GeForce9400M vs Radeon HD 4200

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.

GeForce9400M vs Radeon HD 4200 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.

GeForce9400M vs Radeon HD 4200: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

GeForce9400M

2015

Why buy it

✅Draws 33W instead of 190W, a 157W reduction.
✅More future proof: Maxwell (2014−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 4200 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2015 hardware with 512 MB 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 0 vs 2.2 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $50 MSRP).

Radeon HD 4200

2009

Why buy it

✅45.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 2.2 vs 0 G3D/$ ($50 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌2009 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌475.8% higher power demand at 190W vs 33W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 4200 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 45.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 5.7% in PassMark G3D (112 vs 106), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce9400M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 55nm and a newer 2015 generation instead of 2009. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 4200 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 4200 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce9400M has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce9400M vs Radeon HD 4200 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce9400M

The GeForce9400M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 13 2015. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 1072 MHz to 1176 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 33W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 106 points.

Radeon HD 4200

The Radeon HD 4200 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 2 2009. It features the TeraScale architecture. The core clock speed is 850 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 190W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 112 points. Launch price was $249.

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Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce9400M scores 106 versus the Radeon HD 4200's 112 — the Radeon HD 4200 leads by 5.7%. The GeForce9400M is built on Maxwell while the Radeon HD 4200 uses TeraScale, both on 28 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce9400M) vs 800 (Radeon HD 4200). Raw compute: 0.9032 TFLOPS (GeForce9400M) vs 1.36 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 4200).

Feature	GeForce9400M	Radeon HD 4200
G3D Mark Score	106	112+6%
Architecture	Maxwell	TeraScale
Process Node	28 nm	55 nm
Shading Units	384	800+108%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.9032 TFLOPS	1.36 TFLOPS+51%
ROPs	8	16+100%
TMUs	24	40+67%
L1 Cache	192 KB+20%	160 KB
L2 Cache	1 MB+300%	0.25 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce9400M gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 4200 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce9400M	Radeon HD 4200
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

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Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 512 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the GeForce9400M and 64-bit on the Radeon HD 4200. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce9400M) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon HD 4200) — the GeForce9400M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce9400M	Radeon HD 4200
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	0.5 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	64-bit	64-bit
L2 Cache	1 MB+300%	0.25 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.1 (10_0) (GeForce9400M) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 4200). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce9400M	Radeon HD 4200
DirectX	11.1 (10_0)+10%	10.1
Max Displays	2	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No NVENC (Tesla) (GeForce9400M) vs UVD 2 (Radeon HD 4200). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP3 vs UVD 2.

Feature	GeForce9400M	Radeon HD 4200
Encoder	No NVENC (Tesla)	UVD 2
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP3	UVD 2
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2	—

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce9400M draws 33W versus the Radeon HD 4200's 190W — a 140.8% difference. The GeForce9400M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce9400M) vs 350W (Radeon HD 4200). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 1x 6-pin.

Feature	GeForce9400M	Radeon HD 4200
TDP	33W-83%	190W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	1x 6-pin
Length	—	1mm
Slots	0	0
Temp (Load)	85°C	—
Perf/Watt	3.2+433%	0.6

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce9400M (2015 vs 2009).

Feature	GeForce9400M	Radeon HD 4200
MSRP	—	$50
Codename	GM108	RV790
Release	March 13 2015	April 2 2009
Ranking	#847	#762

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