GeForce GTX 965M vs Radeon R9 M485X

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 965M

2016

Why buy it

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Draws 50W instead of 250W, a 200W reduction.
✅More future proof: Maxwell 2.0 (2014−2019) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 8.4 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $450 MSRP).

Radeon R9 M485X

2016

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 8.4 vs 0 G3D/$ ($450 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌400% higher power demand at 250W vs 50W.

GeForce GTX 965M

2016

Radeon R9 M485X

2016

Why buy it

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
✅Draws 50W instead of 250W, a 200W reduction.
✅More future proof: Maxwell 2.0 (2014−2019) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 8.4 vs 0 G3D/$ ($450 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 8.4 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $450 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌Very weak future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌400% higher power demand at 250W vs 50W.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 965M better than Radeon R9 M485X?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 3,860 vs 3,801 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer GeForce GTX 965M is the overall package: you are getting no meaningful modern upscaling stack, plus much lower power draw (50W vs 250W).

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

GeForce GTX 965M is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting more VRAM at 4 GB instead of 2 GB and the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling. That extra memory headroom makes it the safer pick for newer games, heavier textures, and higher settings over time.

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

GeForce GTX 965M is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce GTX 965M is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $450 MSRP, and you are getting 1.6% higher G3D Mark. Radeon R9 M485X really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is Radeon R9 M485X still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon R9 M485X is 2016 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM, 3,801 in G3D Mark, and FSR upscaling. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

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 965M Benchmark Check

Radeon R9 M485X Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 965M	Radeon R9 M485X
1080p
low	100 FPS	80 FPS
medium	86 FPS	66 FPS
high	69 FPS	52 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	34 FPS
1440p
low	87 FPS	67 FPS
medium	75 FPS	56 FPS
high	53 FPS	40 FPS
ultra	31 FPS	25 FPS
4K
low	28 FPS	25 FPS
medium	26 FPS	23 FPS
high	17 FPS	15 FPS
ultra	15 FPS	13 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 965M Open Radeon R9 M485X

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 965M	Radeon R9 M485X
1080p
low	118 FPS	102 FPS
medium	87 FPS	79 FPS
high	67 FPS	65 FPS
ultra	41 FPS	48 FPS
1440p
low	66 FPS	61 FPS
medium	45 FPS	43 FPS
high	33 FPS	33 FPS
ultra	22 FPS	25 FPS
4K
low	24 FPS	24 FPS
medium	16 FPS	17 FPS
high	13 FPS	14 FPS
ultra	9 FPS	10 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 965M Open Radeon R9 M485X

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 965M	Radeon R9 M485X
1080p
low	174 FPS	171 FPS
medium	139 FPS	137 FPS
high	116 FPS	114 FPS
ultra	87 FPS	86 FPS
1440p
low	130 FPS	128 FPS
medium	104 FPS	103 FPS
high	87 FPS	86 FPS
ultra	65 FPS	64 FPS
4K
low	87 FPS	86 FPS
medium	69 FPS	68 FPS
high	58 FPS	57 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	43 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 965M Open Radeon R9 M485X

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 965M	Radeon R9 M485X
1080p
low	165 FPS	146 FPS
medium	134 FPS	117 FPS
high	116 FPS	100 FPS
ultra	87 FPS	82 FPS
1440p
low	116 FPS	107 FPS
medium	97 FPS	87 FPS
high	85 FPS	75 FPS
ultra	65 FPS	58 FPS
4K
low	68 FPS	63 FPS
medium	53 FPS	48 FPS
high	43 FPS	37 FPS
ultra	31 FPS	26 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 965M Open Radeon R9 M485X

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 965M and Radeon R9 M485X

GeForce GTX 965M

The GeForce GTX 965M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in 2016. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 944 MHz to 1150 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,860 points.

Radeon R9 M485X

The Radeon R9 M485X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 15 2016. It features the GCN 3.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 723 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,801 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 965M scores 3,860 and the Radeon R9 M485X reaches 3,801 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 965M is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Radeon R9 M485X uses GCN 3.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,024 (GeForce GTX 965M) vs 2,048 (Radeon R9 M485X). Raw compute: 2.355 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 965M) vs 2.961 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 M485X).

Feature	GeForce GTX 965M	Radeon R9 M485X
G3D Mark Score	3,860+2%	3,801
Architecture	Maxwell 2.0	GCN 3.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1024	2048+100%
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.355 TFLOPS	2.961 TFLOPS+26%
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	64	128+100%
L1 Cache	384 KB	512 KB+33%
L2 Cache	1 MB+100%	0.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 965M gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon R9 M485X relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 965M	Radeon R9 M485X
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 965M comes with 4 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 M485X has 2 GB. The GeForce GTX 965M offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 128-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce GTX 965M) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon R9 M485X) — the GeForce GTX 965M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 965M	Radeon R9 M485X
VRAM Capacity	4 GB+100%	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	80 GB/s	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	1 MB+100%	0.5 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce GTX 965M) vs 12 (Radeon R9 M485X). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce GTX 965M	Radeon R9 M485X
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12
Vulkan	1.4+17%	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 5th Gen (HEVC) (GeForce GTX 965M) vs VCE 3.0 (Radeon R9 M485X). Decoder: PureVideo HD (VP6) vs UVD 6.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC (GeForce GTX 965M) vs H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Radeon R9 M485X).

Feature	GeForce GTX 965M	Radeon R9 M485X
Encoder	NVENC 5th Gen (HEVC)	VCE 3.0
Decoder	PureVideo HD (VP6)	UVD 6.0
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC	H.264,HEVC,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 965M draws 50W versus the Radeon R9 M485X's 250W — a 133.3% difference. The GeForce GTX 965M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 965M) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M485X). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs Mobile. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 80°C.