GeForce RTX 3070 vs Radeon R9 M385X

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3070

2020Core: 1500 MHzBoost: 1725 MHz

Popular choices:

VS
AMD

Radeon R9 M385X

2015Core: 1000 MHzBoost: 1100 MHz

Popular choices:

RTX 3070

Performance Spectrum - GPU

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.

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 RTX 3070

2020

Why buy it

  • +1011.9% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • Delivers 568.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 6.6 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • 1500% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 512 MB).
  • More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 193.3% higher power demand at 220W vs 75W.

Radeon R9 M385X

2015

Why buy it

  • Costs $199 less on MSRP ($300 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
  • Draws 75W instead of 220W, a 145W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (1,994 vs 22,172).
  • Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
  • Very weak future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 6.6 vs 44.4 G3D/$ ($300 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3070 better than Radeon R9 M385X?
Yes. GeForce RTX 3070 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 22,172 vs 1,994 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3070 is a 2020 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Radeon R9 M385X is a 2015 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.
Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 3070 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2020 generation instead of 2015, 1011.9% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 512 MB, and the stronger feature stack with DLSS Super Resolution instead of FSR upscaling. That leaves it with more room for heavier textures, tougher ray tracing loads, and higher-end 1440p or 4K gaming over the next few years.
Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?
GeForce RTX 3070 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce RTX 3070 is about 66.3% more expensive on MSRP at $499 MSRP versus $300 MSRP, and you are getting 1011.9% higher G3D Mark. Radeon R9 M385X really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.
Is Radeon R9 M385X still worth buying for gaming in 2026?
No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon R9 M385X is 2015 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM, 1,994 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.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

PresetGeForce RTX 3070Radeon R9 M385X
1080p
low158 FPS36 FPS
medium140 FPS22 FPS
high123 FPS15 FPS
ultra104 FPS8 FPS
1440p
low134 FPS24 FPS
medium109 FPS14 FPS
high96 FPS7 FPS
ultra86 FPS4 FPS
4K
low80 FPS9 FPS
medium67 FPS6 FPS
high52 FPS4 FPS
ultra45 FPS3 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce RTX 3070Radeon R9 M385X
1080p
low470 FPS57 FPS
medium405 FPS31 FPS
high327 FPS23 FPS
ultra277 FPS16 FPS
1440p
low294 FPS28 FPS
medium246 FPS15 FPS
high213 FPS10 FPS
ultra179 FPS8 FPS
4K
low141 FPS8 FPS
medium120 FPS5 FPS
high105 FPS4 FPS
ultra83 FPS3 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce RTX 3070Radeon R9 M385X
1080p
low885 FPS90 FPS
medium712 FPS72 FPS
high619 FPS60 FPS
ultra499 FPS45 FPS
1440p
low692 FPS67 FPS
medium557 FPS54 FPS
high473 FPS45 FPS
ultra374 FPS34 FPS
4K
low479 FPS45 FPS
medium388 FPS36 FPS
high330 FPS30 FPS
ultra249 FPS22 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce RTX 3070Radeon R9 M385X
1080p
low600 FPS63 FPS
medium527 FPS52 FPS
high433 FPS39 FPS
ultra385 FPS32 FPS
1440p
low489 FPS37 FPS
medium433 FPS31 FPS
high339 FPS26 FPS
ultra297 FPS21 FPS
4K
low292 FPS25 FPS
medium270 FPS20 FPS
high238 FPS16 FPS
ultra200 FPS12 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3070 and Radeon R9 M385X

NVIDIA

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.

AMD

Radeon R9 M385X

The Radeon R9 M385X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 5 2015. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1000 MHz to 1100 MHz. It has 896 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,994 points.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3070 scores 22,172 versus the Radeon R9 M385X's 1,994 — the GeForce RTX 3070 leads by 1011.9%. The GeForce RTX 3070 is built on Ampere while the Radeon R9 M385X uses GCN 2.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 5,888 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 896 (Radeon R9 M385X). Raw compute: 20.31 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 1.971 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 M385X). Boost clocks: 1725 MHz vs 1100 MHz.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Radeon R9 M385X
G3D Mark Score
22,172+1012%
1,994
Architecture
Ampere
GCN 2.0
Process Node
8 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
5888+557%
896
Compute (TFLOPS)
20.31 TFLOPS+930%
1.971 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1725 MHz+57%
1100 MHz
ROPs
96+500%
16
TMUs
184+229%
56
L1 Cache
5.8 MB+2536%
0.22 MB
L2 Cache
4 MB+1500%
0.25 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3070 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon R9 M385X relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Radeon R9 M385X
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 comes with 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 M385X has 512 MB. The GeForce RTX 3070 offers 1500% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 256-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon R9 M385X) — the GeForce RTX 3070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Radeon R9 M385X
VRAM Capacity
8 GB+1500%
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
448 GB/s
Unknown
Bus Width
256-bit+100%
128-bit
L2 Cache
4 MB+1500%
0.25 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 12 (12_0) (Radeon R9 M385X). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Radeon R9 M385X
DirectX
12 Ultimate
12 (12_0)
Vulkan
1.4+17%
1.2
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3070) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R9 M385X). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs H.264,MPEG-4,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon R9 M385X).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Radeon R9 M385X
Encoder
NVENC 7th gen
VCE 2.0
Decoder
NVDEC 5th gen
UVD 4.2
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9
H.264,MPEG-4,VC-1,MPEG-2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3070 draws 220W versus the Radeon R9 M385X's 75W — a 98.3% difference. The Radeon R9 M385X is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 650W (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M385X). Power connectors: 8-pin vs Mobile. Card length: 242mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 85.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Radeon R9 M385X
TDP
220W
75W-66%
Recommended PSU
650W
350W-46%
Power Connector
8-pin
Mobile
Length
242mm
0mm
Height
112mm
0mm
Slots
2
0-100%
Temp (Load)
75°C-12%
85
Perf/Watt
100.8+279%
26.6
💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 3070 launched at $499 MSRP, while the Radeon R9 M385X launched at $300. The Radeon R9 M385X costs 39.9% less ($199 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 44.4 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 6.6 (Radeon R9 M385X) — the GeForce RTX 3070 offers 572.7% better value. The GeForce RTX 3070 is the newer GPU (2020 vs 2015).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Radeon R9 M385X
MSRP
$499
$300-40%
Performance per Dollar
44.4+573%
6.6
Codename
GA104
Strato
Release
September 1 2020
May 5 2015
Ranking
#63
#681