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 8950 vs Radeon R9 M380 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 8950 vs Radeon R9 M380: 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 8950

2012

Why buy it

✅117.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 3 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2012 hardware with 3 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
66.3% HIGHER MSRP
$499 MSRPvs$300 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.7 vs 9.2 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
❌166.7% higher power demand at 200W vs 75W.

Radeon R9 M380

2015

Why buy it

✅Costs $199 less on MSRP ($300 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
✅Delivers 61.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 9.2 vs 5.7 G3D/$ ($300 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 3 GB).
✅Draws 75W instead of 200W, a 125W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 8950 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2015 hardware with 4 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 8950 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 117.1% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.8% in PassMark G3D (2,828 vs 2,752), so the answer here is pretty clean.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

Radeon HD 8950 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 R9 M380 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $199 cheaper on MSRP at $300 vs $499, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 61.9% (9.2 vs 5.7), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R9 M380 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon HD 8950 has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 8950 vs Radeon R9 M380 Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 8950

The Radeon HD 8950 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 31 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1250 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,828 points. Launch price was $449.

Radeon R9 M380

The Radeon R9 M380 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 5 2015. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 900 MHz to 1000 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,752 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 8950 scores 2,828 and the Radeon R9 M380 reaches 2,752 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 8950 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon R9 M380 uses GCN 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,792 (Radeon HD 8950) vs 768 (Radeon R9 M380). Raw compute: 2.867 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8950) vs 1.536 TFLOPS (Radeon R9 M380). Boost clocks: 1250 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	Radeon HD 8950	Radeon R9 M380
G3D Mark Score	2,828+3%	2,752
Architecture	GCN 1.0	GCN 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1792+133%	768
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.867 TFLOPS+87%	1.536 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1250 MHz+25%	1000 MHz
ROPs	32+100%	16
TMUs	112+133%	48
L1 Cache	448 KB+133%	192 KB
L2 Cache	768 KB+200%	256 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 8950	Radeon R9 M380
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 8950 has 3 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R9 M380 carries 4 GB. Radeon R9 M380 gives you 33.3% 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 8950 and 128-bit on the Radeon R9 M380. L2 Cache: 768 KB (Radeon HD 8950) vs 256 KB (Radeon R9 M380) — the Radeon HD 8950 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 8950	Radeon R9 M380
VRAM Capacity	3 GB	4 GB+33%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	96 GB/s
Bus Width	256-bit+100%	128-bit
L2 Cache	768 KB+200%	256 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12_0 (Radeon HD 8950) vs 12 (12_0) (Radeon R9 M380). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 3.

Feature	Radeon HD 8950	Radeon R9 M380
DirectX	12_0	12 (12_0)
Max Displays	4+33%	3

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 1.0 (Radeon HD 8950) vs VCE 3.0 (Radeon R9 M380). Decoder: UVD 3.1 vs UVD 6.0.

Feature	Radeon HD 8950	Radeon R9 M380
Encoder	VCE 1.0	VCE 3.0
Decoder	UVD 3.1	UVD 6.0
Codecs	—	H.264,H.265 (HEVC),MPEG-2,VC-1,MPEG-4

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 8950 draws 200W versus the Radeon R9 M380's 75W — a 90.9% difference. The Radeon R9 M380 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon HD 8950) vs 350W (Radeon R9 M380). Power connectors: 6-pin + 8-pin vs Mobile. Card length: 267mm vs 0mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.

Feature	Radeon HD 8950	Radeon R9 M380
TDP	200W	75W-63%
Recommended PSU	500W	350W-30%
Power Connector	6-pin + 8-pin	Mobile
Length	267mm	0mm
Height	—	0mm
Slots	2	0-100%
Temp (Load)	—	85
Perf/Watt	14.1	36.7+160%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 8950 came in at $499, while the Radeon R9 M380 launched at $300. On MSRP, Radeon R9 M380 was 39.9% cheaper ($199 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 5.7 (Radeon HD 8950) vs 9.2 (Radeon R9 M380) — the Radeon R9 M380 offers 61.4% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R9 M380 (2015 vs 2012).

Feature	Radeon HD 8950	Radeon R9 M380
MSRP	$499	$300-40%
Performance per Dollar	5.7	9.2+61%
Codename	Tahiti	Strato
Release	January 31 2012	May 5 2015
Ranking	#454	#607

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