GeForce 9600 GT vs Radeon HD 3870

Speed and memory

The GeForce 9600 GT and the Radeon HD 3870 are within a few percent of each other for gaming in our model, so you will not see a difference in play.

The GeForce 9600 GT has 1 GB of video memory and the Radeon HD 3870 has shared GB. That is a small difference and unlikely to decide anything.

In our estimates for popular games at 1080p on High, the biggest gap is in Cyberpunk 2077 (1 against 3 fps), and the smallest is in Grand Theft Auto V Legacy (10 against 14 fps). Games that are light enough to run above 200 fps on both cards show little difference at all.

Power and value

The GeForce 9600 GT is rated at 95 W and the Radeon HD 3870 at 106 W. With a mid-range processor that means a power supply of about 450 W for the first and 450 W for the second. The power draw is close enough that cooling and noise will be similar.

At launch the GeForce 9600 GT cost $99 and the Radeon HD 3870 $199. Per dollar, the GeForce 9600 GT gave more performance (0.7 points per $100 against 0.4). Current prices differ, so run the same sum on what you can actually buy today.

Which one to buy

Choose the GeForce 9600 GT if you want the faster card, and it also has at least as much memory. It makes the most sense at 1440p and above, or on a monitor with a high refresh rate.

Choose the Radeon HD 3870 if the price gap matters more than the small speed difference. Whichever you pick, check reviews for the games you play, because two cards with similar scores can differ in individual titles.