Radeon HD 3870 vs Radeon R5 M255

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 M255 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 M255: 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

✅45.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 4 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.
❌
46% HIGHER MSRP
$219 MSRPvs$150 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.5 vs 3.6 G3D/$ ($219 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
❌166.7% higher power demand at 200W vs 75W.

Radeon R5 M255

2014

Why buy it

✅Costs $69 less on MSRP ($150 MSRP vs $219 MSRP).
✅Delivers 43.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 3.6 vs 2.5 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs $219 MSRP).
✅300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 1 GB).
✅Draws 75W instead of 200W, a 125W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 3870 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2014 hardware with 4 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 45.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1.7% in PassMark G3D (552 vs 543), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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 M255 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $69 cheaper on MSRP at $150 vs $219, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 43.6% (3.6 vs 2.5), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R5 M255 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 M255 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 M255

The Radeon R5 M255 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 28 2014. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 900 MHz to 925 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 543 points. Launch price was $799.99.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 3870 scores 552 and the Radeon R5 M255 reaches 543 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 3870 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon R5 M255 uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,280 (Radeon HD 3870) vs 640 (Radeon R5 M255). Raw compute: 2.56 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 3870) vs 1.184 TFLOPS (Radeon R5 M255).

Feature	Radeon HD 3870	Radeon R5 M255
G3D Mark Score	552+2%	543
Architecture	GCN 1.0	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1280+100%	640
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.56 TFLOPS+116%	1.184 TFLOPS
ROPs	32+100%	16
TMUs	80+100%	40
L1 Cache	320 KB+100%	160 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 M255
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 M255 carries 4 GB. Radeon R5 M255 gives you 300% 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 M255. L2 Cache: 512 KB (Radeon HD 3870) vs 256 KB (Radeon R5 M255) — the Radeon HD 3870 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 3870	Radeon R5 M255
VRAM Capacity	1 GB	4 GB+300%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	512 KB+100%	256 KB

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Media & Encoding

Supported codecs: H.264 (Radeon HD 3870) vs H.264,MPEG-4,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Radeon R5 M255).

Feature	Radeon HD 3870	Radeon R5 M255
Encoder	—	VCE 3.0
Decoder	—	UVD 4.2
Codecs	H.264	H.264,MPEG-4,MPEG-2,VC-1

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Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 3870 draws 200W versus the Radeon R5 M255's 75W — a 90.9% difference. The Radeon R5 M255 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (Radeon HD 3870) vs 350W (Radeon R5 M255). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs Mobile.

Feature	Radeon HD 3870	Radeon R5 M255
TDP	200W	75W-63%
Recommended PSU	300W-14%	350W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	Mobile
Slots	—	0
Temp (Load)	—	80°C
Perf/Watt	2.8	7.2+157%

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Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 3870 came in at $219, while the Radeon R5 M255 launched at $150. On MSRP, Radeon R5 M255 was 31.5% cheaper ($69 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.5 (Radeon HD 3870) vs 3.6 (Radeon R5 M255) — the Radeon R5 M255 offers 44% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R5 M255 (2014 vs 2012).

Feature	Radeon HD 3870	Radeon R5 M255
MSRP	$219	$150-32%
Performance per Dollar	2.5	3.6+44%
Codename	Pitcairn	Venus
Release	March 5 2012	January 28 2014
Ranking	#460	#851

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