Radeon HD 3850 vs GeForce GT 420M
Radeon HD 3850
Popular choices:
GeForce GT 420M
Popular choices:
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. The Radeon HD 3850 is positioned at rank 308 and the GeForce GT 420M is on rank 113, so the GeForce GT 420M offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Radeon HD 3850
Performance Per Dollar GeForce GT 420M
Performance Comparison
About G3D Mark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
The Radeon HD 3850 is the superior choice for raw performance. It leads with a 2.3% higher G3D Mark score and 100% more VRAM (1 GB vs 512 MB). This advantage makes it significantly better for higher resolutions (1440p/4K) and graphic-intensive titles compared to the GeForce GT 420M.
| Insight | Radeon HD 3850 | GeForce GT 420M |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | ✅Leading raw performance (+2.3%) | ❌Lower raw frame rates (-2.3%) |
| Longevity | 🛑Obsolete Architecture (2012 / GCN 1.0 (2012−2020)) | 🛑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 | — |
💎 Value Proposition
While current pricing data is unavailable, the Radeon HD 3850 remains the clear technical winner. Check real-time availability to determine if the performance gap justifies the market price.
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 HD 3850 and GeForce GT 420M
Radeon HD 3850
The Radeon HD 3850 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: 401 points. Launch price was $249.
GeForce GT 420M
The GeForce GT 420M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 22 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from Up to 625 MHz to 645 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 32W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 392 points.
Graphics Performance
The Radeon HD 3850 scores 401 and the GeForce GT 420M reaches 392 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 3850 is built on GCN 1.0 while the GeForce GT 420M uses Kepler, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,024 (Radeon HD 3850) vs 384 (GeForce GT 420M). Raw compute: 1.761 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 3850) vs 0.48 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 420M). Boost clocks: 1000 MHz vs 645 MHz.
| Feature | Radeon HD 3850 | GeForce GT 420M |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 401+2% | 392 |
| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | Kepler |
| Process Node | 28 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 1024+167% | 384 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 1.761 TFLOPS+267% | 0.48 TFLOPS |
| Boost Clock | 1000 MHz+55% | 645 MHz |
| ROPs | 32+100% | 16 |
| TMUs | 64+100% | 32 |
| L1 Cache | 256 KB+700% | 32 KB |
| L2 Cache | 512 KB+100% | 256 KB |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
| Feature | Radeon HD 3850 | GeForce GT 420M |
|---|---|---|
| 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 HD 3850 comes with 1 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce GT 420M has 512 MB. The Radeon HD 3850 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 128-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 512 KB (Radeon HD 3850) vs 256 KB (GeForce GT 420M) — the Radeon HD 3850 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | Radeon HD 3850 | GeForce GT 420M |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 1 GB+100% | 0.5 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | Unknown | Unknown |
| Bus Width | 128-bit | 128-bit |
| L2 Cache | 512 KB+100% | 256 KB |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 10.1 (Radeon HD 3850) vs 11.0 (GeForce GT 420M). OpenGL: 3.3 vs 4.0. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 1.
| Feature | Radeon HD 3850 | GeForce GT 420M |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 10.1 | 11.0+9% |
| OpenGL | 3.3 | 4.0+21% |
| Max Displays | 2+100% | 1 |
Media & Encoding
Decoder: UVD+ vs PureVideo HD VP4. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,DivX,MPEG-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 3850) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP (GeForce GT 420M).
| Feature | Radeon HD 3850 | GeForce GT 420M |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | — | No |
| Decoder | UVD+ | PureVideo HD VP4 |
| Codecs | H.264,VC-1,DivX,MPEG-1,MPEG-2 | MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP |
Power & Dimensions
The Radeon HD 3850 draws 130W versus the GeForce GT 420M's 32W — a 121% difference. The GeForce GT 420M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (Radeon HD 3850) vs 350W (GeForce GT 420M). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 208mm vs 0mm, occupying 1 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 75°C.
| Feature | Radeon HD 3850 | GeForce GT 420M |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 130W | 32W-75% |
| Recommended PSU | 450W | 350W-22% |
| Power Connector | 1x 6-pin | PCIe-powered |
| Length | 208mm | 0mm |
| Height | — | 0mm |
| Slots | 1 | 0-100% |
| Temp (Load) | 80°C | 75°C-6% |
| Perf/Watt | 3.1 | 12.3+297% |
Top Performing GPUs
The most powerful gpus ranked by G3D Mark benchmark scores.
You May Also Compare
Similar GPU comparisons based on Radeon HD 3850 and GeForce GT 420M
