Radeon HD 3850 vs Radeon HD 5550

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 3850 vs Radeon HD 5550 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 3850 vs Radeon HD 5550: 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 3850

2012

Why buy it

✅Draws 130W instead of 151W, a 21W reduction.
✅More future proof: GCN 1.0 (2012−2020) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2012 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
138.7% HIGHER MSRP
$179 MSRPvs$75 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.2 vs 5.1 G3D/$ ($179 MSRP vs $75 MSRP).
❌23.8% longer card at 208mm vs 168mm.

Radeon HD 5550

2009

Why buy it

✅Costs $104 less on MSRP ($75 MSRP vs $179 MSRP).
✅Delivers 128.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.1 vs 2.2 G3D/$ ($75 MSRP vs $179 MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 1 GB).
✅Measures 168mm instead of 208mm, a 40mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌2009 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌16.2% higher power demand at 151W vs 130W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 3850 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 4.4% in PassMark G3D (401 vs 384), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.

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

Radeon HD 3850 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2012 generation instead of 2009. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 5550 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $104 cheaper on MSRP at $75 vs $179, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 128.5% (5.1 vs 2.2), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 5550 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon HD 3850 has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 3850 vs Radeon HD 5550 Technical Specifications

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

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.

Radeon HD 5550

The Radeon HD 5550 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in September 30 2009. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 725 MHz. It has 1440 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 151W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 384 points. Launch price was $299.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 3850 scores 401 and the Radeon HD 5550 reaches 384 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 3850 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon HD 5550 uses TeraScale 2, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 1,024 (Radeon HD 3850) vs 1,440 (Radeon HD 5550). Raw compute: 1.761 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 3850) vs 2.088 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 5550).

Feature	Radeon HD 3850	Radeon HD 5550
G3D Mark Score	401+4%	384
Architecture	GCN 1.0	TeraScale 2
Process Node	28 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	1024	1440+41%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.761 TFLOPS	2.088 TFLOPS+19%
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	64	72+13%
L1 Cache	256 KB+78%	144 KB
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 3850	Radeon HD 5550
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)

The Radeon HD 3850 has 1 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 5550 carries 2 GB. Radeon HD 5550 gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the Radeon HD 3850 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 5550.

Feature	Radeon HD 3850	Radeon HD 5550
VRAM Capacity	1 GB	2 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10.1 (Radeon HD 3850) vs 11.2 (11_0) (Radeon HD 5550). OpenGL: 3.3 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 3.

Feature	Radeon HD 3850	Radeon HD 5550
DirectX	10.1	11.2 (11_0)+11%
OpenGL	3.3	4.4+33%
Max Displays	2	3+50%

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Media & Encoding

Decoder: UVD+ vs UVD 2.2. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,DivX,MPEG-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 3850) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 5550).

Feature	Radeon HD 3850	Radeon HD 5550
Encoder	—	None
Decoder	UVD+	UVD 2.2
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,DivX,MPEG-1,MPEG-2	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2

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Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 3850 draws 130W versus the Radeon HD 5550's 151W — a 14.9% difference. The Radeon HD 3850 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (Radeon HD 3850) vs 200W (Radeon HD 5550). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs None. Card length: 208mm vs 168mm, occupying 1 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 70.

Feature	Radeon HD 3850	Radeon HD 5550
TDP	130W-14%	151W
Recommended PSU	450W	200W-56%
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	None
Length	208mm	168mm
Height	—	69mm
Slots	1	1
Temp (Load)	80°C	70-13%
Perf/Watt	3.1+24%	2.5

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 3850 came in at $179, while the Radeon HD 5550 launched at $75. On MSRP, Radeon HD 5550 was 58.1% cheaper ($104 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.2 (Radeon HD 3850) vs 5.1 (Radeon HD 5550) — the Radeon HD 5550 offers 131.8% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 3850 (2012 vs 2009).

Feature	Radeon HD 3850	Radeon HD 5550
MSRP	$179	$75-58%
Performance per Dollar	2.2	5.1+132%
Codename	Pitcairn	Cypress
Release	March 5 2012	September 30 2009
Ranking	#503	#682

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