AMD Radeon HD 6850 X2 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti and the AMD Radeon HD 6850 X2 represent two very different eras of GPU design. The data shows a clear overall winner in the GTX 1050 Ti, which holds an average benchmark score of 4193 against the HD 6850 X2's 3977. However, the older card retains specific architectural traits that matter in legacy contexts. The GTX 1050 Ti is the default choice for modern workloads, while the HD 6850 X2 is only relevant for systems constrained to its era's software and connectivity.

The Verdict

The benchmark results are unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is the superior card for nearly all purposes. Its average benchmark score of 4193 places it 5.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon HD 6850 X2's 3977. This lead is driven by a massive 355.8% advantage in the Geekbench OpenCL test, where the GTX 1050 Ti scores 18129 versus 3977. The GTX 1050 Ti also sits at the 25th percentile of all GPUs, versus the HD 6850 X2's 24th percentile, confirming its higher standing in the overall performance distribution.

For anyone building or upgrading a system today, the GTX 1050 Ti is the only rational pick. It offers modern API support, a lower power draw, and a decisive compute performance lead. The HD 6850 X2 is not competitive in any modern benchmark category. Its only potential appeal is for retro system builders who specifically need a dual-GPU card from the Northern Islands generation and cannot use newer hardware due to driver or software constraints. The data does not support choosing the HD 6850 X2 for any performance-driven reason.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on fundamentally different architectures, separated by five years of GPU evolution. The GTX 1050 Ti uses the Pascal architecture on a 14 nm process from Samsung, packing 3,300 million transistors into a 132 mm² die. This yields a transistor density of 25.0M per mm². In contrast, the HD 6850 X2 uses AMD's TeraScale 2 architecture on a 40 nm TSMC process, with 1,700 million transistors spread across a 255 mm² die, giving a density of just 6.7M per mm². The newer process node explains why the GTX 1050 Ti can fit nearly twice the transistors into half the die area.

The memory configurations differ significantly. The GTX 1050 Ti features 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 112.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The HD 6850 X2 has 2 GB of GDDR5 on a wider 256-bit bus, achieving 134.4 GB/s. Although the older card has higher raw bandwidth, its smaller capacity and older memory controller limit its practical performance. The GTX 1050 Ti also runs its memory at 1752 MHz (7 Gbps effective), while the HD 6850 X2's memory runs at 1050 MHz (4.2 Gbps effective).

The compute headers show a clear generational shift. The GTX 1050 Ti has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, while the HD 6850 X2 has 960 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Despite having fewer shading units, the GTX 1050 Ti achieves higher throughput: 2.138 TFLOPS FP32 versus 1.536 TFLOPS, and a pixel rate of 44.54 GPixel/s versus 25.60 GPixel/s. The GTX 1050 Ti also supports FP16 at 33.41 GFLOPS (1:64), while the HD 6850 X2 has no FP16 capability listed.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

Only one benchmark test directly compares both cards: Geekbench OpenCL. The results are lopsided. The GTX 1050 Ti scores 18129, while the HD 6850 X2 scores 3977, giving the NVIDIA card a 355.8% advantage. This is not a marginal win but a complete blowout in general-purpose compute. The GTX 1050 Ti's Pascal architecture, with its higher clock efficiency and FP32 throughput, simply overwhelms the older TeraScale 2 design.

The GTX 1050 Ti's other benchmark scores provide context for its overall standing. It achieves 6340 in Passmark G3D, 2652 in Passmark GPU Compute, and 104 in Passmark DirectX 9. In contrast, the HD 6850 X2 has no scores for these tests in the data, making the OpenCL result the only direct comparison. The GTX 1050 Ti also posts 305 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 7834 in Geekbench Metal, and 10001 in Geekbench Vulkan, none of which the HD 6850 X2 can run due to its lack of modern API support.

The deltaPct values from their nearest rivals reinforce the gap. The GTX 1050 Ti's closest competitor is the AMD Radeon R5 M330, which scores 4170 (0.6% lower). The HD 6850 X2's nearest rival is the NVIDIA Quadro K2000, scoring 3964 (0.3% lower). Both cards are near the bottom of the performance spectrum, but the GTX 1050 Ti is consistently ranked above its immediate rivals, while the HD 6850 X2 is just barely below its nearest match.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti has an average benchmark score of 4193, while the AMD Radeon HD 6850 X2 scores 3977. The GTX 1050 Ti leads by 216 points, or approximately 5.4%.

