GeForce GTX 850M vs Radeon HD 6950

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 850M vs Radeon HD 6950 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 850M vs Radeon HD 6950: 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 850M

2014

Why buy it

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 1 GB).
✅Draws 45W instead of 200W, a 155W reduction.
✅More future proof: Maxwell (2014−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 6950 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2014 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 8.7 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $299 MSRP).

Radeon HD 6950

2010

Why buy it

✅45.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 8.7 vs 0 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

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.
❌344.4% higher power demand at 200W vs 45W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 6950 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 45.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.2% in PassMark G3D (2,593 vs 2,537), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce GTX 850M 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 2014 generation instead of 2010. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 6950 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 6950 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 850M has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 850M vs Radeon HD 6950 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 850M

The GeForce GTX 850M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 12 2014. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock speed is Up to 936 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 45W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,537 points.

Radeon HD 6950

The Radeon HD 6950 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in December 14 2010. It features the TeraScale 3 architecture. The boost clock speed is 800 MHz. It has 1408 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,593 points. Launch price was $299.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 850M scores 2,537 and the Radeon HD 6950 reaches 2,593 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 850M is built on Maxwell while the Radeon HD 6950 uses TeraScale 3, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 640 (GeForce GTX 850M) vs 1,408 (Radeon HD 6950). Raw compute: 1.155 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 850M) vs 2.253 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6950).

Feature	GeForce GTX 850M	Radeon HD 6950
G3D Mark Score	2,537	2,593+2%
Architecture	Maxwell	TeraScale 3
Process Node	28 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	640	1408+120%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.155 TFLOPS	2.253 TFLOPS+95%
ROPs	16	32+100%
TMUs	40	88+120%
L1 Cache	320 KB	352 KB+10%
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 850M gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 6950 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 850M	Radeon HD 6950
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 850M has 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 6950 carries 1 GB. GeForce GTX 850M 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 850M and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 6950. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 850M) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 6950) — the GeForce GTX 850M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 850M	Radeon HD 6950
VRAM Capacity	2 GB+100%	1 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.0 (GeForce GTX 850M) vs 11_2 (Radeon HD 6950). Maximum simultaneous displays: 1 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 850M	Radeon HD 6950
DirectX	11.0	11_2
Max Displays	1	4+300%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 2.0 (GeForce GTX 850M) vs UVD 3 (Radeon HD 6950). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP6 vs UVD 3.

Feature	GeForce GTX 850M	Radeon HD 6950
Encoder	NVENC 2.0	UVD 3
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP6	UVD 3
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP,H.265	—

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 850M draws 45W versus the Radeon HD 6950's 200W — a 126.5% difference. The GeForce GTX 850M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 850M) vs 500W (Radeon HD 6950). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 275mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots.

Feature	GeForce GTX 850M	Radeon HD 6950
TDP	45W-78%	200W
Recommended PSU	350W-30%	500W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	2x 6-pin
Length	0mm	275mm
Height	0mm	—
Slots	0-100%	2
Temp (Load)	80°C	—
Perf/Watt	56.4+334%	13.0

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce GTX 850M (2014 vs 2010).

Feature	GeForce GTX 850M	Radeon HD 6950
MSRP	—	$299
Codename	GM107	Cayman
Release	March 12 2014	December 14 2010
Ranking	#629	#623

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