Radeon R5 230 vs GeForce 8600 GT

Speed and memory

In our performance index the Radeon R5 230 scores 0.4 and the GeForce 8600 GT scores 0.3, which makes the Radeon R5 230 about 33% faster. That is a gap you will notice: roughly one step up in quality setting, or the difference between 60 and 80 fps.

The Radeon R5 230 has 1 GB of video memory and the GeForce 8600 GT 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 Red Dead Redemption 2 (1 against 2 fps), and the smallest is in Grand Theft Auto V Legacy (6 against 7 fps). Games that are light enough to run above 200 fps on both cards show little difference at all.

Power and value

The Radeon R5 230 is rated at 19 W and the GeForce 8600 GT at 43 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 Radeon R5 230 cost $49 and the GeForce 8600 GT $149. Per dollar, the Radeon R5 230 gave more performance (0.8 points per $100 against 0.2). Current prices differ, so run the same sum on what you can actually buy today.

Which one to buy

Choose the Radeon R5 230 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 GeForce 8600 GT if the price gap matters more than the 33% speed difference. Whichever you pick, check reviews for the games you play, because two cards with similar scores can differ in individual titles.