Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU vs Radeon Vega 3

Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU

2018
VS
AMD

Radeon Vega 3

2021Core: 300 MHzBoost: 1900 MHz

Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU vs Radeon Vega 3 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.

Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU vs Radeon Vega 3: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU

2018

Why buy it

  • βœ…Draws 7W instead of 45W, a 38W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • ❌2018 hardware with Unknown of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon Vega 3

2021

Why buy it

  • βœ…Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU is already obsolete for modern gaming, so Radeon Vega 3 is the less risky modern option long term.
  • βœ…More future proof: GCN 5.1 (2018βˆ’2022) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • ❌2021 hardware with Unknown of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • ❌542.9% higher power demand at 45W vs 7W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon Vega 3 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 0.3% in PassMark G3D (892 vs 889), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon Vega 3 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer upscaling stack, FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack and a newer 2021 generation instead of 2018. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon Vega 3 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup.

Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU vs Radeon Vega 3 Technical Specifications

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

Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU

The Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU is manufactured by Qualcomm. It was released in December 6 2018. The thermal design power (TDP) is 7W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 889 points.

AMD

Radeon Vega 3

The Radeon Vega 3 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 13 2021. It features the GCN 5.1 architecture. The core clock ranges from 300 MHz to 1900 MHz. It has 448 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 45W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 892 points.

⚑

Graphics Performance

The Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU scores 889 and the Radeon Vega 3 reaches 892 in the G3D Mark benchmark β€” just a 0.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance.

FeatureQualcomm Adreno 685 GPURadeon Vega 3
G3D Mark Score
889
892
Process Node
7 nm
7 nm
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureQualcomm Adreno 685 GPURadeon Vega 3
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
AMD Anti-Lag
πŸ’Ύ

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 0 MB of Shared. Memory bus width is System on the Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU and System on the Radeon Vega 3.

FeatureQualcomm Adreno 685 GPURadeon Vega 3
VRAM Capacity
Shared System RAM
Shared System RAM
Memory Type
Shared
Shared
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
System
Bus Width
System
System
πŸ–₯️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12_0 (Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU) vs 12 (FL 12_1) (Radeon Vega 3). OpenGL: 3.2 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 0 vs 4.

FeatureQualcomm Adreno 685 GPURadeon Vega 3
DirectX
12_0
12 (FL 12_1)
OpenGL
3.2
4.6+44%
Max Displays
0
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1 (Radeon Vega 3).

FeatureQualcomm Adreno 685 GPURadeon Vega 3
Encoder
β€”
VCN 1.0
Decoder
β€”
VCN 1.0
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9
H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1
πŸ”Œ

Power & Dimensions

The Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU draws 7W versus the Radeon Vega 3's 45W β€” a 146.2% difference. The Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 1W (Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU) vs 1W (Radeon Vega 3). Power connectors: Integrated vs Integrated.

FeatureQualcomm Adreno 685 GPURadeon Vega 3
TDP
7W-84%
45W
Recommended PSU
1W
1W
Power Connector
Integrated
Integrated
Length
1mm
β€”
Slots
0
0
Perf/Watt
127.0+541%
19.8
πŸ’°

Value Analysis

At launch, the Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU came in at $0, while the Radeon Vega 3 launched at $0. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): Infinity (Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU) vs Infinity (Radeon Vega 3) β€” the Radeon Vega 3 offers NaN% better value. The newer card here is Radeon Vega 3 (2021 vs 2018).

FeatureQualcomm Adreno 685 GPURadeon Vega 3
MSRP
$0
$0
Performance per Dollar
Infinity
Infinity
Codename
β€”
Cezanne
Release
December 6 2018
April 13 2021
Ranking
#916
#601

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