Mobility Radeon HD 3870 vs Quadro FX 2700

AMD

Mobility Radeon HD 3870

2010Core: 700 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
NVIDIA

Quadro FX 2700

2008Core: 610 MHz
Similar parts
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Mobility Radeon HD 3870 vs Quadro FX 2700 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.

Mobility Radeon HD 3870 vs Quadro FX 2700: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

Mobility Radeon HD 3870

2010

Why buy it

  • Draws 50W instead of 189W, a 139W reduction.
  • More future proof: TeraScale 2 (2009−2015) on 40nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2010 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 29% HIGHER MSRP
    $129 MSRPvs$100 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 4.2 vs 5.4 G3D/$ ($129 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).

Quadro FX 2700

2008

Why buy it

  • Costs $29 less on MSRP ($100 MSRP vs $129 MSRP).
  • Delivers 27.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.4 vs 4.2 G3D/$ ($100 MSRP vs $129 MSRP).
  • 700% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 512 MB).

Trade-offs

  • 2008 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 278% higher power demand at 189W vs 50W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Mobility Radeon HD 3870 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 0.9% in PassMark G3D (548 vs 543), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Mobility Radeon HD 3870 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer upscaling stack, FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 40nm process instead of 55nm, and a newer 2010 generation instead of 2008. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Quadro FX 2700 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $29 cheaper on MSRP at $100 vs $129, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 27.8% (5.4 vs 4.2), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Quadro FX 2700 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Mobility Radeon HD 3870 has the stronger long-term case.

Mobility Radeon HD 3870 vs Quadro FX 2700 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

Mobility Radeon HD 3870

The Mobility Radeon HD 3870 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 7 2010. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 700 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 548 points.

NVIDIA

Quadro FX 2700

The Quadro FX 2700 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in November 11 2008. It features the Tesla 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 610 MHz. It has 240 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 189W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 543 points. Launch price was $3,499.

Graphics Performance

The Mobility Radeon HD 3870 scores 548 and the Quadro FX 2700 reaches 543 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Mobility Radeon HD 3870 is built on TeraScale 2 while the Quadro FX 2700 uses Tesla 2.0, both on 40 nm vs 55 nm. Shader units: 800 (Mobility Radeon HD 3870) vs 240 (Quadro FX 2700). Raw compute: 1.12 TFLOPS (Mobility Radeon HD 3870) vs 0.6221 TFLOPS (Quadro FX 2700).

FeatureMobility Radeon HD 3870Quadro FX 2700
G3D Mark Score
548
543
Architecture
TeraScale 2
Tesla 2.0
Process Node
40 nm
55 nm
Shading Units
800+233%
240
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.12 TFLOPS+80%
0.6221 TFLOPS
ROPs
16
32+100%
TMUs
40
80+100%
L2 Cache
256 KB
256 KB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureMobility Radeon HD 3870Quadro FX 2700
Upscaling Tech
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
AMD Anti-Lag
Standard
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The Mobility Radeon HD 3870 has 512 MB of VRAM, while the Quadro FX 2700 carries 4 GB. Quadro FX 2700 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 Mobility Radeon HD 3870 and 64-bit on the Quadro FX 2700.

FeatureMobility Radeon HD 3870Quadro FX 2700
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
4 GB+700%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
128-bit+100%
64-bit
L2 Cache
256 KB
256 KB
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Mobility Radeon HD 3870 draws 50W versus the Quadro FX 2700's 189W — a 116.3% difference. The Mobility Radeon HD 3870 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Mobility Radeon HD 3870) vs 350W (Quadro FX 2700). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered.

FeatureMobility Radeon HD 3870Quadro FX 2700
TDP
50W-74%
189W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
PCIe-powered
Length
1mm
Slots
0
Perf/Watt
11.0+279%
2.9
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Mobility Radeon HD 3870 came in at $129, while the Quadro FX 2700 launched at $100. On MSRP, Quadro FX 2700 was 22.5% cheaper ($29 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 4.2 (Mobility Radeon HD 3870) vs 5.4 (Quadro FX 2700) — the Quadro FX 2700 offers 28.6% better value. The newer card here is Mobility Radeon HD 3870 (2010 vs 2008).

FeatureMobility Radeon HD 3870Quadro FX 2700
MSRP
$129
$100-22%
Performance per Dollar
4.2
5.4+29%
Codename
Broadway
GT200B
Release
January 7 2010
November 11 2008
Ranking
#846
#815

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