Radeon HD 8950
GPU·Budget

Radeon HD 8950

AMD

G3D Mark

2,828

MSRP

$499

AVG Price

$499

January 31 2012
200 Watt
GCN 1.0 (2012−2020)

Performance Spectrum - GPU

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.

Overview

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.

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 Radeon HD 8950

#485
Radeon HD 8310E
MSRP: $50|Avg: $50
120%
#486
Radeon Ryzen 5 5600H
MSRP: $350|Avg: $350
120%
#487
GeForce GT 610
MSRP: $49|Avg: $49
119%
#488
Radeon Ryzen 5 5500U
MSRP: $300|Avg: $300
119%
#489
RADEON X600 PRO
MSRP: $99|Avg: $10
118%
#490
Radeon HD 8450G
MSRP: $50|Avg: $50
118%
#491
Radeon R5E
MSRP: N/A|Avg: $49
113%
#492
Radeon HD 5600/5700
MSRP: $99|Avg: $99
110%
#493
GeForce 7300 GT
MSRP: $89|Avg: $20
109%
#494
GeForce GT 240
MSRP: $80|Avg: $80
109%
#495
Radeon Ryzen 3 5300U
MSRP: $250|Avg: $250
109%
#496
Radeon HD 6990
MSRP: $699|Avg: $498
107%
#497
Radeon HD 5570
MSRP: $80|Avg: $80
105%
#498
Radeon HD 6550D
MSRP: $70|Avg: $70
101%
#499
Radeon HD 4670
MSRP: $67|Avg: $67
101%
#500
Radeon HD 8950
MSRP: $499|Avg: $499
100%
#501
Radeon X1650 Pro
MSRP: $100|Avg: $15
100%
#502
RADEON X800 GT
MSRP: $249|Avg: $15
99%
#503
Radeon HD 7990
MSRP: $999|Avg: $999
98%
#504
GeForce GT 420
MSRP: $79|Avg: $79
96%
#505
GeForce GTX 275
MSRP: $249|Avg: $249
96%
#506
Radeon HD 8990
MSRP: $999|Avg: $999
92%
#507
Radeon HD 8350G
MSRP: $50|Avg: $50
91%
#508
Radeon HD 6480G
MSRP: $50|Avg: $50
91%
#509
Radeon HD 5550
MSRP: $75|Avg: $75
90%
#510
Radeon Ryzen 7 4800U
MSRP: $450|Avg: $450
90%
#511
RADEON X550
MSRP: $60|Avg: $10
90%
#512
Radeon HD 8470
MSRP: $50|Avg: $50
87%
#513
Radeon Ryzen 7 5700U
MSRP: $450|Avg: $450
87%
#514
Radeon HD 8240
MSRP: $50|Avg: $50
87%
#515
RADEON X800 XT
MSRP: $499|Avg: $20
86%
Based on actual market prices and performance benchmarks.

FPS Benchmarks

Predicted performance for Radeon HD 8950 across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 7800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

1080p
low127 FPS
medium101 FPS
high81 FPS
ultra54 FPS
1440p
low74 FPS
medium53 FPS
high40 FPS
ultra29 FPS
4k
low28 FPS
medium20 FPS
high16 FPS
ultra12 FPS
Delta Force

Delta Force

1080p
low93 FPS
medium82 FPS
high68 FPS
ultra54 FPS
1440p
low52 FPS
medium43 FPS
high39 FPS
ultra33 FPS
4k
low29 FPS
medium25 FPS
high22 FPS
ultra19 FPS
Garry's Mod

Garry's Mod

1080p
low127 FPS
medium102 FPS
high85 FPS
ultra64 FPS
1440p
low95 FPS
medium76 FPS
high64 FPS
ultra48 FPS
4k
low64 FPS
medium51 FPS
high42 FPS
ultra32 FPS
Honkai: Star Rail

