Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 vs Radeon R4E

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 Radeon R4E 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.

Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 vs Radeon R4E: 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

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 2 MB vs 512 MB 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.
❌
349% HIGHER MSRP
$449 MSRPvs$100 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.1 vs 4.9 G3D/$ ($449 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).
❌120% higher power demand at 110W vs 50W.

Radeon R4E

2017

Why buy it

✅Costs $349 less on MSRP ($100 MSRP vs $449 MSRP).
✅Delivers 357.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 4.9 vs 1.1 G3D/$ ($100 MSRP vs $449 MSRP).
✅24900% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (512 MB vs 2 MB).
✅Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so Radeon R4E is the less risky modern option long term.
✅Draws 50W instead of 110W, a 60W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌2017 hardware with 512 MB 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?

Radeon R4E is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 1.9% in PassMark G3D (487 vs 478), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.

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

Radeon R4E is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 512 MB vs 2 MB of VRAM, a 14nm process instead of 55nm, and a newer 2017 generation instead of 2008. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon R4E makes the most sense to buy today. It is $349 cheaper on MSRP at $100 vs $449, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 357.5% (4.9 vs 1.1), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 vs Radeon R4E Technical Specifications

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

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.

Radeon R4E

The Radeon R4E is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 20 2017. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1183 MHz to 1124 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 487 points. Launch price was $79.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 scores 478 and the Radeon R4E reaches 487 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 is built on TeraScale while the Radeon R4E uses GCN 4.0, both on 55 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 320 (Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2) vs 384 (Radeon R4E). Raw compute: 0.4224 TFLOPS ×2 (Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2) vs 0.9085 TFLOPS (Radeon R4E).

Feature	Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2	Radeon R4E
G3D Mark Score	478	487+2%
Architecture	TeraScale	GCN 4.0
Process Node	55 nm	14 nm
Shading Units	320 ×2	384+20%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.4224 TFLOPS ×2	0.9085 TFLOPS+115%
ROPs	16 ×2	16
TMUs	16 ×2	24+50%
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2	Radeon R4E
Upscaling Tech	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	AMD Anti-Lag	AMD Anti-Lag

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Video Memory (VRAM)

The Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 has 2 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon R4E carries 512 MB. Radeon R4E gives you 24900% 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 Radeon R4E. L2 Cache: 256 KB (Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2) vs 512 KB (Radeon R4E) — the Radeon R4E has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2	Radeon R4E
VRAM Capacity	0.002 GB	0.5 GB+24900%
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 Radeon R4E's 50W — a 75% difference. The Radeon R4E is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2) vs 350W (Radeon R4E). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs None.

Feature	Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2	Radeon R4E
TDP	110W	50W-55%
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	None
Length	1mm	—
Slots	0	—
Perf/Watt	4.3	9.7+126%

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Value Analysis

At launch, the Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 came in at $449, while the Radeon R4E launched at $100. On MSRP, Radeon R4E was 77.7% cheaper ($349 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.1 (Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2) vs 4.9 (Radeon R4E) — the Radeon R4E offers 345.5% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R4E (2017 vs 2008).

Feature	Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2	Radeon R4E
MSRP	$449	$100-78%
Performance per Dollar	1.1	4.9+345%
Codename	M88	Lexa
Release	September 1 2008	April 20 2017
Ranking	#919	#773

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