Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 vs Radeon R5 M315

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 R5 M315 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 R5 M315: 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.
❌
199.3% HIGHER MSRP
$449 MSRPvs$150 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.1 vs 3.3 G3D/$ ($449 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
❌46.7% higher power demand at 110W vs 75W.

Radeon R5 M315

2016

Why buy it

✅Costs $299 less on MSRP ($150 MSRP vs $449 MSRP).
✅Delivers 206.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 3.3 vs 1.1 G3D/$ ($150 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 R5 M315 is the less risky modern option long term.
✅Draws 75W instead of 110W, a 35W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌2016 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 R5 M315 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 2.3% in PassMark G3D (489 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 R5 M315 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 512 MB vs 2 MB of VRAM, a 28nm process instead of 55nm, and a newer 2016 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 R5 M315 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $299 cheaper on MSRP at $150 vs $449, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 206.2% (3.3 vs 1.1), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 vs Radeon R5 M315 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 R5 M315

The Radeon R5 M315 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 15 2016. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 780 MHz to 1030 MHz. It has 320 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 489 points.

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Graphics Performance

The Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 scores 478 and the Radeon R5 M315 reaches 489 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 is built on TeraScale while the Radeon R5 M315 uses GCN 1.0, both on 55 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 320 (Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2) vs 320 (Radeon R5 M315). Raw compute: 0.4224 TFLOPS ×2 (Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2) vs 0.6592 TFLOPS (Radeon R5 M315).

Feature	Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2	Radeon R5 M315
G3D Mark Score	478	489+2%
Architecture	TeraScale	GCN 1.0
Process Node	55 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	320 ×2	320
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.4224 TFLOPS ×2	0.6592 TFLOPS+56%
ROPs	16 ×2+100%	8
TMUs	16 ×2	20+25%
L2 Cache	256 KB+100%	128 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2	Radeon R5 M315
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 R5 M315 carries 512 MB. Radeon R5 M315 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 128-bit on the Radeon R5 M315. L2 Cache: 256 KB (Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2) vs 128 KB (Radeon R5 M315) — the Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2	Radeon R5 M315
VRAM Capacity	0.002 GB	0.5 GB+24900%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	64-bit	128-bit+100%
L2 Cache	256 KB+100%	128 KB

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Power & Dimensions

The Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 draws 110W versus the Radeon R5 M315's 75W — a 37.8% difference. The Radeon R5 M315 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2) vs 350W (Radeon R5 M315). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs Mobile.

Feature	Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2	Radeon R5 M315
TDP	110W	75W-32%
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	Mobile
Length	1mm	—
Slots	0	—
Perf/Watt	4.3	6.5+51%

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Value Analysis

At launch, the Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 came in at $449, while the Radeon R5 M315 launched at $150. On MSRP, Radeon R5 M315 was 66.6% cheaper ($299 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.1 (Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2) vs 3.3 (Radeon R5 M315) — the Radeon R5 M315 offers 200% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R5 M315 (2016 vs 2008).

Feature	Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2	Radeon R5 M315
MSRP	$449	$150-67%
Performance per Dollar	1.1	3.3+200%
Codename	M88	Jet
Release	September 1 2008	May 15 2016
Ranking	#919	#922

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