Radeon HD 6850 vs Radeon R9 M385X

When comparing Radeon HD 6850 and Radeon R9 M385X, 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 Radeon HD 6850 and Radeon R9 M385X is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

Radeon R9 M385X is a Laptop Graphics Card

Note: Radeon R9 M385X 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 Radeon R9 M385X here:

Main Specs

  Radeon HD 6850 Radeon R9 M385X
Power consumption (TDP) 127 Watt
Interface PCIe 2.0 x16 PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors 1x 6-pin
Memory type GDDR5 GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 1 GB 4 GB
Display Connectors 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort No outputs
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  • Radeon HD 6850 is connected by PCIe 2.0 x16, and Radeon R9 M385X uses PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.
  • Radeon R9 M385X has 3 GB more memory, than Radeon HD 6850.
  • Radeon HD 6850 is used in Desktops, and Radeon R9 M385X - in Laptops.
  • Radeon HD 6850 is build with TeraScale 2 architecture, and Radeon R9 M385X - with GCN.
  • Radeon HD 6850 is manufactured by 40 nm process technology, and Radeon R9 M385X - by 28 nm process technology.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 9−10 8−9
ultra / 1080p 5−6 5−6
QHD / 1440p 0−1 0−1
low / 720p 21−24 18−20
medium / 1080p 12−14 10−11
The average gaming FPS of Radeon HD 6850 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 20% more, than Radeon R9 M385X.

Full Specs

  Radeon HD 6850 Radeon R9 M385X
Architecture TeraScale 2 GCN
Code name Barts Strato-XT-M3
Type Desktop Laptop
Release date 21 October 2010 16 June 2015
Pipelines 960 896
Core clock speed 1100 MHz
Boost Clock 1100 MHz
Transistor count 1,700 million 2,080 million
Manufacturing process technology 40 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 37.20 61.60
Floating-point performance 1,488.0 gflops 1,971 gflops
Length 198 mm
Memory bus width 256 Bit 128 Bit
Memory clock speed 1500 MHz
Memory bandwidth 128.0 GB/s 76.8 GB/s
Shared memory -
Shader Model 5.0 6.3
OpenGL 4.4 4.4
OpenCL 1.2 Not Listed
FreeSync +
Bus support AGP PCIe 3.0
Bitcoin / BTC (SHA256) 139 Mh/s
Laptop size large
Eyefinity + +
HD3D +
PowerTune +
DualGraphics +
ZeroCore +
Switchable graphics +
Mantle +
Design reference
CrossFire +
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