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AMD Radeon HD 8850M vs AMD Radeon HD 8830M

AMD Radeon HD 8850M

► remove from comparison AMD Radeon HD 8850M

The AMD Radeon HD 8850M is a 28nm DirectX 11 graphics card based on the GCN (Graphics Core Next) architecture. Built primarily for medium-sized laptops, the card is positioned in the performance category as of 2013. Compared to the similar Radeon HD 7850M, the 8850M offers slightly different clock speeds.

The design of the Radeon 8800M series has its roots to the Cape Verde chip as found, for example, on the desktop Radeon HD 7770 with 640 1D shader cores and 40 texture units. However the core clock of the 8850M is only 575-725 MHz (or up to 625-775 MHz with Boost) versus the 1000 MHz of the desktop HD 7770. As a result, general performance of the HD 8850M should be similar to the desktop HD 7750.

Equipped with GDDR5 memory, the HD 8850M competes with the Nvidia GTX 660M. The DDR3 version of the HD 8850M is expected to be a bit slower, although it could offer higher clock rates. Many games of 2013 can be played fluently in medium or high detail and resolution settings.

The 640 shader cores can be used with OpenCL 1.2 for general-purpose calculations.

Features of the 8850M include video decoding via UVD3 for decoding MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, VC-1, MPEG-2, and Flash directly from the AMD GPU. Multi-View Codec (MVC) and MPEG-4 part 2 (DivX, xVid) HD videos are now compatible as well.

The 8800M series also supports automatic graphics switching between the integrated GPU and discrete GPU. Called Enduro, the technology supersedes AMD's Dynamic Switchable Graphics and is similar to Nvidia's Optimus. Furthermore, the 8850M can directly support up to 6 connected monitors using Eyefinity Technology if Enduro is disabled.

Other features of the 8800M series include ZeroCore for reducing power consumption when the display is turned off and Power Gating to power down areas of the chip that are not used. PowerTune allows automatic overclocking and underclocking of the graphics card as long as the GPU is within its TDP limit. For example, the chip may be underclocked when running FurMark and OCCT, but will overclock in certain games like Lost Planet, Crysis or Resident Evil 5.

The integrated HD audio processor is able to transmit HD Audio (TrueHD or DTS Master Audio) over HDMI and DisplayPort (e.g., for Blu-Ray videos). Additionally, it now allows audio to output simultaneously and in parallel to multiple devices with the new Discrete Digital Multipoint Audio (DDMA) feature.

Power consumption of the 8850M should be below that of the 8870M, corresponding to the core clock. Therefore, the 8850M is suited for medium-sized laptops and DTRs.

AMD Radeon HD 8830M

► remove from comparison AMD Radeon HD 8830M

The AMD Radeon HD 8830M is a 28nm DirectX 11 graphics card based on the GCN (Graphics Core Next) architecture. Built primarily for medium-sized laptops, the card is positioned in the lower performance category as of 2013. Compared to the similar Radeon HD 7850M, the 8830M offers slightly reduced clock speeds and significantly slower DDR3 memory.

The design of the Radeon 8800M series has its roots to the Cape Verde chip as found, for example, on the desktop Radeon HD 7770 with 640 1D shader cores and 40 texture units. However, the core clock of the 8830M is only 575 MHz (Boost up to 625 MHz) versus the 1000 MHz of the HD 7770.

As a result of the low clock rate and the DDR3 memory, the 8830M is the slowest model of the 8800M series and competes with the GeForce GT 645M. Current and demanding games like Far Cry 3 should run fluently in medium resolutions and detail settings.

The 640 shaders can be used with OpenCL 1.2 for general-purpose calculations.

Features of the 8830M include video decoding via UVD3 for decoding MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, VC-1, MPEG-2, and Flash directly from the AMD GPU. Multi-View Codec (MVC) and MPEG-4 part 2 (DivX, xVid) HD videos are now compatible as well.

The 8800M series also supports automatic graphics switching between the integrated GPU and discrete GPU. Called Enduro, the technology supersedes AMD's Dynamic Switchable Graphics and is similar to Nvidia's Optimus. Furthermore, the 8830M can directly support up to 6 connected monitors using Eyefinity Technology if Enduro is disabled.

