Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 vs Quadro K500M

AMD

Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2

2008Core: 660 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
NVIDIA

Quadro K500M

2013Core: 771 MHz
Similar parts
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Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 vs Quadro K500M 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 X2 vs Quadro K500M: 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 X2

2008

Why buy it

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 1.1 vs 0 G3D/$ ($449 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 2 MB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2008 hardware with 2 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quadro K500M

2013

Why buy it

  • 199900% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 MB).
  • Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so Quadro K500M is the less risky modern option long term.
  • More future proof: Kepler (2012−2018) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 2013 hardware with 4 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 0 vs 1.1 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $449 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Quadro K500M is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 0.4% in PassMark G3D (480 vs 478), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Quadro K500M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 4 GB vs 2 MB of VRAM, a 28nm process instead of 55nm, and a newer 2013 generation instead of 2008. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p, Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Quadro K500M has the stronger long-term case.

Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 vs Quadro K500M Technical Specifications

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

AMD

Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2

The Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in September 1 2008. It features the TeraScale architecture. The core clock speed is 660 MHz. It has 320 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 110W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 478 points.

NVIDIA

Quadro K500M

The Quadro K500M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in July 23 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock speed is 771 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 480 points.

Graphics Performance

The Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 scores 478 and the Quadro K500M reaches 480 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 is built on TeraScale while the Quadro K500M uses Kepler, both on 55 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 320 (Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2) vs 1,536 (Quadro K500M). Raw compute: 0.4224 TFLOPS ×2 (Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2) vs 2.369 TFLOPS (Quadro K500M).

FeatureMobility Radeon HD 3870 X2Quadro K500M
G3D Mark Score
478
480
Architecture
TeraScale
Kepler
Process Node
55 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
320 ×2
1536+380%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.4224 TFLOPS ×2
2.369 TFLOPS+461%
ROPs
16 ×2
32+100%
TMUs
16 ×2
128+700%
L2 Cache
256 KB
512 KB+100%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureMobility Radeon HD 3870 X2Quadro K500M
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 X2 has 2 MB of VRAM, while the Quadro K500M carries 4 GB. Quadro K500M gives you 199900% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 and 64-bit on the Quadro K500M. L2 Cache: 256 KB (Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2) vs 512 KB (Quadro K500M) — the Quadro K500M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureMobility Radeon HD 3870 X2Quadro K500M
VRAM Capacity
0.002 GB
4 GB+199900%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
64-bit
L2 Cache
256 KB
512 KB+100%
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 draws 110W versus the Quadro K500M's 100W — a 9.5% difference. The Quadro K500M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2) vs 350W (Quadro K500M). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered.

FeatureMobility Radeon HD 3870 X2Quadro K500M
TDP
110W
100W-9%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
PCIe-powered
Length
1mm
Slots
0
Perf/Watt
4.3
4.8+12%
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is Quadro K500M (2013 vs 2008).

FeatureMobility Radeon HD 3870 X2Quadro K500M
MSRP
$449
Codename
M88
GK104
Release
September 1 2008
July 23 2013
Ranking
#919
#562

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