Radeon HD 3850 X2 vs Radeon HD 8730M

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 X2 vs Radeon HD 8730M 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 X2 vs Radeon HD 8730M: 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 X2

2011

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 2.4 vs 0 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 8730M across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2011 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌154% higher power demand at 254W vs 100W.

Radeon HD 8730M

2013

Why buy it

✅16.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 1 GB).
✅Draws 100W instead of 254W, a 154W reduction.

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.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 2.4 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $349 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 8730M is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 16.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon HD 3850 X2 instead at 822 vs 819, 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 HD 3850 X2 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 3850 X2 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. Radeon HD 8730M still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

Radeon HD 3850 X2 vs Radeon HD 8730M Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 3850 X2

The Radeon HD 3850 X2 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in September 19 2011. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 800 MHz. It has 960 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 254W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 822 points.

Radeon HD 8730M

The Radeon HD 8730M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 14 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 850 MHz to 900 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 819 points.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 3850 X2 scores 822 and the Radeon HD 8730M reaches 819 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 3850 X2 is built on TeraScale 2 while the Radeon HD 8730M uses GCN 1.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 960 (Radeon HD 3850 X2) vs 1,280 (Radeon HD 8730M). Raw compute: 1.536 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 3850 X2) vs 2.304 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8730M).

Feature	Radeon HD 3850 X2	Radeon HD 8730M
G3D Mark Score	822	819
Architecture	TeraScale 2	GCN 1.0
Process Node	40 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	960 ×2	1280+33%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.536 TFLOPS ×2	2.304 TFLOPS+50%
ROPs	32 ×2	32
TMUs	48 ×2	80+67%
L1 Cache	192 KB	320 KB+67%
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 3850 X2	Radeon HD 8730M
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)

The Radeon HD 3850 X2 has 1 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 8730M carries 2 GB. Radeon HD 8730M 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 X2 and System on the Radeon HD 8730M.

Feature	Radeon HD 3850 X2	Radeon HD 8730M
VRAM Capacity	1 GB	2 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	Shared
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	System
Bus Width	128-bit	System
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB

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Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10.1 (Radeon HD 3850 X2) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon HD 8730M). OpenGL: 3.3 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	Radeon HD 3850 X2	Radeon HD 8730M
DirectX	10.1	12 (11_1)+19%
OpenGL	3.3	4.6+39%
Max Displays	2	2

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Media & Encoding

Decoder: UVD+ vs UVD 3. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 3850 X2) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,DivX (Radeon HD 8730M).

Feature	Radeon HD 3850 X2	Radeon HD 8730M
Encoder	—	VCE 1.0
Decoder	UVD+	UVD 3
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,DivX

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Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 3850 X2 draws 254W versus the Radeon HD 8730M's 100W — a 87% difference. The Radeon HD 8730M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (Radeon HD 3850 X2) vs 350W (Radeon HD 8730M). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Typical load temperature: 90°C vs 75°C.

Feature	Radeon HD 3850 X2	Radeon HD 8730M
TDP	254W	100W-61%
Recommended PSU	450W	350W-22%
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	267mm	—
Slots	2	1-50%
Temp (Load)	90°C	75°C-17%
Perf/Watt	3.2	8.2+156%

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Value Analysis

The newer card here is Radeon HD 8730M (2013 vs 2011).

Feature	Radeon HD 3850 X2	Radeon HD 8730M
MSRP	$349	—
Codename	Barts	Neptune
Release	September 19 2011	May 14 2013
Ranking	#630	#507

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