Radeon HD 3870 vs Radeon HD 7650A

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 3870 vs Radeon HD 7650A 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 3870 vs Radeon HD 7650A: 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 3870

2012

Why buy it

✅70.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 512 MB).
✅More future proof: GCN 1.0 (2012−2020) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌2012 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
119% HIGHER MSRP
$219 MSRPvs$100 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.5 vs 5.6 G3D/$ ($219 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).
❌344.4% higher power demand at 200W vs 45W.

Radeon HD 7650A

2012

Why buy it

✅Costs $119 less on MSRP ($100 MSRP vs $219 MSRP).
✅Delivers 120.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.6 vs 2.5 G3D/$ ($100 MSRP vs $219 MSRP).
✅Draws 45W instead of 200W, a 155W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 3870 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2012 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 3870 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 70.6% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon HD 7650A instead at 556 vs 552, 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 3870 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 1 GB vs 512 MB of VRAM and a 28nm process instead of 40nm. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 7650A makes the most sense to buy today. It is $119 cheaper on MSRP at $100 vs $219, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 120.6% (5.6 vs 2.5), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 7650A is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon HD 3870 has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 3870 vs Radeon HD 7650A Technical Specifications

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

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.

Radeon HD 7650A

The Radeon HD 7650A is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 5 2012. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 600 MHz. It has 480 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 45W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 556 points.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 3870 scores 552 and the Radeon HD 7650A 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 Radeon HD 7650A uses TeraScale 2, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 1,280 (Radeon HD 3870) vs 480 (Radeon HD 7650A). Raw compute: 2.56 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 3870) vs 0.576 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7650A).

Feature	Radeon HD 3870	Radeon HD 7650A
G3D Mark Score	552	556
Architecture	GCN 1.0	TeraScale 2
Process Node	28 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	1280+167%	480
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.56 TFLOPS+344%	0.576 TFLOPS
ROPs	32+300%	8
TMUs	80+233%	24
L1 Cache	320 KB+567%	48 KB
L2 Cache	512 KB+100%	256 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 3870	Radeon HD 7650A
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 3870 has 1 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 7650A carries 512 MB. Radeon HD 3870 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 3870 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 7650A. L2 Cache: 512 KB (Radeon HD 3870) vs 256 KB (Radeon HD 7650A) — the Radeon HD 3870 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 3870	Radeon HD 7650A
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

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 3870 draws 200W versus the Radeon HD 7650A's 45W — a 126.5% difference. The Radeon HD 7650A is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (Radeon HD 3870) vs 350W (Radeon HD 7650A). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin.

Feature	Radeon HD 3870	Radeon HD 7650A
TDP	200W	45W-78%
Recommended PSU	300W-14%	350W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	1x 6-pin
Perf/Watt	2.8	12.4+343%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 3870 came in at $219, while the Radeon HD 7650A launched at $100. On MSRP, Radeon HD 7650A was 54.3% cheaper ($119 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.5 (Radeon HD 3870) vs 5.6 (Radeon HD 7650A) — the Radeon HD 7650A offers 124% better value.

Feature	Radeon HD 3870	Radeon HD 7650A
MSRP	$219	$100-54%
Performance per Dollar	2.5	5.6+124%
Codename	Pitcairn	Turks
Release	March 5 2012	January 5 2012
Ranking	#460	#870

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