Honkai: Star Rail

1080p
low57 FPS
medium55 FPS
high54 FPS
ultra49 FPS
1440p
low55 FPS
medium52 FPS
high51 FPS
ultra47 FPS
4k
low39 FPS
medium35 FPS
high28 FPS
ultra25 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

1080p
low127 FPS
medium102 FPS
high85 FPS
ultra64 FPS
1440p
low95 FPS
medium76 FPS
high64 FPS
ultra48 FPS
4k
low64 FPS
medium51 FPS
high42 FPS
ultra32 FPS
Left 4 Dead 2

Left 4 Dead 2

1080p
low127 FPS
medium102 FPS
high85 FPS
ultra64 FPS
1440p
low95 FPS
medium76 FPS
high64 FPS
ultra48 FPS
4k
low64 FPS
medium51 FPS
high42 FPS
ultra32 FPS
Once Human

Once Human

1080p
low86 FPS
medium69 FPS
high64 FPS
ultra50 FPS
1440p
low60 FPS
medium52 FPS
high49 FPS
ultra39 FPS
4k
low32 FPS
medium26 FPS
high24 FPS
ultra19 FPS
Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

1080p
low78 FPS
medium64 FPS
high51 FPS
ultra33 FPS
1440p
low66 FPS
medium55 FPS
high39 FPS
ultra25 FPS
4k
low24 FPS
medium23 FPS
high15 FPS
ultra13 FPS
Roblox

Roblox

1080p
low60 FPS
medium60 FPS
high60 FPS
ultra60 FPS
1440p
low60 FPS
medium60 FPS
high58 FPS
ultra48 FPS
4k
low48 FPS
medium46 FPS
high38 FPS
ultra32 FPS
Starfield

Starfield

1080p
low22 FPS
medium18 FPS
high13 FPS
ultra10 FPS
1440p
low18 FPS
medium15 FPS
high11 FPS
ultra8 FPS
4k
low11 FPS
medium10 FPS
high7 FPS
ultra5 FPS

Technical Analysis

Detailed breakdown of Radeon HD 8950 specifications and capabilities.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 8950 scores 2,828 in the G3D Mark benchmark (the standard measure of rasterization GPU performance), placing it in the Entry Level tier as a Legacy generation graphics card. It is built on the GCN 1.0 (2012−2020) architecture (codename: Tahiti), manufactured on a 28 nm process— smaller process nodes improve power efficiency and transistor density. It packs 1792 shader units (the primary compute units for rendering pixels), 112 TMUs (texture mapping units), and 32 ROPs (render output units that handle final pixel output). Raw FP32 compute power: 2.867 TFLOPS — this measures the theoretical peak floating-point performance. Boost clock reaches 1250 MHz.

SpecificationRadeon HD 8950
G3D MarkPassMark 3D graphics benchmark score2,828
ArchitectureGPU microarchitecture generationGCN 1.0 (2012−2020)
CodenameInternal GPU die codenameTahiti
Manufacturing ProcessFabrication node — smaller = more efficient28 nm
Shader UnitsCore compute units for rendering/compute1792
TMUsTexture Mapping Units — handle texture sampling112
ROPsRender Output Units — final pixel/color blending32
Boost ClockMaximum GPU frequency under load1250 MHz
Compute (FP32)Peak single-precision floating-point performance2.867 TFLOPS
Texture Fill RateTextures processed per second89.60 GTexel/s
PCIe InterfaceCPU↔GPU data link generationPCIe 3.0 x16
Transistor Count4,313 million
Performance RankPosition in global GPU performance ranking#454
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The Radeon HD 8950 is equipped with 3 GB of GDDR5 video memory connected via a 256-bit memory bus, delivering Unknown of bandwidth. Memory operates at 8 Gbps effective speed.

