GeForce GTX 950M vs Radeon HD 6850 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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce GTX 950M

2015

Why buy it

✅Draws 75W instead of 254W, a 179W reduction.
✅More future proof: Maxwell (2014−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 7.2 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $350 MSRP).

Radeon HD 6850 X2

2011

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 7.2 vs 0 G3D/$ ($350 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2011-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌238.7% higher power demand at 254W vs 75W.

GeForce GTX 950M

2015

Radeon HD 6850 X2

2011

Why buy it

✅Draws 75W instead of 254W, a 179W reduction.
✅More future proof: Maxwell (2014−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 7.2 vs 0 G3D/$ ($350 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2015-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 7.2 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $350 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Very weak future-proofing: 2011-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
❌238.7% higher power demand at 254W vs 75W.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce GTX 950M better than Radeon HD 6850 X2?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 2,575 vs 2,534 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer GeForce GTX 950M is the overall package: you are getting a newer generation, no meaningful modern upscaling stack, plus much lower power draw (75W vs 254W).

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce GTX 950M is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2015 generation instead of 2011, the stronger feature stack with no meaningful modern upscaling stack instead of FSR upscaling, and a 28nm process instead of 40nm. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

GeForce GTX 950M is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce GTX 950M is priced in an unclear MSRP range at an unclear MSRP versus $350 MSRP, and you are getting 1.6% higher G3D Mark. Radeon HD 6850 X2 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.

Is Radeon HD 6850 X2 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon HD 6850 X2 is 2011 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM, 2,534 in G3D Mark, and FSR upscaling. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

Games Benchmarks

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 9800X3D 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.

GeForce GTX 950M Benchmark Check

Radeon HD 6850 X2 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 950M	Radeon HD 6850 X2
1080p
low	23 FPS	62 FPS
medium	13 FPS	49 FPS
high	8 FPS	33 FPS
ultra	4 FPS	19 FPS
1440p
low	11 FPS	37 FPS
medium	6 FPS	27 FPS
high	3 FPS	17 FPS
ultra	1 FPS	9 FPS
4K
low	4 FPS	12 FPS
medium	2 FPS	10 FPS
high	1 FPS	6 FPS
ultra	1 FPS	5 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 950M Open Radeon HD 6850 X2

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce GTX 950M	Radeon HD 6850 X2
1080p
low	64 FPS	72 FPS
medium	36 FPS	48 FPS
high	26 FPS	36 FPS
ultra	16 FPS	24 FPS
1440p
low	29 FPS	38 FPS
medium	18 FPS	24 FPS
high	12 FPS	15 FPS
ultra	9 FPS	11 FPS
4K
low	10 FPS	14 FPS
medium	7 FPS	9 FPS
high	6 FPS	7 FPS
ultra	4 FPS	5 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 950M Open Radeon HD 6850 X2

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce GTX 950M	Radeon HD 6850 X2
1080p
low	116 FPS	114 FPS
medium	93 FPS	91 FPS
high	77 FPS	76 FPS
ultra	58 FPS	57 FPS
1440p
low	87 FPS	86 FPS
medium	70 FPS	68 FPS
high	58 FPS	57 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	43 FPS
4K
low	58 FPS	57 FPS
medium	46 FPS	46 FPS
high	39 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	29 FPS	29 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 950M Open Radeon HD 6850 X2

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce GTX 950M	Radeon HD 6850 X2
1080p
low	116 FPS	114 FPS
medium	93 FPS	91 FPS
high	77 FPS	76 FPS
ultra	58 FPS	57 FPS
1440p
low	87 FPS	86 FPS
medium	70 FPS	68 FPS
high	58 FPS	57 FPS
ultra	43 FPS	43 FPS
4K
low	58 FPS	57 FPS
medium	46 FPS	46 FPS
high	37 FPS	38 FPS
ultra	29 FPS	28 FPS

Open GeForce GTX 950M Open Radeon HD 6850 X2

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GTX 950M and Radeon HD 6850 X2

GeForce GTX 950M

The GeForce GTX 950M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 13 2015. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 914 MHz to 1124 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,575 points.

Radeon HD 6850 X2

The Radeon HD 6850 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: 2,534 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTX 950M scores 2,575 and the Radeon HD 6850 X2 reaches 2,534 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTX 950M is built on Maxwell while the Radeon HD 6850 X2 uses TeraScale 2, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 640 (GeForce GTX 950M) vs 960 (Radeon HD 6850 X2). Raw compute: 1.439 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 950M) vs 1.536 TFLOPS ×2 (Radeon HD 6850 X2).

Feature	GeForce GTX 950M	Radeon HD 6850 X2
G3D Mark Score	2,575+2%	2,534
Architecture	Maxwell	TeraScale 2
Process Node	28 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	640	960 ×2+50%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.439 TFLOPS	1.536 TFLOPS ×2+7%
ROPs	16	32 ×2+100%
TMUs	40	48 ×2+20%
L1 Cache	320 KB+67%	192 KB
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTX 950M gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon HD 6850 X2 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce GTX 950M	Radeon HD 6850 X2
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards feature 2 GB of GDDR5. Bus width: 128-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 2 MB (GeForce GTX 950M) vs 0.5 MB (Radeon HD 6850 X2) — the GeForce GTX 950M has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GTX 950M	Radeon HD 6850 X2
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	2 MB+300%	0.5 MB

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Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 950M draws 75W versus the Radeon HD 6850 X2's 254W — a 108.8% difference. The GeForce GTX 950M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 950M) vs 600W (Radeon HD 6850 X2). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 2x 8-pin.