GeForce MX150 vs Radeon HD 5870

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 MX150 vs Radeon HD 5870 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 MX150 vs Radeon HD 5870: 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 MX150

2017

Why buy it

✅Costs $249 less on MSRP ($150 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Delivers 174.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 15.0 vs 5.5 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Draws 10W instead of 188W, a 178W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 5870 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2017 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon HD 5870

2009

Why buy it

✅71.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌2009 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
166% HIGHER MSRP
$399 MSRPvs$150 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.5 vs 15.0 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
❌1780% higher power demand at 188W vs 10W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 5870 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 71.6% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce MX150 instead at 2,252 vs 2,180, 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 MX150 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 14nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2017 generation instead of 2009. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce MX150 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $249 cheaper on MSRP at $150 vs $399, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 174.8% (15.0 vs 5.5), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon HD 5870 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce MX150 vs Radeon HD 5870 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce MX150

The GeForce MX150 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 17 2017. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 937 MHz to 1038 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 10W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,252 points.

Radeon HD 5870

The Radeon HD 5870 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in September 23 2009. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 1600 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 188W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,180 points. Launch price was $399.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce MX150 scores 2,252 and the Radeon HD 5870 reaches 2,180 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce MX150 is built on Pascal while the Radeon HD 5870 uses TeraScale 2, both on 14 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce MX150) vs 1,600 (Radeon HD 5870). Raw compute: 0.7972 TFLOPS (GeForce MX150) vs 2.72 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 5870).

Feature	GeForce MX150	Radeon HD 5870
G3D Mark Score	2,252+3%	2,180
Architecture	Pascal	TeraScale 2
Process Node	14 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	384	1600+317%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.7972 TFLOPS	2.72 TFLOPS+241%
ROPs	16	32+100%
TMUs	24	80+233%
L1 Cache	144 KB	160 KB+11%
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce MX150 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 5870 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce MX150	Radeon HD 5870
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 ship with 2 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the GeForce MX150 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 5870.

Feature	GeForce MX150	Radeon HD 5870
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	48 GB/s	Unknown
Bus Width	64-bit	128-bit+100%
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (12_1) (GeForce MX150) vs 11.2 (Radeon HD 5870). Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 3.

Feature	GeForce MX150	Radeon HD 5870
DirectX	12 (12_1)+7%	11.2
Max Displays	3	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (GeForce MX150) vs UVD 2.2 (Radeon HD 5870). Decoder: NVDEC (Pascal) vs UVD 2.2. Supported codecs: H.264,HEVC,VP9,VC-1 (GeForce MX150) vs H.264 (Radeon HD 5870).

Feature	GeForce MX150	Radeon HD 5870
Encoder	No	UVD 2.2
Decoder	NVDEC (Pascal)	UVD 2.2
Codecs	H.264,HEVC,VP9,VC-1	H.264

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce MX150 draws 10W versus the Radeon HD 5870's 188W — a 179.8% difference. The GeForce MX150 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce MX150) vs 500W (Radeon HD 5870). Power connectors: Mobile vs 2x 6-pin.

Feature	GeForce MX150	Radeon HD 5870
TDP	10W-95%	188W
Recommended PSU	350W-30%	500W
Power Connector	Mobile	2x 6-pin
Length	—	280mm
Slots	0-100%	2
Temp (Load)	75°C	—
Perf/Watt	225.2+1841%	11.6

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce MX150 came in at $150, while the Radeon HD 5870 launched at $399. On MSRP, GeForce MX150 was 62.4% cheaper ($249 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 15.0 (GeForce MX150) vs 5.5 (Radeon HD 5870) — the GeForce MX150 offers 172.7% better value. The newer card here is GeForce MX150 (2017 vs 2009).

Feature	GeForce MX150	Radeon HD 5870
MSRP	$150-62%	$399
Performance per Dollar	15.0+173%	5.5
Codename	GP108	Cypress
Release	May 17 2017	September 23 2009
Ranking	#657	#663

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