RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700
VS
GeForce 6500

RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 vs GeForce 6500

AMD

RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700

2025Core: 1660 MHzBoost: 2920 MHz
VS
NVIDIA

GeForce 6500

2012Core: 1058 MHz

Performance Spectrum - GPU

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.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (G3D Mark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar

Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

Performance Per Dollar GeForce 6500

#1
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
MSRP: $399|Avg: $280
19089%
#2
GeForce RTX 5060
MSRP: $299|Avg: $299
18339%
#3
Radeon RX 5600 XT
MSRP: $279|Avg: $180
18126%
#4
Radeon RX 9060
MSRP: $249|Avg: $249
18095%
#5
GeForce RTX 5050
MSRP: $249|Avg: $249
18058%
#6
GeForce RTX 3050 OEM
MSRP: $249|Avg: $150
17955%
#7
Arc A580
MSRP: $179|Avg: $179
17729%
#8
Radeon RX 9060 XT
MSRP: $299|Avg: $299
17663%
#9
Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB
MSRP: $299|Avg: $299
17500%
#10
Radeon RX 7600
MSRP: $269|Avg: $250
17453%
#11
Radeon RX 6600
MSRP: $329|Avg: $180
17242%
#12
GeForce RTX 4060
MSRP: $299|Avg: $299
17205%
#13
Arc B570
MSRP: $219|Avg: $219
16895%
#14
Arc B580
MSRP: $249|Avg: $249
16884%
#343
Radeon R5 430 OEM
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $13
21053%
#359
GeForce 6500
MSRP: $100|Avg: $5
100%
#360
RADEON X800 GT
MSRP: $249|Avg: $15
89%
#361
GeForce 6600
MSRP: $270|Avg: $10
84%
#362
RADEON 9550
MSRP: $129|Avg: $30
71%
#363
Radeon X1600
MSRP: $199|Avg: $49
66%
#364
GeForce FX 5700LE
MSRP: $100|Avg: $10
66%
#365
GeForce PCX 5750
MSRP: $150|Avg: $15
61%
#366
GeForce FX 5700
MSRP: $199|Avg: $15
55%
#367
RADEON X800 XT
MSRP: $499|Avg: $20
53%
#368
RADEON X800 XL
MSRP: $349|Avg: $15
53%
#369
RADEON 9600 XT
MSRP: $199|Avg: $15
47%
#370
RADEON X800 PRO
MSRP: $399|Avg: $15
42%
#371
GeForce FX 5200LE
MSRP: $43|Avg: $25
42%
#372
GeForce FX 5200SE
MSRP: $99|Avg: $10
32%
#373
GeForce FX 5200
MSRP: $70|Avg: $25
29%
Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

Performance Comparison

About G3D Mark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

⚠️ Generational Difference

The RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 is significantly newer (2025 vs 2012). The RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 likely supports modern features like Ray Tracing, Tensor Cores, and DLSS/FSR upscaling, which act as force multipliers for performance. The GeForce 6500 lacks this hardware feature set, limiting its longevity in modern titles despite any raw power similarities.

🚀 Performance Leadership

The RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 is the superior choice for raw performance. It leads with a 10.5% higher G3D Mark score and 100% more VRAM (512 MB vs 256 MB). This advantage makes it significantly better for higher resolutions (1440p/4K) and graphic-intensive titles compared to the GeForce 6500.

InsightRADEON 9500 PRO / 9700GeForce 6500
Performance
Leading raw performance (+10.5%)
Lower raw frame rates (-10.5%)
Longevity
RDNA 4.0 (2025) (4nm)
🛑Obsolete Architecture (2012 / Kepler (2012−2018))
Ecosystem
Supports FSR Upscaling
Supports FSR Upscaling
VRAM
✅ More VRAM (+100%)
❌ Less VRAM capacity
Efficiency
⚡ Higher Power Consumption
💡 Excellent Perf/Watt
Case Fit
📏 Compact / SFF Friendly
📏 Compact / SFF Friendly

💎 Value Proposition

The GeForce 6500 offers a compelling cost-to-performance ratio. Priced at $5 versus $30 for the RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700, it costs 83% less. While it maintains basic entry-level capabilities, this results in a 442.9% higher cost efficiency score.

