Radeon HD 3000 vs Radeon X1600 Pro

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 HD 3000 vs Radeon X1600 Pro 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 HD 3000 vs Radeon X1600 Pro: 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 HD 3000

2011

Why buy it

✅Costs $99 less on MSRP ($50 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).
✅Delivers 189% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 1.9 vs 0.7 G3D/$ ($50 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).
✅Measures 1mm instead of 168mm, a 167mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌2011 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌24% higher power demand at 186W vs 150W.

Radeon X1600 Pro

2020

Why buy it

✅Radeon HD 3000 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so Radeon X1600 Pro is the less risky modern option long term.
✅Draws 150W instead of 186W, a 36W reduction.
✅More future proof: RDNA 1.0 (2019−2020) on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Older hardware, 512 MB of VRAM, and weaker feature support mean it will age faster in newer AAA releases.
❌
198% HIGHER MSRP
$149 MSRPvs$50 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0.7 vs 1.9 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).
❌16700% longer card at 168mm vs 1mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon X1600 Pro is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 3.1% in PassMark G3D (99 vs 96), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

Radeon X1600 Pro is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 7nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2020 generation instead of 2011. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 3000 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $99 cheaper on MSRP at $50 vs $149, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 189% (1.9 vs 0.7), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 3000 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon X1600 Pro has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 3000 vs Radeon X1600 Pro Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 3000

The Radeon HD 3000 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in December 1 2011. It features the TeraScale 3 architecture. The core clock speed is 750 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 186W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 96 points. Launch price was $180.

Radeon X1600 Pro

The Radeon X1600 Pro is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 21 2020. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1130 MHz to 1560 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 99 points.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 3000 scores 96 and the Radeon X1600 Pro reaches 99 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 3000 is built on TeraScale 3 while the Radeon X1600 Pro uses RDNA 1.0, both on 40 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 1,280 (Radeon HD 3000) vs 2,048 (Radeon X1600 Pro). Raw compute: 1.92 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 3000) vs 6.39 TFLOPS (Radeon X1600 Pro).

Feature	Radeon HD 3000	Radeon X1600 Pro
G3D Mark Score	96	99+3%
Architecture	TeraScale 3	RDNA 1.0
Process Node	40 nm	7 nm
Shading Units	1280	2048+60%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.92 TFLOPS	6.39 TFLOPS+233%
ROPs	32	64+100%
TMUs	80	128+60%
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	3 MB+500%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling + RSR

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 3000	Radeon X1600 Pro
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 512 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the Radeon HD 3000 and 64-bit on the Radeon X1600 Pro. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 3000) vs 3 MB (Radeon X1600 Pro) — the Radeon X1600 Pro has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 3000	Radeon X1600 Pro
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	0.5 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	128-bit+100%	64-bit
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	3 MB+500%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10.0 (Radeon HD 3000) vs 9.0c (Radeon X1600 Pro). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	Radeon HD 3000	Radeon X1600 Pro
DirectX	10.0+11%	9.0c
Max Displays	2	2

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Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: UVD (Radeon HD 3000) vs None (Radeon X1600 Pro). Decoder: UVD vs Avivo.

Feature	Radeon HD 3000	Radeon X1600 Pro
Encoder	UVD	None
Decoder	UVD	Avivo
Codecs	—	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1

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Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 3000 draws 186W versus the Radeon X1600 Pro's 150W — a 21.4% difference. The Radeon X1600 Pro is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 3000) vs 350W (Radeon X1600 Pro). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 1mm vs 168mm, occupying 0 vs 1 slots.

Feature	Radeon HD 3000	Radeon X1600 Pro
TDP	186W	150W-19%
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	1mm	168mm
Height	—	111mm
Slots	0-100%	1
Temp (Load)	—	75
Perf/Watt	0.5	0.7+40%

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Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 3000 came in at $50, while the Radeon X1600 Pro launched at $149. On MSRP, Radeon HD 3000 was 66.4% cheaper ($99 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.9 (Radeon HD 3000) vs 0.7 (Radeon X1600 Pro) — the Radeon HD 3000 offers 171.4% better value. The newer card here is Radeon X1600 Pro (2020 vs 2011).

Feature	Radeon HD 3000	Radeon X1600 Pro
MSRP	$50-66%	$149
Performance per Dollar	1.9+171%	0.7
Codename	Cayman	Navi 10
Release	December 1 2011	January 21 2020
Ranking	#598	#216

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