Radeon 680M vs Radeon HD 7850

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.

Radeon 680M vs Radeon HD 7850 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.

Radeon 680M vs Radeon HD 7850: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

Radeon 680M

2023

Why buy it

✅5.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Better long-term bet: RDNA 2.0 (2020−2025) on 6nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
✅Draws 50W instead of 130W, a 80W reduction.
✅Measures 1mm instead of 210mm, a 209mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 15.7 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $249 MSRP).

Radeon HD 7850

2012

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 15.7 vs 0 G3D/$ ($249 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon 680M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2012 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌160% higher power demand at 130W vs 50W.
❌20900% longer card at 210mm vs 1mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon 680M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 5.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon HD 7850 instead at 3,897 vs 3,836, 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?

Radeon 680M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 6nm process instead of 28nm, 12 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2023 generation instead of 2012. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 7850 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 7850 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon 680M has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon 680M vs Radeon HD 7850 Technical Specifications

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

Radeon 680M

The Radeon 680M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 3 2023. It features the RDNA 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 2000 MHz to 2200 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 6 nm process technology. It features 12 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 3,836 points.

Radeon HD 7850

The Radeon HD 7850 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: 3,897 points. Launch price was $249.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon 680M scores 3,836 and the Radeon HD 7850 reaches 3,897 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon 680M is built on RDNA 2.0 while the Radeon HD 7850 uses GCN 1.0, both on 6 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 768 (Radeon 680M) vs 1,024 (Radeon HD 7850). Raw compute: 3.379 TFLOPS (Radeon 680M) vs 1.761 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7850). Boost clocks: 2200 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	Radeon 680M	Radeon HD 7850
G3D Mark Score	3,836	3,897+2%
Architecture	RDNA 2.0	GCN 1.0
Process Node	6 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	768	1024+33%
Compute (TFLOPS)	3.379 TFLOPS+92%	1.761 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	2200 MHz+120%	1000 MHz
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	48	64+33%
L1 Cache	256 KB	256 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling + RSR	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon 680M	Radeon HD 7850
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)

Both cards ship with 2 GB of video memory. Memory bus width is System on the Radeon 680M and 256-bit on the Radeon HD 7850. L2 Cache: 2 MB (Radeon 680M) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 7850) — the Radeon 680M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon 680M	Radeon HD 7850
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	Shared	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	System	153.6 GB/s
Bus Width	System	256-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12_2 (Radeon 680M) vs 12 (Radeon HD 7850). Maximum simultaneous displays: 0 vs 4.

Feature	Radeon 680M	Radeon HD 7850
DirectX	12_2	12
Max Displays	0	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCN 3.1 (Radeon 680M) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 7850). Decoder: VCN 3.1 vs UVD 3.1.

Feature	Radeon 680M	Radeon HD 7850
Encoder	VCN 3.1	VCE 1.0
Decoder	VCN 3.1	UVD 3.1
Codecs	—	H.264

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Power & Dimensions

The Radeon 680M draws 50W versus the Radeon HD 7850's 130W — a 88.9% difference. The Radeon 680M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon 680M) vs 500W (Radeon HD 7850). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 1mm vs 210mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots.

Feature	Radeon 680M	Radeon HD 7850
TDP	50W-62%	130W
Recommended PSU	350W-30%	500W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	1x 6-pin
Length	1mm	210mm
Slots	0-100%	2
Perf/Watt	76.7+156%	30.0

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Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon 680M (2023 vs 2012).

Feature	Radeon 680M	Radeon HD 7850
MSRP	—	$249
Codename	Rembrandt+	Pitcairn
Release	January 3 2023	March 5 2012
Ranking	#512	#503

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