Radeon 860M vs Radeon Sky 500

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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

Radeon 860M

2025

Why buy it

✅More future proof: RDNA 3.5 (2024−2025) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 15W instead of 150W, a 135W reduction.
✅More future proof: RDNA 3.5 (2024−2025) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon Sky 500 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 9.4 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $500 MSRP).

Radeon Sky 500

2013

Why buy it

✅44.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 9.4 vs 0 G3D/$ ($500 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌900% higher power demand at 150W vs 15W.

Radeon 860M

2025

Radeon Sky 500

2013

Why buy it

✅More future proof: RDNA 3.5 (2024−2025) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
✅Draws 15W instead of 150W, a 135W reduction.
✅More future proof: RDNA 3.5 (2024−2025) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅44.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 9.4 vs 0 G3D/$ ($500 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon Sky 500 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 9.4 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $500 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2013-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌900% higher power demand at 150W vs 15W.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon 860M better than Radeon Sky 500?

Yes. Radeon 860M is clearly the better overall GPU here. Radeon Sky 500 averages 44.4% more FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. You are also looking at 4,838 vs 4,723 in G3D Mark. On top of that, Radeon 860M is a 2025 card with FSR upscaling, while Radeon Sky 500 is a 2013 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Radeon 860M is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2025 generation instead of 2013, 100.0% more ray-tracing hardware, and a 4nm process instead of 28nm. That makes it the safer long-run choice for modern games.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

Radeon 860M is the smarter buy by a wide margin. Radeon 860M is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $500 MSRP, and you are getting lower estimated average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and 2.4% higher G3D Mark. Radeon Sky 500 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is Radeon Sky 500 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon Sky 500 is 2013 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM, 4,723 in G3D Mark, and FSR upscaling. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

Radeon 860M Benchmark Check

Radeon Sky 500 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Radeon 860M	Radeon Sky 500
1080p
low	37 FPS	80 FPS
medium	23 FPS	65 FPS
high	17 FPS	51 FPS
ultra	9 FPS	33 FPS
1440p
low	28 FPS	67 FPS
medium	16 FPS	55 FPS
high	9 FPS	39 FPS
ultra	5 FPS	25 FPS
4K
low	11 FPS	24 FPS
medium	7 FPS	23 FPS
high	4 FPS	15 FPS
ultra	3 FPS	13 FPS

Open Radeon 860M Open Radeon Sky 500

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Radeon 860M	Radeon Sky 500
1080p
low	95 FPS	119 FPS
medium	61 FPS	89 FPS
high	40 FPS	68 FPS
ultra	29 FPS	43 FPS
1440p
low	62 FPS	66 FPS
medium	32 FPS	45 FPS
high	23 FPS	33 FPS
ultra	18 FPS	23 FPS
4K
low	25 FPS	24 FPS
medium	14 FPS	17 FPS
high	12 FPS	13 FPS
ultra	9 FPS	9 FPS

Open Radeon 860M Open Radeon Sky 500

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Radeon 860M	Radeon Sky 500
1080p
low	218 FPS	213 FPS
medium	174 FPS	170 FPS
high	145 FPS	142 FPS
ultra	109 FPS	106 FPS
1440p
low	163 FPS	159 FPS
medium	131 FPS	128 FPS
high	109 FPS	106 FPS
ultra	82 FPS	80 FPS
4K
low	109 FPS	106 FPS
medium	87 FPS	85 FPS
high	72 FPS	71 FPS
ultra	49 FPS	53 FPS

Open Radeon 860M Open Radeon Sky 500

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Radeon 860M	Radeon Sky 500
1080p
low	149 FPS	144 FPS
medium	116 FPS	113 FPS
high	98 FPS	97 FPS
ultra	78 FPS	80 FPS
1440p
low	103 FPS	105 FPS
medium	82 FPS	85 FPS
high	69 FPS	73 FPS
ultra	53 FPS	56 FPS
4K
low	62 FPS	61 FPS
medium	49 FPS	46 FPS
high	39 FPS	36 FPS
ultra	27 FPS	25 FPS

Open Radeon 860M Open Radeon Sky 500

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon 860M and Radeon Sky 500

Radeon 860M

The Radeon 860M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in Marchar 2025. It features the RDNA 3.5 architecture. The core clock ranges from 600 MHz to 3000 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 15W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. It features 8 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,838 points.

Radeon Sky 500

The Radeon Sky 500 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 27 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 950 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 4,723 points.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon 860M scores 4,838 and the Radeon Sky 500 reaches 4,723 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon 860M is built on RDNA 3.5 while the Radeon Sky 500 uses GCN 1.0, both on 4 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 512 (Radeon 860M) vs 1,280 (Radeon Sky 500). Raw compute: 3.072 TFLOPS (Radeon 860M) vs 2.432 TFLOPS (Radeon Sky 500).

Feature	Radeon 860M	Radeon Sky 500
G3D Mark Score	4,838+2%	4,723
Architecture	RDNA 3.5	GCN 1.0
Process Node	4 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	512	1280+150%
Compute (TFLOPS)	3.072 TFLOPS+26%	2.432 TFLOPS
ROPs	8	32+300%
TMUs	32	80+150%
L1 Cache	64 KB	320 KB+400%
L2 Cache	1 MB+100%	0.5 MB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling + RSR	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon 860M	Radeon Sky 500
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 feature 2 GB of video memory. Bus width: System vs 64-bit. L2 Cache: 1 MB (Radeon 860M) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon Sky 500) — the Radeon 860M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon 860M	Radeon Sky 500
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	Shared	GDDR5
Bus Width	System	64-bit
L2 Cache	1 MB+100%	0.5 MB

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Power & Dimensions

The Radeon 860M draws 15W versus the Radeon Sky 500's 150W — a 163.6% difference. The Radeon 860M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon 860M) vs 350W (Radeon Sky 500). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered.