Radeon HD 3870 vs GeForce 820A
Radeon HD 3870
Popular choices:
GeForce 820A
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 3870 is positioned at rank 298 and the GeForce 820A is on rank 452, so the Radeon HD 3870 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 3870
Performance Per Dollar GeForce 820A
Performance Comparison
About G3D Mark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
The GeForce 820A is the superior choice for raw performance. It leads with a 0.7% higher G3D Mark score. However, the Radeon HD 3870 offers more VRAM, which may be beneficial for texture-heavy scenarios at higher resolutions.
| Insight | Radeon HD 3870 | GeForce 820A |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | ❌Lower raw frame rates (-0.7%) | ✅Leading raw performance (+0.7%) |
| Longevity | 🛑Obsolete Architecture (2012 / GCN 1.0 (2012−2020)) | 🛑Obsolete Architecture (2014 / Maxwell (2014−2017)) |
| Ecosystem | Supports FSR Upscaling | Supports FSR Upscaling |
| VRAM | ✅ More VRAM (+100%) | ❌ Less VRAM capacity |
| Efficiency | ⚡ Higher Power Consumption | 💡 Excellent Perf/Watt |
| Case Fit | — | — |
💎 Value Proposition
The Radeon HD 3870 offers a compelling cost-to-performance ratio. While both GPUs are considered legacy components by modern standards, the Radeon HD 3870 holds the technical lead. Priced at $15 (vs $30), it costs 50% less, resulting in a 98.6% higher cost efficiency score.
| Insight | Radeon HD 3870 | GeForce 820A |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ✅Better overall value (+98.6%) | ❌Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | ✅More affordable ($15) | ⚠️Higher upfront cost ($30) |
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 3870 and GeForce 820A
Radeon HD 3870
The Radeon HD 3870 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 5 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 552 points. Launch price was $349.
GeForce 820A
The GeForce 820A is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in July 22 2014. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 1082 MHz to 1150 MHz. It has 256 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 33W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 556 points.
Graphics Performance
The Radeon HD 3870 scores 552 and the GeForce 820A reaches 556 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 3870 is built on GCN 1.0 while the GeForce 820A uses Maxwell, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,280 (Radeon HD 3870) vs 256 (GeForce 820A). Raw compute: 2.56 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 3870) vs 0.5888 TFLOPS (GeForce 820A).
| Feature | Radeon HD 3870 | GeForce 820A |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 552 | 556 |
| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | Maxwell |
| Process Node | 28 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 1280+400% | 256 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 2.56 TFLOPS+335% | 0.5888 TFLOPS |
| ROPs | 32+300% | 8 |
| TMUs | 80+400% | 16 |
| L1 Cache | 320 KB+150% | 128 KB |
| L2 Cache | 0.5 MB | 1 MB+100% |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
| Feature | Radeon HD 3870 | GeForce 820A |
|---|---|---|
| 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 3870 comes with 1 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce 820A has 512 MB. The Radeon HD 3870 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 128-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 3870) vs 1 MB (GeForce 820A) — the GeForce 820A has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | Radeon HD 3870 | GeForce 820A |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 1 MB+100% |
Media & Encoding
Supported codecs: H.264 (Radeon HD 3870) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce 820A).
| Feature | Radeon HD 3870 | GeForce 820A |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | — | N/A |
| Decoder | — | PureVideo HD (VP5) |
| Codecs | H.264 | H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 |
Power & Dimensions
The Radeon HD 3870 draws 200W versus the GeForce 820A's 33W — a 143.3% difference. The GeForce 820A is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (Radeon HD 3870) vs 350W (GeForce 820A). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs Legacy.
| Feature | Radeon HD 3870 | GeForce 820A |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 200W | 33W-84% |
| Recommended PSU | 300W-14% | 350W |
| Power Connector | 1x 6-pin | Legacy |
| Length | — | 0mm |
| Height | — | 0mm |
| Slots | — | 0 |
| Temp (Load) | — | 70 |
| Perf/Watt | 2.8 | 16.8+500% |
Value Analysis
The Radeon HD 3870 launched at $219 MSRP and currently averages $15, while the GeForce 820A launched at $100 and now averages $30. The Radeon HD 3870 costs 50% less ($15 savings) at current market prices. Performance per dollar (G3D Mark / price): 36.8 (Radeon HD 3870) vs 18.5 (GeForce 820A) — the Radeon HD 3870 offers 98.9% better value. The GeForce 820A is the newer GPU (2014 vs 2012).
| Feature | Radeon HD 3870 | GeForce 820A |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $219 | $100-54% |
| Avg Price (30d) | $15-50% | $30 |
| Performance per Dollar | 36.8+99% | 18.5 |
| Codename | Pitcairn | GM108 |
| Release | March 5 2012 | July 22 2014 |
| Ranking | #460 | #832 |
Top Performing GPUs
The most powerful gpus ranked by G3D Mark benchmark scores.
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