InsightRADEON 9500 PRO / 9700GeForce 6500
Cost Efficiency
Lower cost efficiency
Better overall value (+442.9%)
Upfront Cost
⚠️Higher upfront cost ($30)
More affordable ($5)

Performance Check

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 7800X3D 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.

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 and GeForce 6500

AMD

RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700

The RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in July 23 2025. It features the RDNA 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1660 MHz to 2920 MHz. It has 4096 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. It features 64 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 42 points. Launch price was $1,299.

NVIDIA

GeForce 6500

The GeForce 6500 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 6 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock speed is 1058 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 65W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 38 points. Launch price was $109.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 scores 42 versus the GeForce 6500's 38 — the RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 leads by 10.5%. The RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 is built on RDNA 4.0 while the GeForce 6500 uses Kepler, both on 4 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 4,096 (RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700) vs 384 (GeForce 6500). Raw compute: 47.84 TFLOPS (RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700) vs 0.8125 TFLOPS (GeForce 6500).

FeatureRADEON 9500 PRO / 9700GeForce 6500
G3D Mark Score
42+11%
38
Architecture
RDNA 4.0
Kepler
Process Node
4 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
4096+967%
384
Compute (TFLOPS)
47.84 TFLOPS+5788%
0.8125 TFLOPS
ROPs
128+700%
16
TMUs
256+700%
32
L2 Cache
8 MB+3100%
0.25 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRADEON 9500 PRO / 9700GeForce 6500
Upscaling Tech
FSR 1.0 (Software)
FSR 1.0 (Software)
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
AMD Anti-Lag
Standard
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 comes with 512 MB of VRAM, while the GeForce 6500 has 256 MB. The RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 64-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 8 MB (RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700) vs 0.25 MB (GeForce 6500) — the RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureRADEON 9500 PRO / 9700GeForce 6500
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB+100%
0.25 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
128-bit+100%
L2 Cache
8 MB+3100%
0.25 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 9.0 (RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700) vs 9.0c (GeForce 6500). Vulkan: N/A vs None. OpenGL: 2.0 vs 2.1. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

FeatureRADEON 9500 PRO / 9700GeForce 6500
DirectX
9.0
9.0c
Vulkan
N/A
None
OpenGL
2.0
2.1+5%
Max Displays
2
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700) vs No (GeForce 6500). Decoder: VideoShader vs PureVideo. Supported codecs: MPEG-2 (RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700) vs MPEG-2 (GeForce 6500).

FeatureRADEON 9500 PRO / 9700GeForce 6500
Encoder
None
No
Decoder
VideoShader
PureVideo
Codecs
MPEG-2
MPEG-2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 draws 300W versus the GeForce 6500's 65W — a 128.8% difference. The GeForce 6500 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700) vs 350W (GeForce 6500). Power connectors: Legacy vs Legacy. Card length: 175mm vs 168mm, occupying 1 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: 70 vs 65°C.

FeatureRADEON 9500 PRO / 9700GeForce 6500
TDP
300W
65W-78%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
Legacy
Legacy
Length
175mm
168mm
Height
100mm
100mm
Slots
1
1
Temp (Load)
70
65°C-7%
Perf/Watt
0.1
0.6+500%
💰

Value Analysis

The RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 launched at $0 MSRP and currently averages $30, while the GeForce 6500 launched at $100 and now averages $5. The GeForce 6500 costs 83.3% less ($25 savings) at current market prices. Performance per dollar (G3D Mark / price): 1.4 (RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700) vs 7.6 (GeForce 6500) — the GeForce 6500 offers 442.9% better value. The RADEON 9500 PRO / 9700 is the newer GPU (2025 vs 2012).

FeatureRADEON 9500 PRO / 9700GeForce 6500
MSRP
$0-100%
$100
Avg Price (30d)
$30
$5-83%
Performance per Dollar
1.4
7.6+443%
Codename
Navi 48
GK107
Release
July 23 2025
September 6 2012
Ranking
#23
#719