P106-090 vs Radeon HD 6850 X2

P106-090

2017Core: 1354 MHzBoost: 1531 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 6850 X2

2011Core: 800 MHz
Similar parts
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P106-090 vs Radeon HD 6850 X2 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.

P106-090 vs Radeon HD 6850 X2: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

P106-090

2017

Why buy it

  • Draws 75W instead of 254W, a 179W reduction.
  • Measures 250mm instead of 285mm, a 35mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.
  • More future proof: Pascal (2016−2021) on 16nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 2017 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 11.1% HIGHER MSRP
    $389 MSRPvs$350 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 6.3 vs 7.2 G3D/$ ($389 MSRP vs $350 MSRP).

Radeon HD 6850 X2

2011

Why buy it

  • Costs $39 less on MSRP ($350 MSRP vs $389 MSRP).
  • Delivers 14.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 7.2 vs 6.3 G3D/$ ($350 MSRP vs $389 MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • 2011 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 238.7% higher power demand at 254W vs 75W.
  • 14% longer card at 285mm vs 250mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD 6850 X2 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 2.8% in PassMark G3D (2,534 vs 2,466), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
P106-090 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 16nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2017 generation instead of 2011. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon HD 6850 X2 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $39 cheaper on MSRP at $350 vs $389, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 14.2% (7.2 vs 6.3), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 6850 X2 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, P106-090 has the stronger long-term case.

P106-090 vs Radeon HD 6850 X2 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

P106-090

The P106-090 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in July 31 2017. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1354 MHz to 1531 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,466 points.

AMD

Radeon HD 6850 X2

The Radeon HD 6850 X2 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in September 19 2011. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 800 MHz. It has 960 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 254W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,534 points.

Graphics Performance

The P106-090 scores 2,466 and the Radeon HD 6850 X2 reaches 2,534 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The P106-090 is built on Pascal while the Radeon HD 6850 X2 uses TeraScale 2, both on 16 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 768 (P106-090) vs 960 (Radeon HD 6850 X2). Raw compute: 2.352 TFLOPS (P106-090) vs 1.536 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 6850 X2).

FeatureP106-090Radeon HD 6850 X2
G3D Mark Score
2,466
2,534+3%
Architecture
Pascal
TeraScale 2
Process Node
16 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
768
960 ×2+25%
Compute (TFLOPS)
2.352 TFLOPS+53%
1.536 TFLOPS ×2
ROPs
48+50%
32 ×2
TMUs
48
48 ×2
L1 Cache
288 KB+50%
192 KB
L2 Cache
1.5 MB+200%
0.5 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureP106-090Radeon HD 6850 X2
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 2 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the P106-090 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 6850 X2. L2 Cache: 1.5 MB (P106-090) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 6850 X2) — the P106-090 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureP106-090Radeon HD 6850 X2
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
128-bit+100%
L2 Cache
1.5 MB+200%
0.5 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (P106-090) vs 11.2 (Radeon HD 6850 X2). Maximum simultaneous displays: 0 vs 4.

FeatureP106-090Radeon HD 6850 X2
DirectX
12+7%
11.2
Max Displays
0
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Pascal) (P106-090) vs UVD 2.2 (Radeon HD 6850 X2). Decoder: NVDEC vs UVD 2.2.

FeatureP106-090Radeon HD 6850 X2
Encoder
NVENC (Pascal)
UVD 2.2
Decoder
NVDEC
UVD 2.2
Codecs
H.264,H.265,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The P106-090 draws 75W versus the Radeon HD 6850 X2's 254W — a 108.8% difference. The P106-090 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (P106-090) vs 600W (Radeon HD 6850 X2). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 2x 8-pin. Card length: 250mm vs 285mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

FeatureP106-090Radeon HD 6850 X2
TDP
75W-70%
254W
Recommended PSU
350W-42%
600W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
2x 8-pin
Length
250mm
285mm
Height
111mm
Slots
2
2
Temp (Load)
60°C
Perf/Watt
32.9+229%
10.0
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the P106-090 came in at $389, while the Radeon HD 6850 X2 launched at $350. On MSRP, Radeon HD 6850 X2 was 10% cheaper ($39 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 6.3 (P106-090) vs 7.2 (Radeon HD 6850 X2) — the Radeon HD 6850 X2 offers 14.3% better value. The newer card here is P106-090 (2017 vs 2011).

FeatureP106-090Radeon HD 6850 X2
MSRP
$389
$350-10%
Performance per Dollar
6.3
7.2+14%
Codename
GP106
Barts
Release
July 31 2017
September 19 2011
Ranking
#639
#630

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