GeForce GTX 950M 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.

GeForce GTX 950M vs Radeon HD 6850 X2 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 950M vs Radeon HD 6850 X2: 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 950M

2015

Why buy it

✅Draws 75W instead of 254W, a 179W reduction.
✅More future proof: Maxwell (2014−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 6850 X2 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2015 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 7.2 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $350 MSRP).

Radeon HD 6850 X2

2011

Why buy it

✅5.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 7.2 vs 0 G3D/$ ($350 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌2011 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌238.7% higher power demand at 254W vs 75W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 6850 X2 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 5.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GTX 950M instead at 2,575 vs 2,534, 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 950M 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 2011. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 6850 X2 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 6850 X2 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GTX 950M has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GTX 950M vs Radeon HD 6850 X2 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GTX 950M

The GeForce GTX 950M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 13 2015. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 914 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: 2,575 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.

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Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 950M scores 2,575 and the Radeon HD 6850 X2 reaches 2,534 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 950M 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 950M) vs 960 (Radeon HD 6850 X2). Raw compute: 1.439 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 950M) vs 1.536 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 6850 X2).

Feature	GeForce GTX 950M	Radeon HD 6850 X2
G3D Mark Score	2,575+2%	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 950M gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 6850 X2 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GTX 950M	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

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Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 2 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce GTX 950M and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 6850 X2. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 950M) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 6850 X2) — the GeForce GTX 950M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

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

🔌

Power & Dimensions

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

Feature	GeForce GTX 950M	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	34.3+243%	10.0

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Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce GTX 950M (2015 vs 2011).

Feature	GeForce GTX 950M	Radeon HD 6850 X2
MSRP	—	$350
Codename	GM107	Barts
Release	March 13 2015	September 19 2011
Ranking	#626	#630

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