Other features of the 8800M series include ZeroCore for reducing power consumption when the display is turned off and Power Gating to power down areas of the chip that are not used. PowerTune allows automatic overclocking and underclocking of the graphics card as long as the GPU is within its TDP limit. For example, the chip may be underclocked when running FurMark and OCCT, but will overclock in certain games like Lost Planet, Crysis or Resident Evil 5.

The integrated HD audio processor is able to transmit HD Audio (TrueHD or DTS Master Audio) over HDMI and DisplayPort (e.g., for Blu-Ray videos). Additionally, it now allows audio to output simultaneously and in parallel to multiple devices with the new Discrete Digital Multipoint Audio (DDMA) feature.

Power consumption of the 8830M should be suited for laptops 15-inch or greater.

AMD Radeon HD 8850MAMD Radeon HD 8830M
Radeon HD 8800M Series
Radeon HD 8870M compare 640 @ 0.73 GHz128 Bit @ 4500 MHz
Radeon HD 8850M 640 @ 0.58 - 0.73 GHz128 Bit @ 4500 MHz
Radeon HD 8830M 640 @ 0.58 GHz128 Bit @ 2000 MHz
Radeon HD 8870M compare 640 @ 0.73 GHz128 Bit @ 4500 MHz
Radeon HD 8850M 640 @ 0.58 - 0.73 GHz128 Bit @ 4500 MHz
Radeon HD 8830M 640 @ 0.58 GHz128 Bit @ 2000 MHz
ArchitectureGCNGCN
Pipelines640 - unified640 - unified
Core Speed575 - 725 (Boost) MHz575 MHz
Memory Speed4500 MHz2000 MHz
Memory Bus Width128 Bit128 Bit
Memory TypeGDDR5, DDR3DDR3
Max. Amount of Memory2048 MB2048 MB
Shared Memorynono
APIDirectX 11.1, Shader 5.1, OpenGL 4.1DirectX 11.1, Shader 5.1, OpenGL 4.1
Transistors1.5 Billion1.5 Billion
technology28 nm28 nm
FeaturesOpenCL 1.2OpenCL 1.2
Notebook Sizelargemedium sized
Date of Announcement18.12.2012 18.12.2012

Benchmarks

Performance Rating - 3DMark 11 + Fire Strike + Time Spy - Radeon HD 8850M
0.8 pt (3%)
3DMark - 3DMark Cloud Gate Score
min: 5537     avg: 6313     median: 6278 (7%)     max: 7124 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics
min: 11312     avg: 11826     median: 11387 (3%)     max: 12780 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Fire Strike Standard Score
min: 1683     avg: 1694     median: 1693 (3%)     max: 1707 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics
min: 1828     avg: 1846     median: 1845 (2%)     max: 1864 Points
3DMark - 3DMark Ice Storm Graphics
min: 43556     avg: 54921     median: 44037 (5%)     max: 77170 Points
3DMark 11 - 3DM11 Performance Score
min: 2444     avg: 2513     median: 2507 (3%)     max: 2589 Points
3DMark 11 - 3DM11 Performance GPU
min: 2340     avg: 2381     median: 2349 (2%)     max: 2453 Points
3DMark Vantage
3DM Vant. Perf. total + AMD Radeon HD 8850M
3DMark Vantage - 3DM Vant. Perf. total
min: 7809     avg: 8223     median: 8222.5 (2%)     max: 8636 Points
3DM Vant. Perf. GPU no PhysX + AMD Radeon HD 8850M
3DMark Vantage - 3DM Vant. Perf. GPU no PhysX
min: 8370     avg: 8538     median: 8538 (5%)     max: 8706 Points
3DMark 06 3DMark 06 - Standard 1280x1024 + AMD Radeon HD 8850M
3DMark 06
min: 8105     avg: 10282     median: 10281.5 (13%)     max: 12458 Points
SPECviewperf 11
specvp11 snx-01 + AMD Radeon HD 8850M
SPECviewperf 11 - specvp11 snx-01
9.3 fps (6%)
specvp11 tcvis-02 + AMD Radeon HD 8850M
SPECviewperf 11 - specvp11 tcvis-02
3.1 fps (2%)
specvp11 sw-02 + AMD Radeon HD 8850M
SPECviewperf 11 - specvp11 sw-02
13.3 fps (10%)
specvp11 proe-05 + AMD Radeon HD 8850M
SPECviewperf 11 - specvp11 proe-05
3.2 fps (4%)
specvp11 maya-03 + AMD Radeon HD 8850M
SPECviewperf 11 - specvp11 maya-03
6.6 fps (5%)
specvp11 lightwave-01 + AMD Radeon HD 8850M
SPECviewperf 11 - specvp11 lightwave-01
15.3 fps (16%)
specvp11 ensight-04 + AMD Radeon HD 8850M
SPECviewperf 11 - specvp11 ensight-04
20 fps (10%)
specvp11 catia-03 + AMD Radeon HD 8850M
SPECviewperf 11 - specvp11 catia-03
5.6 fps (3%)
Windows 7 Experience Index - Win7 Gaming graphics
6.4 Points (81%)
Windows 7 Experience Index - Win7 Graphics
6.4 Points (81%)
Cinebench R10 Cinebench R10 Shading (32bit) + AMD Radeon HD 8850M
Cinebench R10 - Cinebench R10 Shading (32bit)
min: 6106     avg: 6715     median: 6957 (5%)     max: 7082 Points
Cinebench R11.5 Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64 Bit + AMD Radeon HD 8850M
Cinebench R11.5 - Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64 Bit
min: 43.3     avg: 48.5     median: 45.1 (16%)     max: 57.2 fps
Cinebench R15
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit + AMD Radeon HD 8850M
Cinebench R15 - Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit
46.9 fps (3%)
Cinebench R15 OpenGL Ref. Match 64 Bit + AMD Radeon HD 8850M
Cinebench R15 - Cinebench R15 OpenGL Ref. Match 64 Bit
98 % (98%)

