GeForce GTX 950A vs Radeon HD 6850 X2

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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce GTX 950A

2015

Why buy it

✅Costs $191 less on MSRP ($159 MSRP vs $350 MSRP).
✅Delivers 125.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 16.3 vs 7.2 G3D/$ ($159 MSRP vs $350 MSRP).
✅Draws 75W instead of 254W, a 179W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

Radeon HD 6850 X2

2011

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2011-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
120.1% HIGHER MSRP
$350 MSRPvs$159 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 7.2 vs 16.3 G3D/$ ($350 MSRP vs $159 MSRP).
❌238.7% higher power demand at 254W vs 75W.

GeForce GTX 950A

2015

Radeon HD 6850 X2

2011

Why buy it

✅Costs $191 less on MSRP ($159 MSRP vs $350 MSRP).
✅Delivers 125.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 16.3 vs 7.2 G3D/$ ($159 MSRP vs $350 MSRP).
✅Draws 75W instead of 254W, a 179W reduction.

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2011-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌
120.1% HIGHER MSRP
$350 MSRPvs$159 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 7.2 vs 16.3 G3D/$ ($350 MSRP vs $159 MSRP).
❌238.7% higher power demand at 254W vs 75W.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 950A better than Radeon HD 6850 X2?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 2,599 vs 2,534 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer GeForce GTX 950A is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, no meaningful modern upscaling stack, plus much lower power draw (75W vs 254W).

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce GTX 950A is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2015 generation instead of 2011, the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling, and a 28nm process instead of 40nm. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

GeForce GTX 950A can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $159 MSRP. GeForce GTX 950A is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. GeForce GTX 950A is about $191 cheaper on MSRP at $159 MSRP versus $350 MSRP, and you are getting 2.6% higher G3D Mark. Moving to $159 MSRP gets you newer hardware, lower power draw (75W vs 254W), and no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

Is Radeon HD 6850 X2 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon HD 6850 X2 is still a strong gaming card in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. Price is really the swing factor here. If you find it at or below $350 MSRP, it remains a very sensible buy. GeForce GTX 950A is still the safer recommendation for most fresh builds because it offers a cleaner overall package with newer hardware and no meaningful modern upscaling stack.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

GeForce GTX 950A Benchmark Check

Radeon HD 6850 X2 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 950A	Radeon HD 6850 X2
1080p
low	29 FPS	62 FPS
medium	17 FPS	49 FPS
high	10 FPS	33 FPS
ultra	5 FPS	19 FPS
1440p
low	13 FPS	37 FPS
medium	7 FPS	27 FPS
high	3 FPS	17 FPS
ultra	2 FPS	9 FPS
4K
low	5 FPS	12 FPS
medium	3 FPS	10 FPS
high	1 FPS	6 FPS
ultra	1 FPS	5 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 950A Open Radeon HD 6850 X2

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 950A	Radeon HD 6850 X2
1080p
low	117 FPS	72 FPS
medium	88 FPS	48 FPS
high	62 FPS	36 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	24 FPS
1440p
low	85 FPS	38 FPS
medium	55 FPS	24 FPS
high	40 FPS	15 FPS
ultra	28 FPS	11 FPS
4K
low	41 FPS	14 FPS
medium	30 FPS	9 FPS
high	22 FPS	7 FPS
ultra	14 FPS	5 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 950A Open Radeon HD 6850 X2

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 950A	Radeon HD 6850 X2
1080p
low	117 FPS	114 FPS
medium	94 FPS	91 FPS
high	78 FPS	76 FPS
ultra	58 FPS	57 FPS
1440p
low	88 FPS	86 FPS
medium	70 FPS	68 FPS
high	58 FPS	57 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	43 FPS
4K
low	58 FPS	57 FPS
medium	47 FPS	46 FPS
high	39 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	29 FPS	29 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 950A Open Radeon HD 6850 X2

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 950A	Radeon HD 6850 X2
1080p
low	117 FPS	114 FPS
medium	94 FPS	91 FPS
high	78 FPS	76 FPS
ultra	58 FPS	57 FPS
1440p
low	88 FPS	86 FPS
medium	70 FPS	68 FPS
high	58 FPS	57 FPS
ultra	44 FPS	43 FPS
4K
low	58 FPS	57 FPS
medium	45 FPS	46 FPS
high	35 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	28 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 950A Open Radeon HD 6850 X2

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 950A and Radeon HD 6850 X2

GeForce GTX 950A

The GeForce GTX 950A 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: 2,599 points.

Radeon HD 6850 X2

The Radeon HD 6850 X2 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in September 19 2011. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 800 MHz. It has 960 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 254W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,534 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 950A scores 2,599 and the Radeon HD 6850 X2 reaches 2,534 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 950A is built on Maxwell while the Radeon HD 6850 X2 uses TeraScale 2, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 640 (GeForce GTX 950A) vs 960 (Radeon HD 6850 X2). Raw compute: 1.439 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 950A) vs 1.536 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 6850 X2).

Feature	GeForce GTX 950A	Radeon HD 6850 X2
G3D Mark Score	2,599+3%	2,534
Architecture	Maxwell	TeraScale 2
Process Node	28 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	640	960 ×2+50%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.439 TFLOPS	1.536 TFLOPS ×2+7%
ROPs	16	32 ×2+100%
TMUs	40	48 ×2+20%
L1 Cache	320 KB+67%	192 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 950A gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon HD 6850 X2 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 950A	Radeon HD 6850 X2
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)

Both cards feature 2 GB of video memory. Bus width: 128-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 950A) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 6850 X2) — the GeForce GTX 950A has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 950A	Radeon HD 6850 X2
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	DDR3	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	32 GB/s	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 950A draws 75W versus the Radeon HD 6850 X2's 254W — a 108.8% difference. The GeForce GTX 950A is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 950A) vs 600W (Radeon HD 6850 X2). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 2x 8-pin.

Feature	GeForce GTX 950A	Radeon HD 6850 X2
TDP	75W-70%	254W
Recommended PSU	350W-42%	600W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	2x 8-pin
Length	—	285mm
Slots	—	2
Perf/Watt	34.7+247%	10.0

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 950A launched at $159 MSRP, while the Radeon HD 6850 X2 launched at $350. The GeForce GTX 950A costs 54.6% less ($191 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 16.3 (GeForce GTX 950A) vs 7.2 (Radeon HD 6850 X2) — the GeForce GTX 950A offers 126.4% better value. The GeForce GTX 950A is the newer GPU (2015 vs 2011).