Radeon HD 4850 vs Radeon R7 M270DX

AMD

Radeon HD 4850

2008Core: 625 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon R7 M270DX

2014Core: 900 MHzBoost: 940 MHz
Similar parts
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Radeon HD 4850 vs Radeon R7 M270DX Performance Spectrum

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.

Radeon HD 4850 vs Radeon R7 M270DX 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 4850 vs Radeon R7 M270DX: 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 4850

2008

Why buy it

  • 16.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 512 MB).

Trade-offs

  • 2008 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 99% HIGHER MSRP
    $199 MSRPvs$100 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 4.8 vs 9.6 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).
  • 46.7% higher power demand at 110W vs 75W.

Radeon R7 M270DX

2014

Why buy it

  • Costs $99 less on MSRP ($100 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
  • Delivers 102.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 9.6 vs 4.8 G3D/$ ($100 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
  • Draws 75W instead of 110W, a 35W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 4850 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2014 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 4850 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 16.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon R7 M270DX instead at 962 vs 946, 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 4850 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 2 GB vs 512 MB of VRAM. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon R7 M270DX makes the most sense to buy today. It is $99 cheaper on MSRP at $100 vs $199, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 102.4% (9.6 vs 4.8), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R7 M270DX is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon HD 4850 has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 4850 vs Radeon R7 M270DX Technical Specifications

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

AMD

Radeon HD 4850

The Radeon HD 4850 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 25 2008. It features the TeraScale architecture. The core clock speed is 625 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 110W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 946 points. Launch price was $199.

AMD

Radeon R7 M270DX

The Radeon R7 M270DX is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 11 2014. It features the GCN 3.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 900 MHz to 940 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 962 points.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 4850 scores 946 and the Radeon R7 M270DX reaches 962 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 4850 is built on TeraScale while the Radeon R7 M270DX uses GCN 3.0, both on 55 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 800 (Radeon HD 4850) vs 384 (Radeon R7 M270DX). Raw compute: 1 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 4850) vs 0.7219 TFLOPS (Radeon R7 M270DX).

FeatureRadeon HD 4850Radeon R7 M270DX
G3D Mark Score
946
962+2%
Architecture
TeraScale
GCN 3.0
Process Node
55 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
800+108%
384
Compute (TFLOPS)
1 TFLOPS+39%
0.7219 TFLOPS
ROPs
16+100%
8
TMUs
40+67%
24
L1 Cache
160 KB+67%
96 KB
L2 Cache
256 KB
256 KB
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling
FSR upscaling

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon HD 4850Radeon R7 M270DX
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 4850 has 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R7 M270DX carries 512 MB. Radeon HD 4850 gives you 300% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the Radeon HD 4850 and 128-bit on the Radeon R7 M270DX.

FeatureRadeon HD 4850Radeon R7 M270DX
VRAM Capacity
2 GB+300%
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
64-bit
128-bit+100%
L2 Cache
256 KB
256 KB
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 4850 draws 110W versus the Radeon R7 M270DX's 75W — a 37.8% difference. The Radeon R7 M270DX is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (Radeon HD 4850) vs 350W (Radeon R7 M270DX). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs Mobile.

FeatureRadeon HD 4850Radeon R7 M270DX
TDP
110W
75W-32%
Recommended PSU
450W
350W-22%
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
Mobile
Length
246mm
Height
111mm
Slots
1
Temp (Load)
95
Perf/Watt
8.6
12.8+49%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 4850 came in at $199, while the Radeon R7 M270DX launched at $100. On MSRP, Radeon R7 M270DX was 49.7% cheaper ($99 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 4.8 (Radeon HD 4850) vs 9.6 (Radeon R7 M270DX) — the Radeon R7 M270DX offers 100% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R7 M270DX (2014 vs 2008).

FeatureRadeon HD 4850Radeon R7 M270DX
MSRP
$199
$100-50%
Performance per Dollar
4.8
9.6+100%
Codename
RV770
Topaz
Release
June 25 2008
June 11 2014
Ranking
#876
#897

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