GRID M6-1Q vs Radeon R9 M385

GRID M6-1Q

2015Core: 557 MHzBoost: 1178 MHz
VS
AMD

Radeon R9 M385

2015Core: 900 MHzBoost: 1100 MHz

GRID M6-1Q vs Radeon R9 M385 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.

GRID M6-1Q vs Radeon R9 M385: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

GRID M6-1Q

2015

Why buy it

  • βœ…Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

  • ❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • ❌2015 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • ❌
    400% HIGHER MSRP
    $1,500 MSRPvs$300 MSRP
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.4 vs 6.9 G3D/$ ($1,500 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
  • ❌200% higher power demand at 225W vs 75W.

Radeon R9 M385

2015

Why buy it

  • βœ…Costs $1,200 less on MSRP ($300 MSRP vs $1,500 MSRP).
  • βœ…Delivers 398.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 6.9 vs 1.4 G3D/$ ($300 MSRP vs $1,500 MSRP).
  • βœ…100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
  • βœ…Draws 75W instead of 225W, a 150W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • ❌2015 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GRID M6-1Q is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 0.4% in PassMark G3D (2,069 vs 2,061), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GRID M6-1Q is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon R9 M385 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $1,200 cheaper on MSRP at $300 vs $1,500, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 398.1% (6.9 vs 1.4), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R9 M385 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GRID M6-1Q has the stronger long-term case.

GRID M6-1Q vs Radeon R9 M385 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GRID M6-1Q

The GRID M6-1Q is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in August 30 2015. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 557 MHz to 1178 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 225W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,069 points.

AMD

Radeon R9 M385

The Radeon R9 M385 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 5 2015. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 900 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: 2,061 points.

⚑

Graphics Performance

The GRID M6-1Q scores 2,069 and the Radeon R9 M385 reaches 2,061 in the G3D Mark benchmark β€” just a 0.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GRID M6-1Q is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Radeon R9 M385 uses GCN 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,048 (GRID M6-1Q) vs 896 (Radeon R9 M385). Raw compute: 4.825 TFLOPS (GRID M6-1Q) vs 1.792 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 M385). Boost clocks: 1178 MHz vs 1100 MHz.

FeatureGRID M6-1QRadeon R9 M385
G3D Mark Score
2,069
2,061
Architecture
Maxwell 2.0
GCN 2.0
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
2048+129%
896
Compute (TFLOPS)
4.825 TFLOPS+169%
1.792 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1178 MHz+7%
1100 MHz
ROPs
64+300%
16
TMUs
128+129%
56
L1 Cache
768 KB+243%
224 KB
L2 Cache
2 MB+700%
0.25 MB
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureGRID M6-1QRadeon R9 M385
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
AMD Anti-Lag
πŸ’Ύ

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GRID M6-1Q has 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 M385 carries 4 GB. Radeon R9 M385 gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the GRID M6-1Q and 128-bit on the Radeon R9 M385. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GRID M6-1Q) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon R9 M385) β€” the GRID M6-1Q has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGRID M6-1QRadeon R9 M385
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
4 GB+100%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
128-bit+100%
L2 Cache
2 MB+700%
0.25 MB
πŸ”Œ

Power & Dimensions

The GRID M6-1Q draws 225W versus the Radeon R9 M385's 75W β€” a 100% difference. The Radeon R9 M385 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GRID M6-1Q) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M385). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs Mobile.

FeatureGRID M6-1QRadeon R9 M385
TDP
225W
75W-67%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
Mobile
Length
1mm
β€”
Slots
0
β€”
Perf/Watt
9.2
27.5+199%
πŸ’°

Value Analysis

At launch, the GRID M6-1Q came in at $1500, while the Radeon R9 M385 launched at $300. On MSRP, Radeon R9 M385 was 80% cheaper ($1200 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.4 (GRID M6-1Q) vs 6.9 (Radeon R9 M385) β€” the Radeon R9 M385 offers 392.9% better value.

FeatureGRID M6-1QRadeon R9 M385
MSRP
$1500
$300-80%
Performance per Dollar
1.4
6.9+393%
Codename
GM204
Strato
Release
August 30 2015
May 5 2015
Ranking
#525
#674

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