Average Benchmarks AMD Radeon HD 8850M → 0% n=

- Range of benchmark values for this graphics card
- Average benchmark values for this graphics card
* Smaller numbers mean a higher performance
1 This benchmark is not used for the average calculation

Game Benchmarks

The following benchmarks stem from our benchmarks of review laptops. The performance depends on the used graphics memory, clock rate, processor, system settings, drivers, and operating systems. So the results don't have to be representative for all laptops with this GPU. For detailed information on the benchmark results, click on the fps number.

low 1024x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
44.4  fps
med. 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
33.4  fps
high 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
27.9  fps
ultra 1920x1080
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
17.2  fps
Titanfall

Titanfall

2014
low 1024x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
60  fps
med. 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
49.9  fps
high 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
38.7  fps
ultra 1920x1080
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
24.9  fps
Thief

Thief

2014
low 1024x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
27.1  fps
med. 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
22.5  fps
high 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
19.7  fps
ultra 1920x1080
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
11.5  fps
low 1024x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
56.4  fps
med. 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
27.2  fps
high 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
13.5  fps
ultra 1920x1080
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
11.7  fps
low 1024x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
35.1  fps
med. 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
33.2  fps
high 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
16.9  fps
med. 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
40.7  fps
high 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
30.6  fps
med. 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
62.6  fps
high 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
51  fps
ultra 1920x1080
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
16.8  fps
low 1280x720
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
33.9  fps
med. 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
26.8  fps
high 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
21.6  fps
ultra 1920x1080
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
17.8  fps
med. 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
39.8  fps
high 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
27.8  fps
ultra 1920x1080
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
20.8  fps
med. 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
37.1  fps
high 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
24.4  fps
Dota 2

Dota 2

2013
low 1024x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
78.7 144.3 ~ 112 fps
med. 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
50.6 55.5 96.9 ~ 68 fps
ultra 1920x1080
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
39.2 41.7 ~ 40 fps
low 1024x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
31.8  fps
med. 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
28.8  fps
high 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
17.9  fps
GRID 2

