GeForce GTX 650 vs Radeon R9 M360

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 650

2012Core: 1058 MHz
VS
AMD

Radeon R9 M360

2015Core: 900 MHzBoost: 925 MHz

GeForce GTX 650 vs Radeon R9 M360 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 R9 M360 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 R9 M360: 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 $191 less on MSRP ($109 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
  • Delivers 165.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 16.1 vs 6.1 G3D/$ ($109 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
  • 300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 512 MB).
  • Draws 65W instead of 75W, a 10W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon R9 M360 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.
  • 14400% longer card at 145mm vs 1mm.

Radeon R9 M360

2015

Why buy it

  • 10.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Measures 1mm instead of 145mm, a 144mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2015 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 175.2% HIGHER MSRP
    $300 MSRPvs$109 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 6.1 vs 16.1 G3D/$ ($300 MSRP vs $109 MSRP).
  • 15.4% higher power demand at 75W vs 65W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon R9 M360 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 10.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 3.6% in PassMark G3D (1,819 vs 1,756), so the answer here is pretty clean.
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 512 MB of VRAM. 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 $191 cheaper on MSRP at $109 vs $300, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 165.7% (16.1 vs 6.1), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon R9 M360 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GTX 650 vs Radeon R9 M360 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 R9 M360

The Radeon R9 M360 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 5 2015. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 900 MHz to 925 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,819 points.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 650 scores 1,756 and the Radeon R9 M360 reaches 1,819 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 650 is built on Kepler while the Radeon R9 M360 uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 384 (GeForce GTX 650) vs 512 (Radeon R9 M360). Raw compute: 0.8125 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 650) vs 0.9472 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 M360).

FeatureGeForce GTX 650Radeon R9 M360
G3D Mark Score
1,756
1,819+4%
Architecture
Kepler
GCN 1.0
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
384
512+33%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.8125 TFLOPS
0.9472 TFLOPS+17%
ROPs
16
16
TMUs
32
32
L1 Cache
32 KB
128 KB+300%
L2 Cache
256 KB
256 KB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 650 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R9 M360 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTX 650Radeon R9 M360
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 R9 M360 carries 512 MB. GeForce GTX 650 gives you 300% 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 650 and 128-bit on the Radeon R9 M360.

FeatureGeForce GTX 650Radeon R9 M360
VRAM Capacity
2 GB+300%
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
80 GB/s
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
L2 Cache
256 KB
256 KB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11_0 (GeForce GTX 650) vs 12_0 (Radeon R9 M360). Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 0.

FeatureGeForce GTX 650Radeon R9 M360
DirectX
11_0
12_0+9%
Max Displays
3
0
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 2nd Gen (GeForce GTX 650) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon R9 M360). Decoder: NVDEC 1st Gen vs UVD 3.1.

FeatureGeForce GTX 650Radeon R9 M360
Encoder
NVENC 2nd Gen
VCE 1.0
Decoder
NVDEC 1st Gen
UVD 3.1
Codecs
H.264
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 650 draws 65W versus the Radeon R9 M360's 75W — a 14.3% difference. The GeForce GTX 650 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (GeForce GTX 650) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M360). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs Mobile. Card length: 145mm vs 1mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 650Radeon R9 M360
TDP
65W-13%
75W
Recommended PSU
300W-14%
350W
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
Mobile
Length
145mm
1mm
Slots
2
0-100%
Perf/Watt
27.0+11%
24.3
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 650 came in at $109, while the Radeon R9 M360 launched at $300. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 650 was 63.7% cheaper ($191 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 16.1 (GeForce GTX 650) vs 6.1 (Radeon R9 M360) — the GeForce GTX 650 offers 163.9% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R9 M360 (2015 vs 2012).

FeatureGeForce GTX 650Radeon R9 M360
MSRP
$109-64%
$300
Performance per Dollar
16.1+164%
6.1
Codename
GK107
Tropo
Release
September 6 2012
May 5 2015
Ranking
#719
#711

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