Radeon HD 5850 vs Radeon HD 6850

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 5850 vs Radeon HD 6850 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 5850 vs Radeon HD 6850: 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 5850

2009

Why buy it

✅25.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 1 GB).

Trade-offs

❌2009 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
67% HIGHER MSRP
$299 MSRPvs$179 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 6.5 vs 10.8 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs $179 MSRP).
❌18.9% higher power demand at 151W vs 127W.

Radeon HD 6850

2010

Why buy it

✅Costs $120 less on MSRP ($179 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Delivers 65.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 10.8 vs 6.5 G3D/$ ($179 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Draws 127W instead of 151W, a 24W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 5850 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 1 GB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2010 hardware with 1 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 5850 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 25.2% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0.9% in PassMark G3D (1,955 vs 1,938), so the answer here is pretty clean.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

Radeon HD 5850 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 2 GB vs 1 GB of VRAM. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 6850 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $120 cheaper on MSRP at $179 vs $299, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 65.6% (10.8 vs 6.5), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 6850 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon HD 5850 has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 5850 vs Radeon HD 6850 Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 5850

The Radeon HD 5850 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in September 30 2009. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 725 MHz. It has 1440 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 151W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,955 points. Launch price was $299.

Radeon HD 6850

The Radeon HD 6850 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 21 2010. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. It has 960 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 127W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,938 points. Launch price was $179.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 5850 scores 1,955 and the Radeon HD 6850 reaches 1,938 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 5850 is built on TeraScale 2 while the Radeon HD 6850 uses TeraScale 2, both on a 40 nm process. Shader units: 1,440 (Radeon HD 5850) vs 960 (Radeon HD 6850). Raw compute: 2.088 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 5850) vs 1.488 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6850).

Feature	Radeon HD 5850	Radeon HD 6850
G3D Mark Score	1,955	1,938
Architecture	TeraScale 2	TeraScale 2
Process Node	40 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	1440+50%	960
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.088 TFLOPS+40%	1.488 TFLOPS
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	72+50%	48
L1 Cache	144 KB	192 KB+33%
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 5850	Radeon HD 6850
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 5850 has 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 6850 carries 1 GB. Radeon HD 5850 gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 256-bit on the Radeon HD 5850 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 6850.

Feature	Radeon HD 5850	Radeon HD 6850
VRAM Capacity	2 GB+100%	1 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	128 GB/s	Unknown
Bus Width	256-bit+100%	128-bit
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB

🎬

Media & Encoding

Supported codecs: H.264 (Radeon HD 5850) vs H.264 (Radeon HD 6850).

Feature	Radeon HD 5850	Radeon HD 6850
Codecs	H.264	H.264

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 5850 draws 151W versus the Radeon HD 6850's 127W — a 17.3% difference. The Radeon HD 6850 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon HD 5850) vs 500W (Radeon HD 6850). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs 2x 6-pin.

Feature	Radeon HD 5850	Radeon HD 6850
TDP	151W	127W-16%
Recommended PSU	500W	500W
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	2x 6-pin
Perf/Watt	12.9	15.3+19%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 5850 came in at $299, while the Radeon HD 6850 launched at $179. On MSRP, Radeon HD 6850 was 40.1% cheaper ($120 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 6.5 (Radeon HD 5850) vs 10.8 (Radeon HD 6850) — the Radeon HD 6850 offers 66.2% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 6850 (2010 vs 2009).

Feature	Radeon HD 5850	Radeon HD 6850
MSRP	$299	$179-40%
Performance per Dollar	6.5	10.8+66%
Codename	Cypress	Barts
Release	September 30 2009	October 21 2010
Ranking	#682	#692

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