Radeon HD 6950 vs GeForce GTX 850M

Radeon HD 6950

2010Boost: 800 MHz

GeForce GTX 850M

2014Core: Up to 936 MHz

Performance Spectrum - GPU

Radeon HD 6950

200

2,593

+2.2%

Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB

GeForce GTX 850M

2,537

0.0%

GeForce RTX 2070 with Max-Q Design

GeForce RTX 2060 12GB

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

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.

Value Upgrade Path

This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (G3D Mark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money.

MSRP is the manufacturer's suggested retail price.•
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.

Performance Per Dollar

Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

Performance Per Dollar GeForce GTX 850M

#22

Radeon RX 7700

MSRP: $449|Avg: $399

97%

#58

Radeon RX 550X (móvel)

MSRP: $35|Avg: $35

214%

#60

GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $150

194%

#61

GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $100

193%

#65

GeForce GTX 1050 (Mobile)

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $50

176%

#66

Radeon RX 6300

MSRP: $60|Avg: $40

175%

#68

GeForce GTX 850M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $40

100%

#78

Radeon HD 8970M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $170

95%

#82

Arc 7-Core iGPU

MSRP: $199|Avg: N/A

93%

Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

Performance Comparison

About G3D Mark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

The Radeon HD 6950 is the superior choice for raw performance. It leads with a 2.2% higher G3D Mark score. However, the GeForce GTX 850M offers more VRAM, which may be beneficial for texture-heavy scenarios at higher resolutions.

Insight	Radeon HD 6950	GeForce GTX 850M
Performance	✅Leading raw performance (+2.2%)	❌Lower raw frame rates (-2.2%)
Longevity	🛑Obsolete Architecture (2010 / TeraScale 3 (2010−2013))	🛑Obsolete Architecture (2014 / Maxwell (2014−2017))
Ecosystem	Supports FSR Upscaling	Supports FSR Upscaling
VRAM	❌ Less VRAM capacity	✅ More VRAM (+100%)
Efficiency	⚡ Higher Power Consumption	💡 Excellent Perf/Watt
Case Fit	Standard Size (275mm)	—

💎 Value Proposition

The GeForce GTX 850M offers a compelling cost-to-performance ratio. While both GPUs are considered legacy components by modern standards, the GeForce GTX 850M holds the technical lead. Priced at $40 (vs $100), it costs 60% less, resulting in a 144.6% higher cost efficiency score.

Insight	Radeon HD 6950	GeForce GTX 850M
Cost Efficiency	❌Lower cost efficiency	✅Better overall value (+144.6%)
Upfront Cost	⚠️Higher upfront cost ($100)	✅More affordable ($40)

Performance Check

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 7800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

Radeon HD 6950 Benchmark Check

GeForce GTX 850M Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon HD 6950 and GeForce GTX 850M

Radeon HD 6950

The Radeon HD 6950 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in December 14 2010. It features the TeraScale 3 architecture. The boost clock speed is 800 MHz. It has 1408 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,593 points. Launch price was $299.

GeForce GTX 850M

The GeForce GTX 850M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 12 2014. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock speed is Up to 936 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 45W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,537 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 6950 scores 2,593 and the GeForce GTX 850M reaches 2,537 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 6950 is built on TeraScale 3 while the GeForce GTX 850M uses Maxwell, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,408 (Radeon HD 6950) vs 640 (GeForce GTX 850M). Raw compute: 2.253 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6950) vs 1.155 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 850M).

Feature	Radeon HD 6950	GeForce GTX 850M
G3D Mark Score	2,593+2%	2,537
Architecture	TeraScale 3	Maxwell
Process Node	40 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1408+120%	640
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.253 TFLOPS+95%	1.155 TFLOPS
ROPs	32+100%	16
TMUs	88+120%	40
L1 Cache	352 KB+10%	320 KB
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	2 MB+300%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 6950	GeForce GTX 850M
Upscaling Tech	FSR 1.0 (Software)	FSR 2.1 (Compatible)
Frame Generation	Not Supported	FSR 3 (Compatible)
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	AMD Anti-Lag	Standard

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The Radeon HD 6950 comes with 1 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce GTX 850M has 2 GB. The GeForce GTX 850M offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 128-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 6950) vs 2 MB (GeForce GTX 850M) — the GeForce GTX 850M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 6950	GeForce GTX 850M
VRAM Capacity	1 GB	2 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	0.5 MB	2 MB+300%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11_2 (Radeon HD 6950) vs 11.0 (GeForce GTX 850M). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 1.

Feature	Radeon HD 6950	GeForce GTX 850M
DirectX	11_2	11.0
Max Displays	4+300%	1

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: UVD 3 (Radeon HD 6950) vs NVENC 2.0 (GeForce GTX 850M). Decoder: UVD 3 vs PureVideo HD VP6.

Feature	Radeon HD 6950	GeForce GTX 850M
Encoder	UVD 3	NVENC 2.0
Decoder	UVD 3	PureVideo HD VP6
Codecs	—	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP,H.265

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 6950 draws 200W versus the GeForce GTX 850M's 45W — a 126.5% difference. The GeForce GTX 850M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon HD 6950) vs 350W (GeForce GTX 850M). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 275mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.

Feature	Radeon HD 6950	GeForce GTX 850M
TDP	200W	45W-78%
Recommended PSU	500W	350W-30%
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	275mm	0mm
Height	—	0mm
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	—	80°C
Perf/Watt	13.0	56.4+334%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce GTX 850M costs 60% less ($60 savings) at current market prices. Performance per dollar (G3D Mark / price): 25.9 (Radeon HD 6950) vs 63.4 (GeForce GTX 850M) — the GeForce GTX 850M offers 144.8% better value. The GeForce GTX 850M is the newer GPU (2014 vs 2010).