Radeon HD 8730M vs Radeon HD 3850 X2

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. The Radeon HD 8730M is positioned at rank 200 and the Radeon HD 3850 X2 is on rank 303, so the Radeon HD 8730M offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.

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

Performance Per Dollar Radeon HD 8730M

#190

Radeon RX 550X (móvel)

MSRP: $35|Avg: $35

398%

#192

GeForce GTX 1070 with Max-Q Design

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $150

361%

#193

GeForce GTX 1060 with Max-Q Design

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $100

360%

#197

GeForce GTX 1050 (Mobile)

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $50

327%

#198

Radeon RX 6300

MSRP: $60|Avg: $40

325%

#200

Radeon HD 8730M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: N/A

100%

#203

GeForce GT 730M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $45

99%

#206

Radeon RX Vega M GL / 870

MSRP: $150|Avg: $150

96%

#208

Radeon RX Vega M GL

MSRP: $150|Avg: $150

95%

#212

GeForce GTX 780M

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $60

94%

Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

Performance Per Dollar Radeon HD 3850 X2

#1

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

MSRP: $399|Avg: $280

3074%

#2

GeForce RTX 5060

MSRP: $299|Avg: $299

2953%

#3

Radeon RX 5600 XT

MSRP: $279|Avg: $180

2919%

#4

Radeon RX 9060

MSRP: $249|Avg: $249

2914%

#5

GeForce RTX 5050

MSRP: $249|Avg: $249

2908%

#6

GeForce RTX 3050 OEM

MSRP: $249|Avg: $150

2891%

#7

Arc A580

MSRP: $179|Avg: $179

2855%

#8

Radeon RX 9060 XT

MSRP: $299|Avg: $299

2844%

#9

Radeon RX 9060 XT 8GB

MSRP: $299|Avg: $299

2818%

#10

Radeon RX 7600

MSRP: $269|Avg: $250

2810%

#11

Radeon RX 6600

MSRP: $329|Avg: $180

2776%

#12

GeForce RTX 4060

MSRP: $299|Avg: $299

2770%

#13

Arc B570

MSRP: $219|Avg: $219

2720%

#14

Arc B580

MSRP: $249|Avg: $249

2719%

#288

Radeon R5 430 OEM

MSRP: N/A|Avg: $13

3390%

#303

Radeon HD 3850 X2

MSRP: $349|Avg: $349

100%

#304

Radeon HD 4290

MSRP: $60|Avg: $10

100%

#306

Radeon HD 5450

MSRP: $60|Avg: $40

96%

#308

Radeon HD 3850

MSRP: $179|Avg: $179

95%

#309

Radeon HD 4200

MSRP: $50|Avg: $10

95%

#311

Radeon HD 4270

MSRP: $50|Avg: $10

93%

#312

Radeon E6460

MSRP: $150|Avg: $40

92%

#313

Radeon HD 6290

MSRP: $50|Avg: $50

89%

#314

GeForce GTX 280

MSRP: $649|Avg: $649

84%

#315

Radeon HD 3470

MSRP: $60|Avg: $15

83%

#316

Radeon HD 3000

MSRP: $50|Avg: $10

81%

#317

Radeon HD 6250

MSRP: $50|Avg: $50

80%

#318

GeForce GT 120

MSRP: $100|Avg: $40

80%

Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

Performance Comparison

About G3D Mark

🏆 Chipversus Verdict

🚀 Performance Leadership

The Radeon HD 3850 X2 is the superior choice for raw performance. It leads with a 0.4% higher G3D Mark score. However, the Radeon HD 8730M offers more VRAM, which may be beneficial for texture-heavy scenarios at higher resolutions.

Insight	Radeon HD 8730M	Radeon HD 3850 X2
Performance	❌Lower raw frame rates (-0.4%)	✅Leading raw performance (+0.4%)
Longevity	🛑Obsolete Architecture (2013 / GCN 1.0 (2012−2020))	🛑Obsolete Architecture (2011 / TeraScale 2 (2009−2015))
Ecosystem	Supports FSR Upscaling	Supports FSR Upscaling
VRAM	✅ More VRAM (+100%)	❌ Less VRAM capacity
Efficiency	💡 Excellent Perf/Watt	⚡ Higher Power Consumption
Case Fit	—	Standard Size (267mm)

💎 Value Proposition

While current pricing data is unavailable, the Radeon HD 3850 X2 remains the clear technical winner. Check real-time availability to determine if the performance gap justifies the market price.

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 8730M Benchmark Check

Radeon HD 3850 X2 Benchmark Check

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Radeon HD 8730M and Radeon HD 3850 X2

Radeon HD 8730M

The Radeon HD 8730M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 14 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 850 MHz to 900 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 819 points.

Radeon HD 3850 X2

The Radeon HD 3850 X2 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in September 19 2011. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 800 MHz. It has 960 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 254W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 822 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 8730M scores 819 and the Radeon HD 3850 X2 reaches 822 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 8730M is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon HD 3850 X2 uses TeraScale 2, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 1,280 (Radeon HD 8730M) vs 960 (Radeon HD 3850 X2). Raw compute: 2.304 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8730M) vs 1.536 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 3850 X2).

Feature	Radeon HD 8730M	Radeon HD 3850 X2
G3D Mark Score	819	822
Architecture	GCN 1.0	TeraScale 2
Process Node	28 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	1280+33%	960 ×2
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.304 TFLOPS+50%	1.536 TFLOPS ×2
ROPs	32	32 ×2
TMUs	80+67%	48 ×2
L1 Cache	320 KB+67%	192 KB
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 8730M	Radeon HD 3850 X2
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

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The Radeon HD 8730M comes with 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 3850 X2 has 1 GB. The Radeon HD 8730M offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: System vs 128-bit.

Feature	Radeon HD 8730M	Radeon HD 3850 X2
VRAM Capacity	2 GB+100%	1 GB
Memory Type	Shared	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	System	Unknown
Bus Width	System	128-bit
L2 Cache	512 KB	512 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_1) (Radeon HD 8730M) vs 10.1 (Radeon HD 3850 X2). OpenGL: 4.6 vs 3.3. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	Radeon HD 8730M	Radeon HD 3850 X2
DirectX	12 (11_1)+19%	10.1
OpenGL	4.6+39%	3.3
Max Displays	2	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Decoder: UVD 3 vs UVD+. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,DivX (Radeon HD 8730M) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon HD 3850 X2).

Feature	Radeon HD 8730M	Radeon HD 3850 X2
Encoder	VCE 1.0	—
Decoder	UVD 3	UVD+
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,DivX	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 8730M draws 100W versus the Radeon HD 3850 X2's 254W — a 87% difference. The Radeon HD 8730M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 8730M) vs 450W (Radeon HD 3850 X2). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 2x 6-pin. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 90°C.