Q: How large is the performance gap in the only shared benchmark?

A: In Geekbench OpenCL, the GTX 1050 Ti scores 18129 versus 3977, a 355.8% advantage. This single test accounts for the entire performance difference between the two cards.

Q: Do both cards support the same modern APIs?

A: No. The GTX 1050 Ti supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The HD 6850 X2 supports DirectX 11.2 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.4, but has no Vulkan support listed.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The GTX 1050 Ti has a TDP of 75 W and requires no power connectors, with a suggested PSU of 250 W. The HD 6850 X2 has a TDP of 254 W, requires two 8-pin connectors, and needs a 600 W suggested PSU.

Q: Which card has more memory bandwidth?

A: The HD 6850 X2 has higher bandwidth at 134.4 GB/s due to its 256-bit bus, compared to the GTX 1050 Ti's 112.1 GB/s over a 128-bit bus. However, the GTX 1050 Ti has double the memory capacity at 4 GB versus 2 GB.

Q: What are their process nodes and transistor counts?

A: The GTX 1050 Ti is built on a 14 nm Samsung process with 3,300 million transistors. The HD 6850 X2 uses a 40 nm TSMC process with 1,700 million transistors.

Where Each One Wins

The GTX 1050 Ti wins everywhere that matters. It dominates in compute performance, as shown by the 355.8% lead in Geekbench OpenCL. Its modern API support (DirectX 12, Vulkan 1.4) makes it usable for current games and applications, while the HD 6850 X2 is limited to DirectX 11.2 and OpenGL 4.4. The GTX 1050 Ti also has a massive efficiency advantage, drawing 75 W versus 254 W, which means it requires no external power connectors and a 250 W PSU, versus two 8-pin connectors and a 600 W PSU for the older card.

The HD 6850 X2's only technical wins are in memory bandwidth (134.4 GB/s versus 112.1 GB/s) and shading unit count (960 versus 768). These specs do not translate into any benchmark victory. The card's 2 GB memory capacity is half of the GTX 1050 Ti's 4 GB, and its 25.60 GPixel/s pixel rate is far below the 44.54 GPixel/s of the newer card. For any real-world workload, the GTX 1050 Ti is the clear winner.

Use the GTX 1050 Ti for modern gaming, compute tasks, or any system where power efficiency and API compatibility matter. The HD 6850 X2 is only worth considering for a period-specific build from 2011, where its PCIe 2.0 interface and older display outputs (2x DVI, HDMI 1.3a, DisplayPort 1.1) match the hardware of that era. Even then, the data shows it is outperformed by the GTX 1050 Ti in every measurable way.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every specification category. The GTX 1050 Ti uses a 14 nm process with a 132 mm² die and 3,300 million transistors, while the HD 6850 X2 uses a 40 nm process with a 255 mm² die and 1,700 million transistors. The GTX 1050 Ti has 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, versus 960 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 32 ROPs for the HD 6850 X2. The GTX 1050 Ti's FP32 performance is 2.138 TFLOPS, compared to 1.536 TFLOPS for the HD 6850 X2.

Memory is another differentiator: the GTX 1050 Ti has 4 GB GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus at 112.1 GB/s, while the HD 6850 X2 has 2 GB GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus at 134.4 GB/s. The GTX 1050 Ti's memory clock is 1752 MHz (7 Gbps effective), versus 1050 MHz (4.2 Gbps effective) for the HD 6850 X2. The power profile is starkly different: 75 W TDP with no power connectors and a 250 W PSU for the GTX 1050 Ti, versus 254 W with two 8-pin connectors and a 600 W PSU for the HD 6850 X2.

Connectivity and API support also diverge. The GTX 1050 Ti uses PCIe 3.0 x16, supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, and outputs via 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 1x DisplayPort 1.4a. The HD 6850 X2 uses PCIe 2.0 x16, supports DirectX 11.2 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.4, lacks Vulkan, and outputs via 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.3a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.1. The GTX 1050 Ti is also physically smaller at 145 mm (5.7 inches) long and 111 mm (4.4 inches) high, while the HD 6850 X2 has no listed dimensions. The GTX 1050 Ti launched with an MSRP of 139 USD; the HD 6850 X2 has no MSRP data.