Radeon HD 3870 vs Radeon R5 240

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 R5 240 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 R5 240: 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

✅73.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

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.
❌
271.2% HIGHER MSRP
$219 MSRPvs$59 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.5 vs 9.5 G3D/$ ($219 MSRP vs $59 MSRP).
❌566.7% higher power demand at 200W vs 30W.

Radeon R5 240

2013

Why buy it

✅Costs $160 less on MSRP ($59 MSRP vs $219 MSRP).
✅Delivers 275.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 9.5 vs 2.5 G3D/$ ($59 MSRP vs $219 MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 1 GB).
✅Draws 30W instead of 200W, a 170W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 3870 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2013 hardware with 2 GB 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 73.1% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon R5 240 instead at 558 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 because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon R5 240 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $160 cheaper on MSRP at $59 vs $219, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 275.2% (9.5 vs 2.5), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R5 240 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 R5 240 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 R5 240

The Radeon R5 240 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 8 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 780 MHz. It has 320 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 558 points. Launch price was $69.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 3870 scores 552 and the Radeon R5 240 reaches 558 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 3870 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon R5 240 uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,280 (Radeon HD 3870) vs 320 (Radeon R5 240). Raw compute: 2.56 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 3870) vs 0.448 TFLOPS (Radeon R5 240).

Feature	Radeon HD 3870	Radeon R5 240
G3D Mark Score	552	558+1%
Architecture	GCN 1.0	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1280+300%	320
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.56 TFLOPS+471%	0.448 TFLOPS
ROPs	32+300%	8
TMUs	80+300%	20
L1 Cache	320 KB+300%	80 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 R5 240
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 R5 240 carries 2 GB. Radeon R5 240 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 R5 240. L2 Cache: 512 KB (Radeon HD 3870) vs 256 KB (Radeon R5 240) — the Radeon HD 3870 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 3870	Radeon R5 240
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+100%	256 KB

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 3870 draws 200W versus the Radeon R5 240's 30W — a 147.8% difference. The Radeon R5 240 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (Radeon HD 3870) vs 250W (Radeon R5 240). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs None.

Feature	Radeon HD 3870	Radeon R5 240
TDP	200W	30W-85%
Recommended PSU	300W	250W-17%
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	None
Length	—	168mm
Slots	—	1
Perf/Watt	2.8	18.6+564%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 3870 came in at $219, while the Radeon R5 240 launched at $59. On MSRP, Radeon R5 240 was 73.1% cheaper ($160 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.5 (Radeon HD 3870) vs 9.5 (Radeon R5 240) — the Radeon R5 240 offers 280% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R5 240 (2013 vs 2012).

Feature	Radeon HD 3870	Radeon R5 240
MSRP	$219	$59-73%
Performance per Dollar	2.5	9.5+280%
Codename	Pitcairn	Oland
Release	March 5 2012	October 8 2013
Ranking	#460	#911

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