GeForce GTX 650 vs Radeon HD 5830

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 650

2012Core: 1058 MHz
VS
AMD

Radeon HD 5830

2010Core: 800 MHz

GeForce GTX 650 vs Radeon HD 5830 Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

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 650 vs Radeon HD 5830 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 650 vs Radeon HD 5830: 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 650

2012

Why buy it

  • Costs $130 less on MSRP ($109 MSRP vs $239 MSRP).
  • Delivers 123.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 16.1 vs 7.2 G3D/$ ($109 MSRP vs $239 MSRP).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 1 GB).
  • Draws 65W instead of 175W, a 110W reduction.
  • Measures 145mm instead of 280mm, a 135mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 5830 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2012 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon HD 5830

2010

Why buy it

  • 95.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

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.
  • 119.3% HIGHER MSRP
    $239 MSRPvs$109 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 7.2 vs 16.1 G3D/$ ($239 MSRP vs $109 MSRP).
  • 169.2% higher power demand at 175W vs 65W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD 5830 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 95.2% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GTX 650 instead at 1,756 vs 1,726, 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 650 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 2 GB vs 1 GB of VRAM, a 28nm process instead of 40nm, and a newer 2012 generation instead of 2010. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce GTX 650 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $130 cheaper on MSRP at $109 vs $239, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 123.1% (16.1 vs 7.2), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon HD 5830 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GTX 650 vs Radeon HD 5830 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 650

The GeForce GTX 650 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 6 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock speed is 1058 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 65W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,756 points. Launch price was $109.

AMD

Radeon HD 5830

The Radeon HD 5830 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in February 25 2010. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 800 MHz. It has 1120 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 175W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,726 points.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 650 scores 1,756 and the Radeon HD 5830 reaches 1,726 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 650 is built on Kepler while the Radeon HD 5830 uses TeraScale 2, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce GTX 650) vs 1,120 (Radeon HD 5830). Raw compute: 0.8125 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 650) vs 1.792 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 5830).

FeatureGeForce GTX 650Radeon HD 5830
G3D Mark Score
1,756+2%
1,726
Architecture
Kepler
TeraScale 2
Process Node
28 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
384
1120+192%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.8125 TFLOPS
1.792 TFLOPS+121%
ROPs
16
16
TMUs
32
56+75%
L1 Cache
32 KB
112 KB+250%
L2 Cache
256 KB
512 KB+100%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 650 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 5830 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 650Radeon HD 5830
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)

The GeForce GTX 650 has 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 5830 carries 1 GB. GeForce GTX 650 gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 80 GB/s (GeForce GTX 650) vs 128 GB/s (Radeon HD 5830) — a 60% advantage for the Radeon HD 5830. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce GTX 650 and 256-bit on the Radeon HD 5830. L2 Cache: 256 KB (GeForce GTX 650) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 5830) — the Radeon HD 5830 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 650Radeon HD 5830
VRAM Capacity
2 GB+100%
1 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
80 GB/s
128 GB/s+60%
Bus Width
128-bit
256-bit+100%
L2 Cache
256 KB
512 KB+100%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11_0 (GeForce GTX 650) vs 11.2 (Radeon HD 5830). Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 3.

FeatureGeForce GTX 650Radeon HD 5830
DirectX
11_0
11.2+2%
Max Displays
3
3
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 2nd Gen (GeForce GTX 650) vs UVD 2.2 (Radeon HD 5830). Decoder: NVDEC 1st Gen vs UVD 2.2.

FeatureGeForce GTX 650Radeon HD 5830
Encoder
NVENC 2nd Gen
UVD 2.2
Decoder
NVDEC 1st Gen
UVD 2.2
Codecs
H.264
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 650 draws 65W versus the Radeon HD 5830's 175W — a 91.7% difference. The GeForce GTX 650 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (GeForce GTX 650) vs 500W (Radeon HD 5830). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 145mm vs 280mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 650Radeon HD 5830
TDP
65W-63%
175W
Recommended PSU
300W-40%
500W
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
2x 6-pin
Length
145mm
280mm
Slots
2
2
Perf/Watt
27.0+173%
9.9
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 650 came in at $109, while the Radeon HD 5830 launched at $239. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 650 was 54.4% cheaper ($130 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 16.1 (GeForce GTX 650) vs 7.2 (Radeon HD 5830) — the GeForce GTX 650 offers 123.6% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 650 (2012 vs 2010).

FeatureGeForce GTX 650Radeon HD 5830
MSRP
$109-54%
$239
Performance per Dollar
16.1+124%
7.2
Codename
GK107
Cypress
Release
September 6 2012
February 25 2010
Ranking
#719
#724

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