GeForce RTX 3050 6GB vs Mobility Radeon HD 5850

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB

2024Core: 1042 MHzBoost: 1470 MHz
VS
AMD

Mobility Radeon HD 5850

2010Core: 700 MHz

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB vs Mobility Radeon HD 5850 Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

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 RTX 3050 6GB vs Mobility Radeon HD 5850: 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 RTX 3050 6GB

2024

Why buy it

  • +1308.8% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • Costs $130 less on MSRP ($169 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
  • Delivers 2392.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 63.6 vs 2.6 G3D/$ ($169 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • 500% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (6 GB vs 1 GB).

Trade-offs

  • 40% higher power demand at 70W vs 50W.

Mobility Radeon HD 5850

2010

Why buy it

  • Draws 50W instead of 70W, a 20W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (763 vs 10,749).
  • Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 6 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
  • 2010 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 76.9% HIGHER MSRP
    $299 MSRPvs$169 MSRP

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 1308.8% in PassMark G3D (10,749 vs 763), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 6 GB vs 1 GB of VRAM, a 8nm process instead of 40nm, 18 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2024 generation instead of 2010. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce RTX 3050 6GB makes the most sense to buy today. It is $130 cheaper on MSRP at $169 vs $299, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 2392.5% (63.6 vs 2.6), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB vs Mobility Radeon HD 5850 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3050 6GB

The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in February 2 2024. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1042 MHz to 1470 MHz. It has 2304 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 70W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 18 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 10,749 points. Launch price was $179.

AMD

Mobility Radeon HD 5850

The Mobility Radeon HD 5850 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 7 2010. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 700 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 763 points.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB scores 10,749 versus the Mobility Radeon HD 5850's 763 — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB leads by 1308.8%. The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB is built on Ampere while the Mobility Radeon HD 5850 uses TeraScale 2, both on 8 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 2,304 (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 800 (Mobility Radeon HD 5850). Raw compute: 6.774 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 1.12 TFLOPS (Mobility Radeon HD 5850).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBMobility Radeon HD 5850
G3D Mark Score
10,749+1309%
763
Architecture
Ampere
TeraScale 2
Process Node
8 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
2304+188%
800
Compute (TFLOPS)
6.774 TFLOPS+505%
1.12 TFLOPS
ROPs
32+100%
16
TMUs
72+80%
40
L1 Cache
2.3 MB+2775%
0.08 MB
L2 Cache
2 MB+700%
0.25 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Mobility Radeon HD 5850 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBMobility Radeon HD 5850
Upscaling Tech
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
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 RTX 3050 6GB has 6 GB of VRAM, while the Mobility Radeon HD 5850 carries 1 GB. GeForce RTX 3050 6GB gives you 500% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 96-bit on the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB and 128-bit on the Mobility Radeon HD 5850. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 0.25 MB (Mobility Radeon HD 5850) — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBMobility Radeon HD 5850
VRAM Capacity
6 GB+500%
1 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
168 GB/s
Unknown
Bus Width
96-bit
128-bit+33%
L2 Cache
2 MB+700%
0.25 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 11.0 (Mobility Radeon HD 5850). Vulkan: 1.3 vs No. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 6.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBMobility Radeon HD 5850
DirectX
12 Ultimate+9%
11.0
Vulkan
1.3
No
OpenGL
4.6+5%
4.4
Max Displays
4
6+50%
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (5th Gen) (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs UVD 2.3 (Mobility Radeon HD 5850). Decoder: NVDEC (7th Gen) vs UVD 2.3. Supported codecs: H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode Only) (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Mobility Radeon HD 5850).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBMobility Radeon HD 5850
Encoder
NVENC (5th Gen)
UVD 2.3
Decoder
NVDEC (7th Gen)
UVD 2.3
Codecs
H.264,HEVC,AV1 (Decode Only)
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3050 6GB draws 70W versus the Mobility Radeon HD 5850's 50W — a 33.3% difference. The Mobility Radeon HD 5850 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 350W (Mobility Radeon HD 5850). Power connectors: None vs PCIe-powered. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 85°C.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBMobility Radeon HD 5850
TDP
70W
50W-29%
Recommended PSU
300W-14%
350W
Power Connector
None
PCIe-powered
Length
160mm
Slots
2
Temp (Load)
75°C-12%
85°C
Perf/Watt
153.6+904%
15.3
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB came in at $169, while the Mobility Radeon HD 5850 launched at $299. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 3050 6GB was 43.5% cheaper ($130 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 63.6 (GeForce RTX 3050 6GB) vs 2.6 (Mobility Radeon HD 5850) — the GeForce RTX 3050 6GB offers 2346.2% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3050 6GB (2024 vs 2010).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3050 6GBMobility Radeon HD 5850
MSRP
$169-43%
$299
Performance per Dollar
63.6+2346%
2.6
Codename
GA107
Broadway
Release
February 2 2024
January 7 2010
Ranking
#252
#846

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