Radeon HD 5850 vs Radeon R9 M385X

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 R9 M385X 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 R9 M385X: 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

✅28.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $1 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
✅300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 512 MB).

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.
❌101.3% higher power demand at 151W vs 75W.

Radeon R9 M385X

2015

Why buy it

✅Draws 75W instead of 151W, a 76W reduction.
✅More future proof: GCN 2.0 (2013−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 5850 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2015 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 5850 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 28.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon R9 M385X instead at 1,994 vs 1,955, 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 5850 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 R9 M385X makes the most sense to buy today. It is $1 more expensive on MSRP at $300 vs $299, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 1.7% (6.6 vs 6.5), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R9 M385X 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 R9 M385X 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 R9 M385X

The Radeon R9 M385X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 5 2015. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1000 MHz to 1100 MHz. It has 896 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,994 points.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 5850 scores 1,955 and the Radeon R9 M385X reaches 1,994 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 5850 is built on TeraScale 2 while the Radeon R9 M385X uses GCN 2.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,440 (Radeon HD 5850) vs 896 (Radeon R9 M385X). Raw compute: 2.088 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 5850) vs 1.971 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 M385X).

Feature	Radeon HD 5850	Radeon R9 M385X
G3D Mark Score	1,955	1,994+2%
Architecture	TeraScale 2	GCN 2.0
Process Node	40 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1440+61%	896
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.088 TFLOPS+6%	1.971 TFLOPS
ROPs	32+100%	16
TMUs	72+29%	56
L1 Cache	144 KB	224 KB+56%
L2 Cache	512 KB+100%	256 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 5850	Radeon R9 M385X
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 R9 M385X carries 512 MB. Radeon HD 5850 gives you 300% 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 R9 M385X. L2 Cache: 512 KB (Radeon HD 5850) vs 256 KB (Radeon R9 M385X) — the Radeon HD 5850 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 5850	Radeon R9 M385X
VRAM Capacity	2 GB+300%	0.5 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	128 GB/s	Unknown
Bus Width	256-bit+100%	128-bit
L2 Cache	512 KB+100%	256 KB

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Media & Encoding

Supported codecs: H.264 (Radeon HD 5850) vs H.264,MPEG-4,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon R9 M385X).

Feature	Radeon HD 5850	Radeon R9 M385X
Encoder	—	VCE 2.0
Decoder	—	UVD 4.2
Codecs	H.264	H.264,MPEG-4,VC-1,MPEG-2

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Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 5850 draws 151W versus the Radeon R9 M385X's 75W — a 67.3% difference. The Radeon R9 M385X is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon HD 5850) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M385X). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs Mobile.

Feature	Radeon HD 5850	Radeon R9 M385X
TDP	151W	75W-50%
Recommended PSU	500W	350W-30%
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	Mobile
Length	—	0mm
Height	—	0mm
Slots	—	0
Temp (Load)	—	85
Perf/Watt	12.9	26.6+106%

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Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 5850 came in at $299, while the Radeon R9 M385X launched at $300. On MSRP, Radeon HD 5850 was 0.3% cheaper ($1 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 6.5 (Radeon HD 5850) vs 6.6 (Radeon R9 M385X) — the Radeon R9 M385X offers 1.5% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R9 M385X (2015 vs 2009).

Feature	Radeon HD 5850	Radeon R9 M385X
MSRP	$299	$300
Performance per Dollar	6.5	6.6+2%
Codename	Cypress	Strato
Release	September 30 2009	May 5 2015
Ranking	#682	#681

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