GeForce GTX 485M SLI vs Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire

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 485M SLI vs Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire 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 485M SLI vs Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire: 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 485M SLI

2011

Why buy it

✅Draws 100W instead of 120W, a 20W reduction.
✅More future proof: Fermi (2010−2014) on 40nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌2011 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 4.1 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $800 MSRP).

Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire

2010

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 4.1 vs 0 G3D/$ ($800 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌2010 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌20% higher power demand at 120W vs 100W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce GTX 485M SLI is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 1.5% in PassMark G3D (3,360 vs 3,311), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.

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

GeForce GTX 485M SLI is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a newer 2011 generation instead of 2010. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire 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, Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 485M SLI has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 485M SLI vs Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 485M SLI

The GeForce GTX 485M SLI is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 6 2011. It features the Fermi architecture. The core clock speed is 575 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,360 points.

Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire

The Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 7 2010. It features the Terascale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 700 MHz. It has 1600 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 120W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,311 points.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 485M SLI scores 3,360 and the Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire reaches 3,311 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 485M SLI is built on Fermi while the Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire uses Terascale 2, both on a 40 nm process. Shader units: 768 (GeForce GTX 485M SLI) vs 1,600 (Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire).

Feature	GeForce GTX 485M SLI	Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire
G3D Mark Score	3,360+1%	3,311
Architecture	Fermi	Terascale 2
Process Node	40 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	768	1600+108%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 485M SLI gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 485M SLI	Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire
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 GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce GTX 485M SLI and 128-bit on the Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire.

Feature	GeForce GTX 485M SLI	Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce GTX 485M SLI) vs 11.0 (Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire). Vulkan: 1.2 vs No. OpenGL: 4.0 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 6.

Feature	GeForce GTX 485M SLI	Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire
DirectX	12 (11_0)+9%	11.0
Vulkan	1.2	No
OpenGL	4.0	4.4+10%
Max Displays	2	6+200%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: PureVideo HD VP4 (GeForce GTX 485M SLI) vs UVD 2.3 (Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP4 vs UVD 2.3. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 ASP (GeForce GTX 485M SLI) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire).

Feature	GeForce GTX 485M SLI	Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire
Encoder	PureVideo HD VP4	UVD 2.3
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP4	UVD 2.3
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 ASP	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 485M SLI draws 100W versus the Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire's 120W — a 18.2% difference. The GeForce GTX 485M SLI is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 485M SLI) vs 350W (Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Typical load temperature: 92°C vs 95°C.

Feature	GeForce GTX 485M SLI	Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire
TDP	100W-17%	120W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	PCIe-powered
Slots	0	—
Temp (Load)	92°C-3%	95°C
Perf/Watt	33.6+22%	27.6

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce GTX 485M SLI (2011 vs 2010).

Feature	GeForce GTX 485M SLI	Mobility Radeon HD 5870 Crossfire
MSRP	—	$800
Codename	N11E-GTX-A1	Broadway-XT
Release	January 6 2011	January 7 2010
Ranking	#542	#688

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