AMD Radeon R5 230 vs AMD Radeon HD 4850

The AMD Radeon HD 4850 is the faster card by roughly 100%. Here is how the two compare across every spec that matters for gaming.

AMD Radeon HD 4850 wins — about 100% faster in gaming workloads
Specification AMD Radeon R5 230 AMD Radeon HD 4850
Performance score 1/100 2/100
Tier F F
VRAM 1 GB 1 GB
Power draw (TDP) 20 W 110 W
Launch MSRP $45 $199
Performance per $100 2.2 1.0
Release year 2014 2008
DLSS — No — No
FSR ✓ Yes ✓ Yes
XeSS — No — No
Ray tracing — No — No

Which should you buy?

The AMD Radeon HD 4850 is the stronger performer of the two, and it is the default choice if raw frame rate is what you care about. The AMD Radeon R5 230 draws 90W less, so it is easier on your power supply and case cooling — check the PSU calculator before committing. On launch pricing, the AMD Radeon R5 230 offers better performance per dollar.