FirePro RG220 vs Radeon R5 235

FirePro RG220

2013Core: 825 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon R5 235

2016Core: 780 MHzBoost: 1030 MHz
Similar parts
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FirePro RG220 vs Radeon R5 235 Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

FirePro RG220 vs Radeon R5 235: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

FirePro RG220

2013

Why buy it

  • Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2013 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 6.9 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $49 MSRP).
  • 400% higher power demand at 150W vs 30W.

Radeon R5 235

2016

Why buy it

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 6.9 vs 0 G3D/$ ($49 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 512 MB).
  • Draws 30W instead of 150W, a 120W reduction.
  • Measures 168mm instead of 170mm, a 2mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • 2016 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon R5 235 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 0.3% in PassMark G3D (336 vs 335), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
FirePro RG220 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon R5 235 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R5 235 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, FirePro RG220 has the stronger long-term case.

FirePro RG220 vs Radeon R5 235 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

AMD

FirePro RG220

The FirePro RG220 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in February 25 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 825 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 335 points. Launch price was $1,099.

AMD

Radeon R5 235

The Radeon R5 235 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 15 2016. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 780 MHz to 1030 MHz. It has 320 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 336 points.

Graphics Performance

The FirePro RG220 scores 335 and the Radeon R5 235 reaches 336 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FirePro RG220 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon R5 235 uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 768 (FirePro RG220) vs 320 (Radeon R5 235). Raw compute: 1.267 TFLOPS (FirePro RG220) vs 0.6592 TFLOPS (Radeon R5 235).

FeatureFirePro RG220Radeon R5 235
G3D Mark Score
335
336
Architecture
GCN 1.0
GCN 1.0
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
768+140%
320
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.267 TFLOPS+92%
0.6592 TFLOPS
ROPs
32+300%
8
TMUs
48+140%
20
L1 Cache
192 KB+140%
80 KB
L2 Cache
512 KB+300%
128 KB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureFirePro RG220Radeon R5 235
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The FirePro RG220 has 512 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon R5 235 carries 1 GB. Radeon R5 235 gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the FirePro RG220 and 128-bit on the Radeon R5 235. L2 Cache: 512 KB (FirePro RG220) vs 128 KB (Radeon R5 235) — the FirePro RG220 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureFirePro RG220Radeon R5 235
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
1 GB+100%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
128-bit+100%
L2 Cache
512 KB+300%
128 KB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10.1 (FirePro RG220) vs 11.2 (Radeon R5 235). Vulkan: N/A vs N/A. OpenGL: 3.3 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

FeatureFirePro RG220Radeon R5 235
DirectX
10.1
11.2+11%
Vulkan
N/A
N/A
OpenGL
3.3
4.4+33%
Max Displays
2
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (FirePro RG220) vs None (Radeon R5 235). Decoder: None vs UVD 3.1.

FeatureFirePro RG220Radeon R5 235
Encoder
None
None
Decoder
None
UVD 3.1
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4,MVC
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro RG220 draws 150W versus the Radeon R5 235's 30W — a 133.3% difference. The Radeon R5 235 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro RG220) vs 350W (Radeon R5 235). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 170mm vs 168mm, occupying 1 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: Unknown vs 75.

FeatureFirePro RG220Radeon R5 235
TDP
150W
30W-80%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
PCIe-powered
Length
170mm
168mm
Height
111mm
111mm
Slots
1
1
Temp (Load)
Unknown-100%
75
Perf/Watt
2.2
11.2+409%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro RG220 came in at $0, while the Radeon R5 235 launched at $49. On MSRP, FirePro RG220 was 100+% cheaper ($49 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): Infinity (FirePro RG220) vs 6.9 (Radeon R5 235) — the FirePro RG220 offers Infinity% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R5 235 (2016 vs 2013).

FeatureFirePro RG220Radeon R5 235
MSRP
$0-100%
$49
Performance per Dollar
Infinity
6.9
Codename
Pitcairn
Jet
Release
February 25 2013
May 15 2016
Ranking
#619
#922

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