GeForce GTX 850M vs Radeon R9 M385X
Aggregated performance score
GeForce GTX 850M outperforms Radeon R9 M385X by 26% based on our aggregated benchmark results.
General info
GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.
| Place in performance ranking | 582 | 536 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Value for money | 0.38 | 3.74 |
| Architecture | GCN (2011−2017) | Maxwell (2014−2018) |
| GPU code name | Strato-XT-M3 | N15P-GT |
| Market segment | Laptop | Laptop |
| Release date | 16 June 2015 (8 years old) | 12 March 2014 (10 years old) |
| Current price | $999 | $163 |
Value for money
Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.
GTX 850M has 884% better value for money than R9 M385X.
Technical specs
General performance parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. These parameters indirectly speak of performance, but for precise assessment you have to consider their benchmark and gaming test results. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.
| Pipelines / CUDA cores | 896 | 640 |
| CUDA cores | no data | 640 |
| Core clock speed | 1100 MHz | Up to 936 MHz |
| Boost clock speed | 1100 MHz | no data |
| Number of transistors | 2,080 million | 1,870 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 28 nm | 28 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | no data | 45 Watt |
| Texture fill rate | 61.60 | 36.08 |
| Floating-point performance | 1,971 gflops | 1,155 gflops |
Size and compatibility
Information on Radeon R9 M385X and GeForce GTX 850M compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For notebook video cards it's notebook size, connection slot and bus, if the video card is inserted into a slot instead of being soldered to the notebook motherboard.
| Laptop size | large | medium sized |
| Bus support | PCIe 3.0 | PCI Express 2.0, PCI Express 3.0 |
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| SLI options | no data | + |
Memory
Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.
| Memory type | GDDR5 | DDR3, GDDR5 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| Standard memory configuration | no data | DDR3 or GDDR5 |
| Memory bus width | 128 Bit | 128 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 1500 MHz | Up to 2500 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 76.8 GB/s | 80.0 GB/s |
| Shared memory | - | - |
Video outputs and ports
Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.
| Display Connectors | No outputs | No outputs |
| Eyefinity | 1 | no data |
| eDP 1.2 signal support | no data | Up to 3840x2160 |
| LVDS signal support | no data | Up to 1920x1200 |
| VGA аnalog display support | no data | Up to 2048x1536 |
| DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) support | no data | Up to 3840x2160 |
| HDMI | no data | + |
| HDCP content protection | no data | + |
| 7.1 channel HD audio on HDMI | no data | + |
| TrueHD and DTS-HD audio bitstreaming | no data | + |
Technologies
Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.
| AppAcceleration | - | no data |
| Enduro | - | no data |
| FreeSync | 1 | no data |
| HD3D | + | no data |
| PowerTune | + | no data |
| DualGraphics | 1 | no data |
| TrueAudio | - | no data |
| ZeroCore | + | no data |
| Switchable graphics | 1 | no data |
| H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder | no data | + |
| Optimus | no data | + |
| Ansel | no data | + |
API support
List of supported graphics and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | DirectX® 12 | 12 (11_0) |
| Shader Model | 6.3 | 5.1 |
| OpenGL | 4.4 | 4.5 |
| OpenCL | Not Listed | 1.1 |
| Vulkan | no data | 1.1.126 |
| Mantle | + | no data |
| CUDA | no data | + |
Synthetic benchmark performance
Non-gaming benchmark performance comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.
Combined synthetic benchmark score
This is our combined benchmark performance score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.
GeForce GTX 850M outperforms Radeon R9 M385X by 26% based on our aggregated benchmark results.
Passmark
This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark, part of Passmark PerformanceTest suite. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.
Benchmark coverage: 25%
GeForce GTX 850M outperforms Radeon R9 M385X by 26% in Passmark.
3DMark Vantage Performance
3DMark Vantage is an outdated DirectX 10 benchmark using 1280x1024 screen resolution. It taxes the graphics card with two scenes, one depicting a girl escaping some militarized base located within a sea cave, the other displaying a space fleet attack on a defenseless planet. It was discontinued in April 2017, and Time Spy benchmark is now recommended to be used instead.
Benchmark coverage: 17%
GeForce GTX 850M outperforms Radeon R9 M385X by 27% in 3DMark Vantage Performance.
3DMark 11 Performance GPU
3DMark 11 is an obsolete DirectX 11 benchmark by Futuremark. It used four tests based on two scenes, one being few submarines exploring the submerged wreck of a sunken ship, the other is an abandoned temple deep in the jungle. All the tests are heavy with volumetric lighting and tessellation, and despite being done in 1280x720 resolution, are relatively taxing. Discontinued in January 2020, 3DMark 11 is now superseded by Time Spy.
Benchmark coverage: 17%
Radeon R9 M385X outperforms GeForce GTX 850M by 26% in 3DMark 11 Performance GPU.
3DMark Fire Strike Graphics
Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.
Benchmark coverage: 14%
Radeon R9 M385X outperforms GeForce GTX 850M by 10% in 3DMark Fire Strike Graphics.
3DMark Cloud Gate GPU
Cloud Gate is an outdated DirectX 11 feature level 10 benchmark that was used for home PCs and basic notebooks. It displays a few scenes of some weird space teleportation device launching spaceships into unknown, using fixed resolution of 1280x720. Just like Ice Storm benchmark, it has been discontinued in January 2020 and replaced by 3DMark Night Raid.