SpecificationRadeon HD 8950
VRAM SizeVideo memory capacity — more = better for high-res textures3 GB
VRAM TypeMemory technology generationGDDR5
Memory BusWidth of data path — wider = more bandwidth256-bit
Memory SpeedEffective memory data rate8 Gbps
BandwidthMaximum data throughput between GPU and VRAMUnknown
L1 Cache448 kB
L2 Cache768 kB

Advanced Features & APIs

The Radeon HD 8950 supports modern upscaling and frame generation technologies: FidelityFX Super Resolution — these can dramatically boost effective FPS by generating intermediate frames or upscaling from lower internal resolution. Graphics API support: DirectX 12_0— latest API versions enable the most advanced rendering features like ray tracing and mesh shaders.

SpecificationRadeon HD 8950
FSR Frame Generation❌ Not Supported
AMD Fluid Motion Frames❌ Not Supported
FidelityFX Super Resolution✅ Supported
DirectXMicrosoft graphics API version12_0
Compute APIGPGPU framework (CUDA/ROCm/OpenCL)OpenCL 1.2
Multi-GPUSLI/CrossFire/NVLink supportCrossFire
🖥️

Display & Media

Display outputs: DVIx 0, HDMIx 1, Mini-DisplayPortx 2 — supports up to 4 simultaneous displays. Hardware encoder: VCE 1.0, decoder: UVD 3.1— dedicated hardware for video encoding/decoding accelerates streaming, recording, and video playback.

SpecificationRadeon HD 8950
0 PortsNumber of 0 display connectorsDVIx
1 PortsNumber of 1 display connectorsHDMIx
2 PortsNumber of 2 display connectorsMini-DisplayPortx
Max DisplaysMaximum simultaneously connected monitors4
Hardware EncoderVideo encoding engine versionVCE 1.0
Hardware DecoderVideo decoding engine versionUVD 3.1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 8950 draws 200 Watt under load (TDP) — a 500W PSU minimum is recommended. Power connector: 6-pin + 8-pin. Physical size: 267mm long, occupying 2 expansion slots— verify your case has clearance before purchasing.

SpecificationRadeon HD 8950
TDPPower consumption under load200 Watt
Recommended PSUMinimum power supply wattage500W
Power ConnectorRequired PCIe power cable type6-pin + 8-pin
Card LengthGPU card length — check case clearance267mm
Slot WidthExpansion slots occupied2-slot
💰

Value Analysis

At an average price of $499, the Radeon HD 8950 delivers 6 G3D Mark points per dollar. Overall performance ranking position: #454 among all indexed GPUs.

SpecificationRadeon HD 8950
MSRPManufacturer's Suggested Retail Price$499
Avg Price (30d)Average market price over the last 30 days$499
Performance RankPosition in global GPU performance ranking#454
Release DateJanuary 31 2012
Release Year2012

Specifications Reference

Raw spec sheet for quick lookup. The analysis cards above explain what these fields mean in practice.

2 categories

Technical Specifications

21 specs

ROPs32
TMUs112
Vram3 GB
DLSS/FSRFSR upscaling
L1 Cache448 kB
L2 Cache768 kB
Boost Clock1250 MHz
Memory TypeGDDR5
Memory Speed8 Gbps
Shading Units1792
Upscaling TechAMD FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR)
PCIe GenerationPCIe 3.0 x16
Memory BandwidthUnknown
Memory Bus Width256-bit
Transistor Count4,313 million
Frame GenerationFSR Frame Generation: No | AMD Fluid Motion Frames: No | FidelityFX Super Resolution: Yes
Texture Fill Rate89.60
Manufacturing Process28 nm
Power Consumption (TDP)200 Watt
Floating Point Performance2.867 TFLOPS
Quantidade De Transportadores Compute28

General Information

6 specs

Designreference
CodenameTahiti
ArchitectureGCN 1.0 (2012−2020)
Launch Price$449
Release DateJanuary 31 2012
Performance Ranking Position454

Our Recommendation for Radeon HD 8950

Suggested pairings based on performance balance

Compare Radeon HD 8950

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