GeForce GTX 965M vs Radeon HD 7850

When comparing GeForce GTX 965M and Radeon HD 7850, we look primarily at benchmarks and game tests. But it is not only about the numbers. Often you can find third-party models with higher clock speeds, better cooling, or a customizable RGB lighting. Not all of them will have all the features you need. Another thing to consider is the port selection. Most graphics cards have at least one DisplayPort and HDMI interface, but some monitors require DVI. Before you buy, check the TDP of the graphics card - this characteristic will help you estimate the consumption of the graphics card. You may even have to upgrade your PSU to meet its requirements. An important factor when choosing between GeForce GTX 965M and Radeon HD 7850 is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

GeForce GTX 965M is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: GeForce GTX 965M is only used in laptop graphics. It has lower GPU clock speed compared to the desktop variant, which results in lower power consumption, but also 10-30% lower gaming performance. Check available laptop models with GeForce GTX 965M here:

Main Specs

  GeForce GTX 965M Radeon HD 7850
Power consumption (TDP) 225 Watt
Interface MXM-B (3.0) PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors None 1x 6-pin
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 4 GB 2 GB
Display Connectors No outputs 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort
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  • GeForce GTX 965M is connected by MXM-B (3.0), and Radeon HD 7850 uses PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.
  • GeForce GTX 965M has 2 GB more memory, than Radeon HD 7850.
  • GeForce GTX 965M is used in Laptops, and Radeon HD 7850 - in Desktops.
  • GeForce GTX 965M is build with Maxwell architecture, and Radeon HD 7850 - with GCN 1.0.
  • GeForce GTX 965M and Radeon HD 7850 are manufactured by 28 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of GeForce GTX 965M is 1300 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 7850.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 20−22 18−20
ultra / 1080p 12−14 10−12
QHD / 1440p 6−7 5−6
4K / 2160p 5−6 4−5
low / 720p 35−40 35−40
medium / 1080p 24−27 24−27
The average gaming FPS of GeForce GTX 965M in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 5% more, than Radeon HD 7850.

Full Specs

  GeForce GTX 965M Radeon HD 7850
Architecture Maxwell GCN 1.0
Code name N16E-GS, N16E-GR Pitcairn
Type Laptop Desktop
Release date 5 January 2015 5 March 2012
Pipelines 1024 1024
Core clock speed 944 MHz
Boost Clock 950 / 1151 MHz 1000 MHz
Transistor count 2,940 million 2,800 million
Manufacturing process technology 28 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 73.60 55.04
Floating-point performance 2,355 gflops 1,761 gflops
Length 210 mm
Memory bus width 128 Bit 256 Bit
Memory clock speed 2500 MHz 1200 MHz
Memory bandwidth 80 GB/s 153.6 GB/s
Shared memory -
G-SYNC support +
DirectX 12 (12_1)
Shader Model 6.4 5.1
OpenGL 4.5 4.6
OpenCL 1.1 1.2
Vulkan 1.1
CUDA +
FreeSync +
CUDA cores 1024
Bus support PCI Express 3.0 PCIe 2.1 x16
SLI options +
HDMI + +
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 226 Mh/s 249 Mh/s
Laptop size large
DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) support +
H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder +
Optimus +
Eyefinity +
Design reference
CrossFire +
Ethereum / ETH (DaggerHashimoto) 12.5 Mh/s
GameStream +
GeForce ShadowPlay +
GPU Boost 2.0
GameWorks +
BatteryBoost +
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