Quadro FX 3800 vs Radeon HD 3850 X2

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 3800 vs Radeon HD 3850 X2 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 3800 vs Radeon HD 3850 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.

Quadro FX 3800

2008

Why buy it

✅Draws 189W instead of 254W, a 65W reduction.
✅Measures 1mm instead of 267mm, a 266mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 3850 X2 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.
❌
128.9% HIGHER MSRP
$799 MSRPvs$349 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.0 vs 2.4 G3D/$ ($799 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).

Radeon HD 3850 X2

2011

Why buy it

✅0.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $450 less on MSRP ($349 MSRP vs $799 MSRP).
✅Delivers 128.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 2.4 vs 1.0 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs $799 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌2011 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌34.4% higher power demand at 254W vs 189W.
❌26600% longer card at 267mm vs 1mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 3850 X2 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 0.6% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Quadro FX 3800 instead at 824 vs 822, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.

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

Quadro FX 3800 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 X2 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $450 cheaper on MSRP at $349 vs $799, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 128.4% (2.4 vs 1.0), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 3850 X2 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Quadro FX 3800 has the stronger long-term case.

Quadro FX 3800 vs Radeon HD 3850 X2 Technical Specifications

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

Quadro FX 3800

The Quadro FX 3800 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: 824 points. Launch price was $3,499.

Radeon HD 3850 X2

The Radeon HD 3850 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: 822 points.

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Graphics Performance

The Quadro FX 3800 scores 824 and the Radeon HD 3850 X2 reaches 822 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Quadro FX 3800 is built on Tesla 2.0 while the Radeon HD 3850 X2 uses TeraScale 2, both on 55 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 240 (Quadro FX 3800) vs 960 (Radeon HD 3850 X2). Raw compute: 0.6221 TFLOPS (Quadro FX 3800) vs 1.536 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 3850 X2).

Feature	Quadro FX 3800	Radeon HD 3850 X2
G3D Mark Score	824	822
Architecture	Tesla 2.0	TeraScale 2
Process Node	55 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	240	960 ×2+300%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.6221 TFLOPS	1.536 TFLOPS ×2+147%
ROPs	32	32 ×2
TMUs	80+67%	48 ×2
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Quadro FX 3800	Radeon HD 3850 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 1 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the Quadro FX 3800 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 3850 X2. L2 Cache: 256 KB (Quadro FX 3800) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 3850 X2) — the Radeon HD 3850 X2 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Quadro FX 3800	Radeon HD 3850 X2
VRAM Capacity	1 GB	1 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	64-bit	128-bit+100%
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10_0 (Quadro FX 3800) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 3850 X2). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	Quadro FX 3800	Radeon HD 3850 X2
DirectX	10_0	10.1
Max Displays	2	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Decoder: PureVideo HD vs UVD+.

Feature	Quadro FX 3800	Radeon HD 3850 X2
Encoder	PureVideo HD	—
Decoder	PureVideo HD	UVD+
Codecs	—	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Quadro FX 3800 draws 189W versus the Radeon HD 3850 X2's 254W — a 29.3% difference. The Quadro FX 3800 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Quadro FX 3800) vs 450W (Radeon HD 3850 X2). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 2x 6-pin. Card length: 1mm vs 267mm, occupying 1 vs 2 slots.

Feature	Quadro FX 3800	Radeon HD 3850 X2
TDP	189W-26%	254W
Recommended PSU	350W-22%	450W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	2x 6-pin
Length	1mm	267mm
Slots	1-50%	2
Temp (Load)	—	90°C
Perf/Watt	4.4+38%	3.2

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Quadro FX 3800 came in at $799, while the Radeon HD 3850 X2 launched at $349. On MSRP, Radeon HD 3850 X2 was 56.3% cheaper ($450 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.0 (Quadro FX 3800) vs 2.4 (Radeon HD 3850 X2) — the Radeon HD 3850 X2 offers 140% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 3850 X2 (2011 vs 2008).

Feature	Quadro FX 3800	Radeon HD 3850 X2
MSRP	$799	$349-56%
Performance per Dollar	1.0	2.4+140%
Codename	GT200B	Barts
Release	November 11 2008	September 19 2011
Ranking	#815	#630

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