ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3850

The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3850 is an end-of-life mobile GPU from AMD, built on the TeraScale architecture with the M88 chip. It was released on June 3, 2008, and holds a 50th percentile placement among all GPUs in the database. The part uses a 55 nm TSMC process with 666 million transistors on a 192 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 3.5M/mm². Its memory subsystem pairs 512 MB of GDDR3 with a 256-bit bus for 48.00 GB/s of bandwidth, and the chip is rated at a 35 W TDP. The database records no synthetic benchmark scores and no nearest-rival entries, so this analysis relies on the theoretical throughput figures and architectural data provided.

Benchmark Performance

The FACT PACK contains an empty benchmarks array and an average benchmark score of 0, meaning no measured performance results are stored for this GPU. Consequently, the only performance indicators available are the theoretical fill rates and compute throughput figures. The pixel rate is 9.280 GPixel/s, the texture rate is 9.280 GTexel/s, and FP32 compute is 371.2 GFLOPS. These numbers derive directly from the hardware configuration: 320 shading units, 16 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 16 raster operation units (ROPs). Because the ROP and TMU counts are both 16, the pixel and texture rates are identical — a direct consequence of the same clock being applied to both units.

The FP32 figure of 371.2 GFLOPS represents the aggregate output of the 320 shading units at the chip's operating frequency. This is a modest compute throughput by modern standards, but in the context of a 2008 mobile part, it reflects the TeraScale architecture's design priorities. The memory clock is listed at 750 MHz with an effective data rate of 1500 Mbps; the doubling is characteristic of double data rate (DDR) signaling on the GDDR3 memory. The 256-bit bus width, combined with the 1500 Mbps effective rate, produces 48.00 GB/s of bandwidth. This bandwidth is the single most important performance limiter for the chip, as the shading units can only operate as fast as the memory can feed them.

The 50th percentile placement is the only comparative data point available. It indicates that this GPU sits exactly at the median of the database's tracked GPUs — half of all recorded parts score higher and half score lower. However, because the benchmarks array is empty and the average score is 0, this percentile is a static classification rather than a measured result. Without nearest-rival entries, no delta percentages can be computed, and no specific competitor can be named as faster or slower. The theoretical throughput figures suggest a part that is balanced between fill-rate and compute capabilities, but the absence of actual benchmark data prevents any definitive performance ranking.

Power and Cooling

The TDP is listed as 35 W, which is the only power-related number in the FACT PACK. This is a relatively low thermal envelope for a GPU with 320 shading units and a 256-bit memory bus, reflecting the mobile design intent. The database provides no suggested PSU rating, no power connector specifications, and no slot width information. This absence is notable: desktop graphics cards typically list a recommended power supply and connector requirements, but this mobile part omits them entirely. The display outputs are described as "Portable Device Dependent," meaning the laptop manufacturer determines the physical output configuration, which also implies that the cooling solution is integrated into the host system's chassis rather than being a standalone component.

Because no power connector data exists, it is not possible to state whether the card draws power from the motherboard slot alone or requires an auxiliary connector. The 35 W TDP is the sole power figure, and it sets expectations for thermal management. A 35 W part can typically be cooled by a small fan or passive solution within a laptop chassis, but the FACT PACK does not specify any cooler dimensions or type. The lack of a suggested PSU is consistent with a mobile GPU, where the system's power delivery is fixed by the laptop design rather than user-configurable. The 55 nm process node and 666 million transistor count are the only other factors that inform power behavior — smaller processes generally reduce leakage, but no additional power figures are provided.

How It Compares

The FACT PACK lists no nearest rivals, so no direct competitor comparisons can be made using names, scores, or delta percentages. The only positioning data available is the 50th percentile placement and the generation lineage. The GPU belongs to the M8x generation, specifically the Mobility HD 3800 series, with the M7x generation as its predecessor and the M9x as its successor. These are generation labels rather than specific GPU names, so no architectural details or performance figures for those generations are provided in the pack.

Without rival entries, the comparative analysis is limited to the percentile. A 50th percentile placement means this GPU is exactly average within the database's tracked population. It is neither a high-end part nor a low-end one — it occupies the middle of the distribution. The absence of nearestRivals data means there is no way to say, for example, that this GPU is 30% faster than a specific competitor or 20% slower than another. The theoretical throughput numbers (9.280 GPixel/s, 9.280 GTexel/s, 371.2 GFLOPS) could be compared to hypothetical rivals, but the FACT PACK does not contain such figures. Therefore, the only defensible comparative statement is the percentile and the generation placement.

FAQ

Q: What is the memory configuration of the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3850?

A: The GPU has 512 MB of GDDR3 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 48.00 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock is 750 MHz with an effective data rate of 1500 Mbps.

Q: What API versions does this GPU support?

A: It supports DirectX 10.1 (specifically the 10_1 feature level) and OpenGL 3.3. The Vulkan field is null, indicating no Vulkan support.

Q: When was this GPU released?

A: The release date is June 3, 2008. The production status is listed as end-of-life.

Q: What is the TDP of this part?

A: The TDP is 35 W. No suggested PSU or power connector specifications are provided in the database.

Q: Does this GPU support ray tracing or tensor cores?

A: No. The RT cores and tensor cores fields are both null, meaning no ray tracing or tensor acceleration hardware is present.

Q: What process node is used?

A: The chip is fabricated on a 55 nm process at TSMC, with 666 million transistors on a 192 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 3.5M/mm².

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

The FACT PACK explicitly lists null values for RT cores and tensor cores, confirming that the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3850 has no dedicated ray tracing hardware and no tensor acceleration units. This is consistent with its 2008 release date, predating the introduction of such features in consumer GPUs. The architecture is TeraScale, which is AMD's unified shader architecture that treats all shading units as a single pool — the 320 shading units are not partitioned into separate vertex and pixel shader arrays.

The API support is limited to DirectX 10.1 (10_1 feature level) and OpenGL 3.3. The DirectX 10.1 specification adds features like improved shader model 4.1 and better antialiasing capabilities, but it does not include any ray tracing or mesh shader functionality. Vulkan is null, meaning the GPU does not expose a Vulkan driver in the database. The absence of Vulkan is expected for a 2008 part, as the Vulkan API was not released until 2016.

The feature set is otherwise defined by the fixed-function units: 16 TMUs handle texture filtering, and 16 ROPs handle pixel output. The pixel rate of 9.280 GPixel/s and texture rate of 9.280 GTexel/s are the maximum throughputs for these units. The FP32 compute of 371.2 GFLOPS is the ceiling for general-purpose shader work. The display outputs are "Portable Device Dependent," meaning the actual video connectors (e.g., HDMI, DisplayPort, VGA) are determined by the laptop manufacturer, not the GPU reference design. The bus interface is PCIe 2.0 x16, which provides the connection to the host system. No tensor or RT functionality exists, so any workload requiring those features would need to fall back to the shader units, which lack dedicated acceleration paths.