Radeon HD 3850 X2 vs Radeon R7 PRO A8-9600

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 R7 PRO A8-9600 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 R7 PRO A8-9600: 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

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 512 MB).
✅Draws 254W instead of 295W, a 41W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R7 PRO A8-9600 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2011 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
193.3% HIGHER MSRP
$349 MSRPvs$119 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.4 vs 7.0 G3D/$ ($349 MSRP vs $119 MSRP).

Radeon R7 PRO A8-9600

2023

Why buy it

✅30.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $230 less on MSRP ($119 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
✅Delivers 198.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 7.0 vs 2.4 G3D/$ ($119 MSRP vs $349 MSRP).
✅Better long-term bet: RDNA 3.0 (2022−2026) on 5nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌16.1% higher power demand at 295W vs 254W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon R7 PRO A8-9600 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 30.1% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1.8% in PassMark G3D (837 vs 822), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon R7 PRO A8-9600 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 5nm process instead of 40nm, 96 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2023 generation instead of 2011. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon R7 PRO A8-9600 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $230 cheaper on MSRP at $119 vs $349, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 198.6% (7.0 vs 2.4), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Radeon HD 3850 X2 vs Radeon R7 PRO A8-9600 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 R7 PRO A8-9600

The Radeon R7 PRO A8-9600 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 13 2023. It features the RDNA 3.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1855 MHz to 2495 MHz. It has 6144 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 295W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 96 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 837 points. Launch price was $3,999.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 3850 X2 scores 822 and the Radeon R7 PRO A8-9600 reaches 837 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 3850 X2 is built on TeraScale 2 while the Radeon R7 PRO A8-9600 uses RDNA 3.0, both on 40 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 960 (Radeon HD 3850 X2) vs 6,144 (Radeon R7 PRO A8-9600). Raw compute: 1.536 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 3850 X2) vs 61.32 TFLOPS (Radeon R7 PRO A8-9600).

Feature	Radeon HD 3850 X2	Radeon R7 PRO A8-9600
G3D Mark Score	822	837+2%
Architecture	TeraScale 2	RDNA 3.0
Process Node	40 nm	5 nm
Shading Units	960 ×2	6144+540%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.536 TFLOPS ×2	61.32 TFLOPS+3892%
ROPs	32 ×2	192+500%
TMUs	48 ×2	384+700%
L1 Cache	0.19 MB	3 MB+1479%
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	6 MB+1100%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling + RSR

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 3850 X2	Radeon R7 PRO A8-9600
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 X2 has 1 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R7 PRO A8-9600 carries 512 MB. Radeon HD 3850 X2 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 128-bit on the Radeon R7 PRO A8-9600. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 3850 X2) vs 6 MB (Radeon R7 PRO A8-9600) — the Radeon R7 PRO A8-9600 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 3850 X2	Radeon R7 PRO A8-9600
VRAM Capacity	1 GB+100%	0.5 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	6 MB+1100%

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 3850 X2 draws 254W versus the Radeon R7 PRO A8-9600's 295W — a 14.9% difference. The Radeon HD 3850 X2 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (Radeon HD 3850 X2) vs 350W (Radeon R7 PRO A8-9600). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered.

Feature	Radeon HD 3850 X2	Radeon R7 PRO A8-9600
TDP	254W-14%	295W
Recommended PSU	450W	350W-22%
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	267mm	—
Slots	2	—
Temp (Load)	90°C	—
Perf/Watt	3.2+14%	2.8

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 3850 X2 came in at $349, while the Radeon R7 PRO A8-9600 launched at $119. On MSRP, Radeon R7 PRO A8-9600 was 65.9% cheaper ($230 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.4 (Radeon HD 3850 X2) vs 7.0 (Radeon R7 PRO A8-9600) — the Radeon R7 PRO A8-9600 offers 191.7% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R7 PRO A8-9600 (2023 vs 2011).

Feature	Radeon HD 3850 X2	Radeon R7 PRO A8-9600
MSRP	$349	$119-66%
Performance per Dollar	2.4	7.0+192%
Codename	Barts	Navi 31
Release	September 19 2011	April 13 2023
Ranking	#630	#26

Search Radeon HD 3850 X2 on Amazon

Search Radeon R7 PRO A8-9600 on Amazon

Affiliate Disclosure

ChipVERSUS is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through our links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support our work in providing comprehensive PC building guides and tools.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.