GRID 2

2013
med. 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
52.9  fps
high 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
45.9  fps
ultra 1920x1080
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
14.7  fps
low 1024x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
31.7 32.4 ~ 32 fps
med. 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
25.3 29.6 ~ 27 fps
high 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
20 21.5 ~ 21 fps
ultra 1920x1080
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
11.9  fps
low 1280x720
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
76.6 99.2 ~ 88 fps
med. 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
55.3 55.9 ~ 56 fps
high 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
44.3 48.2 ~ 46 fps
ultra 1920x1080
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
16.9 16.9 ~ 17 fps
med. 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
89.2  fps
high 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
64.5  fps
ultra 1920x1080
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
21.3  fps
SimCity

SimCity

2013
low 1024x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
64  fps
med. 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
35.7  fps
high 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
26.9  fps
ultra 1920x1080
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
13.5  fps
med. 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
67.2  fps
high 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
47.9  fps
ultra 1920x1080
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
21.8  fps
Crysis 3

Crysis 3

2013
low 1024x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
44.5  fps
med. 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
28.8  fps
med. 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
84.8  fps
high 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
66.9  fps
ultra 1920x1080
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
42  fps
low 1024x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
21.4  fps
med. 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
18.5  fps
low 1024x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
70.6  fps
med. 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
59.5  fps
high 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
46.9  fps
ultra 1920x1080
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
27.8  fps
high 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
42.2  fps
ultra 1920x1080
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
17.5  fps
low 1024x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
59.3  fps
med. 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
53.2  fps
high 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
51  fps
ultra 1920x1080
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
42.6  fps
high 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
101.9  fps
ultra 1920x1080
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
78.1  fps
med. 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
47.3 63.5 ~ 55 fps
high 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
35.9 36.6 ~ 36 fps
low 1024x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
70  fps
med. 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
46.7  fps
high 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
31.9  fps
low 1024x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
111.6  fps
med. 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
77 77.3 ~ 77 fps
high 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
66.2 68.6 ~ 67 fps
ultra 1920x1080
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
43.1 44.4 ~ 44 fps
Anno 2070

Anno 2070

2011
low 1024x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
128.9 142.9 ~ 136 fps
med. 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
59.6 74.5 ~ 67 fps
high 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
43.5 45 51.7 ~ 47 fps
ultra 1920x1080
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
20.7 20.8 ~ 21 fps
med. 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
48.8  fps
high 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
37.5  fps
ultra 1920x1080
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
23.6  fps
med. 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
40.2  fps
high 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
36.9  fps
ultra 1920x1080
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
16.4  fps
high 1366x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
75.1  fps
ultra 1920x1080
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
32.6  fps
low 800x600
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
123.5  fps
med. 1360x768
100%
Radeon HD 8850M:
87  fps

Average Gaming AMD Radeon HD 8850M → 100%

Average Gaming 30-70 fps → 100%

AMD Radeon HD 8850Mlowmed.highultraQHD4K
The Elder Scrolls Online44.433.427.917.2
Titanfall6049.938.724.9
Thief27.122.519.711.5
X-Plane 10.2556.427.213.511.7
Call of Duty: Ghosts35.133.216.9
Battlefield 440.730.6
Total War: Rome II62.65116.8
Saints Row IV33.926.821.617.8
The Bureau: XCOM Declassified39.827.820.8
Splinter Cell: Blacklist37.124.4
Dota 21126840
Company of Heroes 231.828.817.9
GRID 252.945.914.7
Metro: Last Light32272111.9
BioShock Infinite88564617
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm89.264.521.3
SimCity6435.726.913.5
Tomb Raider67.247.921.8
Crysis 344.528.8
Dead Space 384.866.942
Hitman: Absolution21.418.5
Call of Duty: Black Ops 270.659.546.927.8
Medal of Honor: Warfighter42.217.5
Dishonored59.353.25142.6
Counter-Strike: GO101.978.1
Sleeping Dogs5536
Dirt Showdown7046.731.9
Diablo III111.6776744
Anno 2070136674721
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim48.837.523.6
Battlefield 340.236.916.4
Deus Ex Human Revolution75.132.6
Metro 2033123.587
< 30 fps
< 60 fps
< 120 fps
≥ 120 fps
2
8
7
2
7
15
8
10
14
5
18
5
1






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v1.26
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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Benchmarks / Tech > Graphics Card Comparison - Head 2 Head
Redaktion, 2017-09- 8 (Update: 2023-07- 1)