GeForce GTX 850A vs Mobility Radeon HD 5850

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 850A vs Mobility 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 850A vs Mobility 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 850A

2015

Why buy it

✅Costs $149 less on MSRP ($150 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Delivers 100.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.1 vs 2.6 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅More future proof: Maxwell (2014−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 1 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.
❌50% higher power demand at 75W vs 50W.

Mobility Radeon HD 5850

2010

Why buy it

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 512 MB).
✅Draws 50W instead of 75W, a 25W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌2010 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
99.3% HIGHER MSRP
$299 MSRPvs$150 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.6 vs 5.1 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce GTX 850A is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 0.5% in PassMark G3D (767 vs 763), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.

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

GeForce GTX 850A is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2015 generation instead of 2010. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce GTX 850A makes the most sense to buy today. It is $149 cheaper on MSRP at $150 vs $299, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 100.4% (5.1 vs 2.6), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce GTX 850A vs Mobility Radeon HD 5850 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 850A

The GeForce GTX 850A is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 13 2015. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 993 MHz to 1124 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 767 points.

Mobility Radeon HD 5850

The Mobility Radeon HD 5850 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 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 763 points.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 850A scores 767 and the Mobility Radeon HD 5850 reaches 763 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 850A is built on Maxwell while the Mobility Radeon HD 5850 uses TeraScale 2, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 640 (GeForce GTX 850A) vs 800 (Mobility Radeon HD 5850). Raw compute: 1.439 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 850A) vs 1.12 TFLOPS (Mobility Radeon HD 5850).

Feature	GeForce GTX 850A	Mobility Radeon HD 5850
G3D Mark Score	767	763
Architecture	Maxwell	TeraScale 2
Process Node	28 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	640	800+25%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.439 TFLOPS+28%	1.12 TFLOPS
ROPs	16	16
TMUs	40	40
L1 Cache	320 KB+300%	80 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB+700%	0.25 MB

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 850A gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Mobility Radeon HD 5850 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 850A	Mobility Radeon 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

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GTX 850A has 512 MB of VRAM, while the Mobility Radeon HD 5850 carries 1 GB. Mobility Radeon HD 5850 gives you 100% 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 850A and 128-bit on the Mobility Radeon HD 5850. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 850A) vs 0.25 MB (Mobility Radeon HD 5850) — the GeForce GTX 850A has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 850A	Mobility Radeon HD 5850
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	1 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB+700%	0.25 MB

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 850A draws 75W versus the Mobility Radeon HD 5850's 50W — a 40% difference. The Mobility Radeon HD 5850 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 850A) vs 350W (Mobility Radeon HD 5850). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered.

Feature	GeForce GTX 850A	Mobility Radeon HD 5850
TDP	75W	50W-33%
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	PCIe-powered
Temp (Load)	—	85°C
Perf/Watt	10.2	15.3+50%

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Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 850A came in at $150, while the Mobility Radeon HD 5850 launched at $299. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 850A was 49.8% cheaper ($149 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 5.1 (GeForce GTX 850A) vs 2.6 (Mobility Radeon HD 5850) — the GeForce GTX 850A offers 96.2% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GTX 850A (2015 vs 2010).

Feature	GeForce GTX 850A	Mobility Radeon HD 5850
MSRP	$150-50%	$299
Performance per Dollar	5.1+96%	2.6
Codename	GM107	Broadway
Release	March 13 2015	January 7 2010
Ranking	#621	#846

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