GeForce RTX 4060 Ti vs Radeon HD 3850

CPU

GPU

GeForce RTX 4060 Ti

2023Core: 2310 MHzBoost: 2535 MHz

RTX family

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Radeon HD 3850

2012Boost: 1000 MHz

Similar parts

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GeForce RTX 4060 Ti vs Radeon HD 3850 Performance Spectrum

GeForce RTX 4060 Ti

8 GB 160

22,651

+5548.6%

GeForce GTX TITAN X

RTX 2000 Ada Generation Embedded GPU

GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Laptop GPU

TITAN RTX

GeForce RTX 3080

GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile

401

0.0%

Radeon HD 7450

Radeon HD 5470

Radeon HD 2900 GT

Mobility Radeon HD 565v

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 4060 Ti vs Radeon HD 3850 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 RTX 4060 Ti vs Radeon HD 3850: 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 4060 Ti

2023

Why buy it

✅2021.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 2434.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 56.8 vs 2.2 G3D/$ ($399 MSRP vs $179 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
✅700% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 1 GB).
✅Better long-term bet: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌23.1% higher power demand at 160W vs 130W.
❌15.4% longer card at 240mm vs 208mm.

Radeon HD 3850

2012

Why buy it

✅Costs $220 less on MSRP ($179 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).
✅Draws 130W instead of 160W, a 30W reduction.
✅Measures 208mm instead of 240mm, a 32mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 4060 Ti across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
❌2012 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 2.2 vs 56.8 G3D/$ ($179 MSRP vs $399 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 2021.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 5548.6% in PassMark G3D (22,651 vs 401), so the answer here is pretty clean.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 8 GB vs 1 GB of VRAM, native frame generation with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023), while Radeon HD 3850 has no comparable frame-generation support, a 5nm process instead of 28nm, and 34 vs 0 ray-tracing units. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce RTX 4060 Ti makes the most sense to buy today. It is $220 more expensive on MSRP at $399 vs $179, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 2434.1% (56.8 vs 2.2), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce RTX 4060 Ti vs Radeon HD 3850 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce RTX 4060 Ti

The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 18 2023. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 2310 MHz to 2535 MHz. It has 4352 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 160W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 34 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 22,651 points. Launch price was $399.

Radeon HD 3850

The Radeon HD 3850 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 5 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 130W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 401 points. Launch price was $249.

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Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti scores 22,651 versus the Radeon HD 3850's 401 — the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti leads by 5548.6%. The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is built on Ada Lovelace while the Radeon HD 3850 uses GCN 1.0, both on 5 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 4,352 (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) vs 1,024 (Radeon HD 3850). Raw compute: 22.06 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) vs 1.761 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 3850). Boost clocks: 2535 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060 Ti	Radeon HD 3850
G3D Mark Score	22,651+5549%	401
Architecture	Ada Lovelace	GCN 1.0
Process Node	5 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	4352+325%	1024
Compute (TFLOPS)	22.06 TFLOPS+1153%	1.761 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	2535 MHz+154%	1000 MHz
ROPs	48+50%	32
TMUs	136+113%	64
L1 Cache	4.3 MB+1620%	0.25 MB
L2 Cache	32 MB+6300%	0.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is support for DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The Radeon HD 3850 does not have comparable native support in the same tier.The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 3850 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060 Ti	Radeon HD 3850
Upscaling Tech	DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	Yes (DLSS 3.5)	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti has 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 3850 carries 1 GB. GeForce RTX 4060 Ti gives you 700% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 3850. L2 Cache: 32 MB (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 3850) — the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060 Ti	Radeon HD 3850
VRAM Capacity	8 GB+700%	1 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	288 GB/s	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	32 MB+6300%	0.5 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.2 (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 3850). OpenGL: 4.6 vs 3.3. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060 Ti	Radeon HD 3850
DirectX	12.2+21%	10.1
OpenGL	4.6+39%	3.3
Max Displays	4+100%	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Decoder: 5th Gen NVDEC vs UVD+. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) vs H.264,VC-1,DivX,MPEG-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 3850).

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060 Ti	Radeon HD 3850
Encoder	8th Gen NVENC	—
Decoder	5th Gen NVDEC	UVD+
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1	H.264,VC-1,DivX,MPEG-1,MPEG-2

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti draws 160W versus the Radeon HD 3850's 130W — a 20.7% difference. The Radeon HD 3850 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 550W (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) vs 450W (Radeon HD 3850). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 240mm vs 208mm, occupying 2 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: 70°C vs 80°C.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060 Ti	Radeon HD 3850
TDP	160W	130W-19%
Recommended PSU	550W	450W-18%
Power Connector	8-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	240mm	208mm
Height	111mm	—
Slots	2	1-50%
Temp (Load)	70°C-13%	80°C
Perf/Watt	141.6+4468%	3.1

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti came in at $399, while the Radeon HD 3850 launched at $179. On MSRP, Radeon HD 3850 was 55.1% cheaper ($220 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 56.8 (GeForce RTX 4060 Ti) vs 2.2 (Radeon HD 3850) — the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti offers 2481.8% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 4060 Ti (2023 vs 2012).

Feature	GeForce RTX 4060 Ti	Radeon HD 3850
MSRP	$399	$179-55%
Performance per Dollar	56.8+2482%	2.2
Codename	AD106	Pitcairn
Release	May 18 2023	March 5 2012
Ranking	#59	#503

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