GeForce RTX 3070
Radeon HD 3850 X2
GeForce RTX 3070 vs Radeon HD 3850 X2 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 3070 vs Radeon HD 3850 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.
Path of Exile 2
Counter-Strike 2
League of Legends
Valorant
Among Us
Apex Legends
ARC Raiders
Baldur's Gate 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
GeForce RTX 3070 vs Radeon HD 3850 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 RTX 3070
2020Why buy it
- ✅1154.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Delivers 1786.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 2.4 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
- ✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
- ✅700% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 1 GB).
- ✅Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
Trade-offs
- ❌Fewer clear downsides in this head-to-head, aside from the usual pricing and availability swings.
Radeon HD 3850 X2
2011Why buy it
- ✅Costs $150 less on MSRP ($349 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3070 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
- ❌2011 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.4 vs 44.4 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
Quick Answers
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GeForce RTX 3070 vs Radeon HD 3850 X2 Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
GeForce RTX 3070
The GeForce RTX 3070 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 1 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1500 MHz to 1725 MHz. It has 5888 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 220W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 46 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 22,172 points. Launch price was $499.
Radeon HD 3850 X2
The Radeon HD 3850 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: 822 points.
Graphics Performance
In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3070 scores 22,172 versus the Radeon HD 3850 X2's 822 — the GeForce RTX 3070 leads by 2597.3%. The GeForce RTX 3070 is built on Ampere while the Radeon HD 3850 X2 uses TeraScale 2, both on 8 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 5,888 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 960 (Radeon HD 3850 X2). Raw compute: 20.31 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 1.536 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 3850 X2).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3070 | Radeon HD 3850 X2 |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 22,172+2597% | 822 |
| Architecture | Ampere | TeraScale 2 |
| Process Node | 8 nm | 40 nm |
| Shading Units | 5888+513% | 960 ×2 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 20.31 TFLOPS+1222% | 1.536 TFLOPS ×2 |
| ROPs | 96+200% | 32 ×2 |
| TMUs | 184+283% | 48 ×2 |
| L1 Cache | 5.8 MB+2953% | 0.19 MB |
| L2 Cache | 4 MB+700% | 0.5 MB |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce RTX 3070 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 3850 X2 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3070 | Radeon HD 3850 X2 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 3070 has 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 3850 X2 carries 1 GB. GeForce RTX 3070 gives you 700% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the GeForce RTX 3070 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 3850 X2. L2 Cache: 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 3850 X2) — the GeForce RTX 3070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3070 | Radeon HD 3850 X2 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 8 GB+700% | 1 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 448 GB/s | Unknown |
| Bus Width | 256-bit+100% | 128-bit |
| L2 Cache | 4 MB+700% | 0.5 MB |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 3850 X2). OpenGL: 4.6 vs 3.3. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 2.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3070 | Radeon HD 3850 X2 |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 Ultimate+19% | 10.1 |
| OpenGL | 4.6+39% | 3.3 |
| Max Displays | 4+100% | 2 |
Media & Encoding
Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs UVD+. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 3850 X2).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3070 | Radeon HD 3850 X2 |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | NVENC 7th gen | — |
| Decoder | NVDEC 5th gen | UVD+ |
| Codecs | H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 | H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce RTX 3070 draws 220W versus the Radeon HD 3850 X2's 254W — a 14.3% difference. The GeForce RTX 3070 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 650W (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 450W (Radeon HD 3850 X2). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 242mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 90°C.
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3070 | Radeon HD 3850 X2 |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 220W-13% | 254W |
| Recommended PSU | 650W | 450W-31% |
| Power Connector | 8-pin | 2x 6-pin |
| Length | 242mm | 267mm |
| Height | 112mm | — |
| Slots | 2 | 2 |
| Temp (Load) | 75°C-17% | 90°C |
| Perf/Watt | 100.8+3050% | 3.2 |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce RTX 3070 came in at $499, while the Radeon HD 3850 X2 launched at $349. On MSRP, Radeon HD 3850 X2 was 30.1% cheaper ($150 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 44.4 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 2.4 (Radeon HD 3850 X2) — the GeForce RTX 3070 offers 1750% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3070 (2020 vs 2011).
| Feature | GeForce RTX 3070 | Radeon HD 3850 X2 |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $499 | $349-30% |
| Performance per Dollar | 44.4+1750% | 2.4 |
| Codename | GA104 | Barts |
| Release | September 1 2020 | September 19 2011 |
| Ranking | #63 | #630 |
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