Radeon 860M vs Radeon Sky 500

AMD

Radeon 860M

2025Core: 600 MHzBoost: 3000 MHz
Similar parts
·······
VS
AMD

Radeon Sky 500

2013Core: 950 MHz
Similar parts
·······

Radeon 860M vs Radeon Sky 500 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.

Radeon 860M vs Radeon Sky 500 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 860M vs Radeon Sky 500: 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 860M

2025

Why buy it

  • Better long-term bet: RDNA 3.5 (2024−2025) on 4nm gives it a newer hardware base 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

  • 2013 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 900% higher power demand at 150W vs 15W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon Sky 500 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 44.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon 860M instead at 4,838 vs 4,723, 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 860M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 4nm process instead of 28nm, 8 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2025 generation instead of 2013. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon Sky 500 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 Sky 500 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon 860M has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon 860M vs Radeon Sky 500 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

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.

AMD

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.

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).

FeatureRadeon 860MRadeon 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

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon 860MRadeon 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
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 2 GB of video memory. Memory bus width is System on the Radeon 860M and 64-bit on the Radeon Sky 500. 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.

FeatureRadeon 860MRadeon 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
🔌

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.

FeatureRadeon 860MRadeon Sky 500
TDP
15W-90%
150W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
PCIe-powered
Perf/Watt
322.5+924%
31.5
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon 860M (2025 vs 2013).

FeatureRadeon 860MRadeon Sky 500
MSRP
$500
Codename
Krackan Point
Pitcairn
Release
Marchar 2025
March 27 2013
Ranking
#449
#455

Affiliate Disclosure

ChipVERSUS is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through our links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support our work in providing comprehensive PC building guides and tools.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.