Benchmark coverage: 14%
Radeon R9 M385X outperforms GeForce GTX 850M by 3% in 3DMark Cloud Gate GPU.
Gaming performance
Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.
Average FPS across all PC games
Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:
| 900p | 65−70
−29.2%
| 84
+29.2%
|
| Full HD | 27
−18.5%
| 32
+18.5%
|
| 4K | 7−8
−42.9%
| 10
+42.9%
|
Performance in popular games
Full HD
Low Preset
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 9−10
−11.1%
|
10−11
+11.1%
|
Full HD
Medium Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 10−11
−30%
|
12−14
+30%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 5−6
−60%
|
8−9
+60%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 14−16
−40%
|
21−24
+40%
|
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 16−18
−18.8%
|
18−20
+18.8%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 9−10
−11.1%
|
10−11
+11.1%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 10−12
−36.4%
|
14−16
+36.4%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 10−12
−45.5%
|
16−18
+45.5%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 16−18
−29.4%
|
21−24
+29.4%
|
| Hitman 3 | 12−14
−25%
|
14−16
+25%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 10−11
−30%
|
12−14
+30%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 10−11
−20%
|
12−14
+20%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 12−14
−15.4%
|
14−16
+15.4%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 7−8
−42.9%
|
10−11
+42.9%
|
Full HD
High Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 10−11
−30%
|
12−14
+30%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 5−6
−60%
|
8−9
+60%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 14−16
−40%
|
21−24
+40%
|
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 16−18
−18.8%
|
18−20
+18.8%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 9−10
−11.1%
|
10−11
+11.1%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 10−12
−36.4%
|
14−16
+36.4%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 10−12
−45.5%
|
16−18
+45.5%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 16−18
−29.4%
|
21−24
+29.4%
|
| Hitman 3 | 12−14
−25%
|
14−16
+25%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 10−11
−30%
|
12−14
+30%
|
| Metro Exodus | 7−8
−28.6%
|
9−10
+28.6%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 10−11
−20%
|
12−14
+20%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 12−14
−15.4%
|
14−16
+15.4%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 22
+4.8%
|
21
−4.8%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 7−8
−42.9%
|
10−11
+42.9%
|
Full HD
Ultra Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 10−11
−30%
|
12−14
+30%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 5−6
−60%
|
8−9
+60%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 14−16
−40%
|
21−24
+40%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 9−10
−11.1%
|
10−11
+11.1%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 10−12
−36.4%
|
14−16
+36.4%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 10−12
−45.5%
|
16−18
+45.5%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 16−18
−29.4%
|
21−24
+29.4%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 10−12
+0%
|
11
+0%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 7−8
−42.9%
|
10−11
+42.9%
|
1440p
High Preset
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 8−9
−25%
|
10−11
+25%
|
| Hitman 3 | 9−10
−11.1%
|
10−11
+11.1%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 10−12
−18.2%
|
12−14
+18.2%
|
| Metro Exodus | 3−4
−66.7%
|
5−6
+66.7%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 3−4
−33.3%
|
4−5
+33.3%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 8−9
−12.5%
|
9−10
+12.5%
|
1440p
Ultra Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 3−4
−66.7%
|
5−6
+66.7%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 1−2
−500%
|
6−7
+500%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 2−3
−50%
|
3−4
+50%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 8−9
−25%
|
10−11
+25%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 5−6
−60%
|
8−9
+60%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 7−8
−42.9%
|
10−11
+42.9%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 5−6
−20%
|
6−7
+20%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 1−2
−100%
|
2−3
+100%
|
4K
High Preset
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 4−5
+0%
|
4−5
+0%
|
| Hitman 3 | 5−6
−20%
|
6−7
+20%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 8−9
+0%
|
8−9
+0%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 3−4
+0%
|
3−4
+0%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 1−2
−100%
|
2−3
+100%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 1−2
−200%
|
3−4
+200%
|
4K
Ultra Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 3−4
+0%
|
3−4
+0%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 2−3
−50%
|
3−4
+50%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 0−1 | 1−2 |
| Far Cry 5 | 5−6
−20%
|
6−7
+20%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 7−8
−14.3%
|
8−9
+14.3%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 4−5
−50%
|
6−7
+50%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 0−1 | 1−2 |
This is how R9 M385X and GTX 850M compete in popular games:
900p resolution:
- GTX 850M is 29.2% faster than R9 M385X
1080p resolution:
- GTX 850M is 18.5% faster than R9 M385X
4K resolution:
- GTX 850M is 42.9% faster than R9 M385X
Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:
- in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, with 1080p resolution and the High Preset, the R9 M385X is 4.8% faster than the GTX 850M.
- in Battlefield 5, with 1440p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the GTX 850M is 500% faster than the R9 M385X.
All in all, in popular games:
- R9 M385X is ahead in 1 test (2%)
- GTX 850M is ahead in 57 tests (90%)
- there's a draw in 5 tests (8%)
Advantages and disadvantages
| Performance score | 5.15 | 6.49 |
| Recency | 16 June 2015 | 12 March 2014 |
The GeForce GTX 850M is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon R9 M385X in performance tests.
Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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