GeForce GTX 470M gives you 50% 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 128-bit on the Radeon HD 6850. L2 Cache: 384 KB (GeForce GTX 470M) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 6850) — the Radeon HD 6850 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 470M	Radeon HD 6850
VRAM Capacity	1.5 GB+50%	1 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	384 KB	512 KB+33%

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Media & Encoding

Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 ASP (GeForce GTX 470M) vs H.264 (Radeon HD 6850).

Feature	GeForce GTX 470M	Radeon HD 6850
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 6850's 127W — a 51.5% difference. The GeForce GTX 470M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 470M) vs 500W (Radeon HD 6850). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 2x 6-pin.