GeForce GTX 670MX vs Radeon HD 5850

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 670MX

2012Core: 600 MHz
VS
AMD

Radeon HD 5850

2009Core: 725 MHz

GeForce GTX 670MX vs Radeon HD 5850 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 670MX 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 670MX 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 670MX

2012

Why buy it

  • 50% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (3 GB vs 2 GB).
  • Draws 75W instead of 151W, a 76W reduction.
  • More future proof: Kepler (2012−2018) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 5850 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2012 hardware with 3 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

  • 37.7% 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).

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 3 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 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 37.7% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GTX 670MX instead at 1,978 vs 1,955, 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 670MX is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 3 GB vs 2 GB of VRAM, a 28nm process instead of 40nm, and a newer 2012 generation instead of 2009. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
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 670MX has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 670MX vs Radeon HD 5850 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 670MX

The GeForce GTX 670MX is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in October 1 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock speed is 600 MHz. It has 960 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,978 points.

AMD

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.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 670MX scores 1,978 and the Radeon HD 5850 reaches 1,955 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 670MX is built on Kepler while the Radeon HD 5850 uses TeraScale 2, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 960 (GeForce GTX 670MX) vs 1,440 (Radeon HD 5850). Raw compute: 1.154 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 670MX) vs 2.088 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 5850).

FeatureGeForce GTX 670MXRadeon HD 5850
G3D Mark Score
1,978+1%
1,955
Architecture
Kepler
TeraScale 2
Process Node
28 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
960
1440+50%
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.154 TFLOPS
2.088 TFLOPS+81%
ROPs
24
32+33%
TMUs
80+11%
72
L1 Cache
80 KB
144 KB+80%
L2 Cache
384 KB
512 KB+33%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 670MX 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.

FeatureGeForce GTX 670MXRadeon 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
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 670MX has 3 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 5850 carries 2 GB. GeForce GTX 670MX 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 670MX and 256-bit on the Radeon HD 5850. L2 Cache: 384 KB (GeForce GTX 670MX) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 5850) — the Radeon HD 5850 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 670MXRadeon HD 5850
VRAM Capacity
3 GB+50%
2 GB
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 670MX) vs H.264 (Radeon HD 5850).

FeatureGeForce GTX 670MXRadeon HD 5850
Encoder
NVENC 1st Gen
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP5
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 ASP
H.264
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 670MX draws 75W versus the Radeon HD 5850's 151W — a 67.3% difference. The GeForce GTX 670MX is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 670MX) vs 500W (Radeon HD 5850). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 2x 6-pin.

FeatureGeForce GTX 670MXRadeon 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
26.4+105%
12.9
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce GTX 670MX (2012 vs 2009).

FeatureGeForce GTX 670MXRadeon HD 5850
MSRP
$299
Codename
GK104
Cypress
Release
October 1 2012
September 30 2009
Ranking
#684
#682

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