Quadro FX 2800M vs Radeon HD 3850 AGP

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.

Quadro FX 2800M vs Radeon HD 3850 AGP 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.

Quadro FX 2800M vs Radeon HD 3850 AGP: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

Quadro FX 2800M

2008

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 3850 AGP across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2008 hardware with 1 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 3.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $130 MSRP).
❌45.4% higher power demand at 189W vs 130W.

Radeon HD 3850 AGP

2012

Why buy it

✅19.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 3.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($130 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
✅Draws 130W instead of 189W, a 59W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌2012 hardware with 1 GB 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 HD 3850 AGP is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 19.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 4.1% in PassMark G3D (432 vs 415), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Quadro FX 2800M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 3850 AGP makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 3850 AGP is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Quadro FX 2800M has the stronger long-term case.

Quadro FX 2800M vs Radeon HD 3850 AGP Technical Specifications

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

Quadro FX 2800M

The Quadro FX 2800M 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: 415 points. Launch price was $3,499.

Radeon HD 3850 AGP

The Radeon HD 3850 AGP is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 5 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 130W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 432 points. Launch price was $249.

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Graphics Performance

The Quadro FX 2800M scores 415 and the Radeon HD 3850 AGP reaches 432 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Quadro FX 2800M is built on Tesla 2.0 while the Radeon HD 3850 AGP uses GCN 1.0, both on 55 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 240 (Quadro FX 2800M) vs 1,024 (Radeon HD 3850 AGP). Raw compute: 0.6221 TFLOPS (Quadro FX 2800M) vs 1.761 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 3850 AGP).

Feature	Quadro FX 2800M	Radeon HD 3850 AGP
G3D Mark Score	415	432+4%
Architecture	Tesla 2.0	GCN 1.0
Process Node	55 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	240	1024+327%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.6221 TFLOPS	1.761 TFLOPS+183%
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	80+25%	64
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Quadro FX 2800M	Radeon HD 3850 AGP
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	Standard	AMD Anti-Lag

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Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 1 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the Quadro FX 2800M and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 3850 AGP. L2 Cache: 256 KB (Quadro FX 2800M) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 3850 AGP) — the Radeon HD 3850 AGP has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Quadro FX 2800M	Radeon HD 3850 AGP
VRAM Capacity	1 GB	1 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	64-bit	128-bit+100%
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%

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Power & Dimensions

The Quadro FX 2800M draws 189W versus the Radeon HD 3850 AGP's 130W — a 37% difference. The Radeon HD 3850 AGP is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Quadro FX 2800M) vs 450W (Radeon HD 3850 AGP). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 8-pin.

Feature	Quadro FX 2800M	Radeon HD 3850 AGP
TDP	189W	130W-31%
Recommended PSU	350W-22%	450W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	8-pin
Length	—	230mm
Height	—	111mm
Slots	—	1
Temp (Load)	—	80
Perf/Watt	2.2	3.3+50%

💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon HD 3850 AGP (2012 vs 2008).

Feature	Quadro FX 2800M	Radeon HD 3850 AGP
MSRP	—	$130
Codename	GT200B	Pitcairn
Release	November 11 2008	March 5 2012
Ranking	#815	#503

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