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 6950 vs Radeon HD 8770 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 6950 vs Radeon HD 8770: 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 6950

2010

Why buy it

✅181.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌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.
❌
99.3% HIGHER MSRP
$299 MSRPvs$150 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 8.7 vs 17.4 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
❌300% higher power demand at 200W vs 50W.

Radeon HD 8770

2013

Why buy it

✅Costs $149 less on MSRP ($150 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅Delivers 100.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 17.4 vs 8.7 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 1 GB).
✅Draws 50W instead of 200W, a 150W reduction.
✅Measures 240mm instead of 275mm, a 35mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 6950 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2013 hardware with 2 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 6950 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 181.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon HD 8770 instead at 2,607 vs 2,593, 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 6950 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 HD 8770 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $149 cheaper on MSRP at $150 vs $299, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 100.4% (17.4 vs 8.7), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 8770 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon HD 6950 has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 6950 vs Radeon HD 8770 Technical Specifications

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

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.

Radeon HD 8770

The Radeon HD 8770 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 1 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 775 MHz to 825 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,607 points.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 6950 scores 2,593 and the Radeon HD 8770 reaches 2,607 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 6950 is built on TeraScale 3 while the Radeon HD 8770 uses GCN 1.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,408 (Radeon HD 6950) vs 384 (Radeon HD 8770). Raw compute: 2.253 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6950) vs 0.6336 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8770). Boost clocks: 800 MHz vs 825 MHz.

Feature	Radeon HD 6950	Radeon HD 8770
G3D Mark Score	2,593	2,607
Architecture	TeraScale 3	GCN 1.0
Process Node	40 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1408+267%	384
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.253 TFLOPS+256%	0.6336 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	800 MHz	825 MHz+3%
ROPs	32+300%	8
TMUs	88+267%	24
L1 Cache	352 KB+267%	96 KB
L2 Cache	512 KB+100%	256 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 6950	Radeon HD 8770
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 6950 has 1 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 8770 carries 2 GB. Radeon HD 8770 gives you 100% 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 6950 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 8770. L2 Cache: 512 KB (Radeon HD 6950) vs 256 KB (Radeon HD 8770) — the Radeon HD 6950 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 6950	Radeon HD 8770
VRAM Capacity	1 GB	2 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	96 GB/s
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	512 KB+100%	256 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11_2 (Radeon HD 6950) vs 12_0 (Radeon HD 8770). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.

Feature	Radeon HD 6950	Radeon HD 8770
DirectX	11_2	12_0+9%
Max Displays	4+33%	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: UVD 3 (Radeon HD 6950) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon HD 8770). Decoder: UVD 3 vs UVD 4.0.

Feature	Radeon HD 6950	Radeon HD 8770
Encoder	UVD 3	VCE 2.0
Decoder	UVD 3	UVD 4.0

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 6950 draws 200W versus the Radeon HD 8770's 50W — a 120% difference. The Radeon HD 8770 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon HD 6950) vs 350W (Radeon HD 8770). Power connectors: 2x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 275mm vs 240mm, occupying 2 vs 2 slots.

Feature	Radeon HD 6950	Radeon HD 8770
TDP	200W	50W-75%
Recommended PSU	500W	350W-30%
Power Connector	2x 6-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	275mm	240mm
Slots	2	2
Perf/Watt	13.0	52.1+301%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 6950 came in at $299, while the Radeon HD 8770 launched at $150. On MSRP, Radeon HD 8770 was 49.8% cheaper ($149 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 8.7 (Radeon HD 6950) vs 17.4 (Radeon HD 8770) — the Radeon HD 8770 offers 100% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 8770 (2013 vs 2010).

Feature	Radeon HD 6950	Radeon HD 8770
MSRP	$299	$150-50%
Performance per Dollar	8.7	17.4+100%
Codename	Cayman	Mars
Release	December 14 2010	April 1 2013
Ranking	#623	#844

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