Radeon HD 7700-serie vs Radeon HD 5850

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

Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

Performance Comparison

About G3D Mark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

The Radeon HD 5850 is the superior choice for raw performance. It leads with a 2.9% higher G3D Mark score and 300% more VRAM (2 GB vs 512 MB). This advantage makes it significantly better for higher resolutions (1440p/4K) and graphic-intensive titles compared to the Radeon HD 7700-serie.

Insight	Radeon HD 7700-serie	Radeon HD 5850
Performance	❌Lower raw frame rates (-2.9%)	✅Leading raw performance (+2.9%)
Longevity	🛑Obsolete Architecture (2012 / GCN 1.0 (2012−2020))	🛑Obsolete Architecture (2009 / TeraScale 2 (2009−2015))
Ecosystem	Supports FSR Upscaling	Supports FSR Upscaling
VRAM	❌ Less VRAM capacity	✅ More VRAM (+300%)
Efficiency	⚡ Higher Power Consumption	💡 Excellent Perf/Watt
Case Fit	—	—

💎 Value Proposition

The Radeon HD 5850 offers a compelling cost-to-performance ratio. While both GPUs are considered legacy components by modern standards, the Radeon HD 5850 holds the technical lead. Priced at $30 (vs $35), it costs 14% less, resulting in a 20.1% higher cost efficiency score.

Insight	Radeon HD 7700-serie	Radeon HD 5850
Cost Efficiency	❌Lower cost efficiency	✅Better overall value (+20.1%)
Upfront Cost	⚠️Higher upfront cost ($35)	✅More affordable ($30)

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 7700-serie Benchmark Check

Radeon HD 5850 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon HD 7700-serie and Radeon HD 5850

Radeon HD 7700-serie

The Radeon HD 7700-serie is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 9 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 925 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,899 points. Launch price was $549.

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.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 7700-serie scores 1,899 and the Radeon HD 5850 reaches 1,955 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 7700-serie is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon HD 5850 uses TeraScale 2, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 2,048 (Radeon HD 7700-serie) vs 1,440 (Radeon HD 5850). Raw compute: 3.789 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7700-serie) vs 2.088 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 5850).

Feature	Radeon HD 7700-serie	Radeon HD 5850
G3D Mark Score	1,899	1,955+3%
Architecture	GCN 1.0	TeraScale 2
Process Node	28 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	2048+42%	1440
Compute (TFLOPS)	3.789 TFLOPS+81%	2.088 TFLOPS
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	128+78%	72
L1 Cache	512 KB+256%	144 KB
L2 Cache	768 KB+50%	512 KB

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 7700-serie	Radeon HD 5850
Upscaling Tech	FSR 1.0 (Software)	FSR 1.0 (Software)
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 7700-serie comes with 512 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 5850 has 2 GB. The Radeon HD 5850 offers 300% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 128-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 768 KB (Radeon HD 7700-serie) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 5850) — the Radeon HD 7700-serie has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 7700-serie	Radeon HD 5850
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	2 GB+300%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	128 GB/s
Bus Width	128-bit	256-bit+100%
L2 Cache	768 KB+50%	512 KB

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 7700-serie draws 250W versus the Radeon HD 5850's 151W — a 49.4% difference. The Radeon HD 5850 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 450W (Radeon HD 7700-serie) vs 500W (Radeon HD 5850). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 2x 6-pin.

Feature	Radeon HD 7700-serie	Radeon HD 5850
TDP	250W	151W-40%
Recommended PSU	450W-10%	500W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	2x 6-pin
Perf/Watt	7.6	12.9+70%

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Value Analysis

The Radeon HD 7700-serie launched at $159 MSRP and currently averages $35, while the Radeon HD 5850 launched at $299 and now averages $30. The Radeon HD 5850 costs 14.3% less ($5 savings) at current market prices. Performance per dollar (G3D Mark / price): 54.3 (Radeon HD 7700-serie) vs 65.2 (Radeon HD 5850) — the Radeon HD 5850 offers 20.1% better value. The Radeon HD 7700-serie is the newer GPU (2012 vs 2009).