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FirePro V3800 vs GeForce GT 520

CPUCPUGPUGPU

FirePro V3800

2010Core: 690 MHz
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VS
NVIDIA

GeForce GT 520

2015Core: 1024 MHzBoost: 1188 MHz
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FirePro V3800 vs GeForce GT 520 Performance Spectrum

FirePro V3800
4 GB 74
321
0.0%
brand logoRadeon HD 6230
brand logoMobility Radeon. HD 5470
brand logoRadeon HD 4650
brand logoMobility Radeon HD 5165
brand logoRadeon RX 5300M
brand logoRadeon RX 6550M
brand logoRadeon RX 7600M XT
brand logoRadeon RX 6700 XT
GeForce GT 520
2 GB 90
323
+0.6%
brand logoGeForce 8600 GS
brand logoGeForce GT 230M
brand logoGeForce GT 415
brand logoGeForce GT 415M
brand logoGeForce GTX 1050
brand logoGeForce GTX 1060 3GB
brand logoGeForce GTX 1070 Ti
brand logoGeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU

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 V3800 vs GeForce GT 520: 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 V3800

2010

Why buy it

  • ✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 2 GB).
  • ✅Draws 74W instead of 90W, a 16W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • ❌2010 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • ❌
    118.6% HIGHER MSRP
    $129 MSRPvs$59 MSRP
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.5 vs 5.5 G3D/$ ($129 MSRP vs $59 MSRP).
  • ❌15.9% longer card at 168mm vs 145mm.

GeForce GT 520

2015

Why buy it

  • ✅Costs $70 less on MSRP ($59 MSRP vs $129 MSRP).
  • ✅Delivers 120% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.5 vs 2.5 G3D/$ ($59 MSRP vs $129 MSRP).
  • ✅Measures 145mm instead of 168mm, a 23mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • ❌Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • ❌2015 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • ❌21.6% higher power demand at 90W vs 74W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce GT 520 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 0.6% in PassMark G3D (323 vs 321), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
FirePro V3800 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 4 GB vs 2 GB of VRAM. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce GT 520 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $70 cheaper on MSRP at $59 vs $129, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 120% (5.5 vs 2.5), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, GeForce GT 520 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, FirePro V3800 has the stronger long-term case.

FirePro V3800 vs GeForce GT 520 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

FirePro V3800

The FirePro V3800 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 26 2010. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 690 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 74W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 321 points. Launch price was $479.

NVIDIA

GeForce GT 520

The GeForce GT 520 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in August 20 2015. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1024 MHz to 1188 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 90W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 323 points. Launch price was $159.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The FirePro V3800 scores 321 and the GeForce GT 520 reaches 323 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The FirePro V3800 is built on TeraScale 2 while the GeForce GT 520 uses Maxwell 2.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 800 (FirePro V3800) vs 768 (GeForce GT 520). Raw compute: 1.104 TFLOPS (FirePro V3800) vs 1.825 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 520).

FeatureFirePro V3800GeForce GT 520
G3D Mark Score
321
323
Architecture
TeraScale 2
Maxwell 2.0
Process Node
40 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
800+4%
768
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.104 TFLOPS
1.825 TFLOPS+65%
ROPs
16
32+100%
TMUs
40
48+20%
L1 Cache
80 KB
288 KB+260%
L2 Cache
0.25 MB
1 MB+300%
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GT 520 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The FirePro V3800 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureFirePro V3800GeForce GT 520
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The FirePro V3800 has 4 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce GT 520 carries 2 GB. FirePro V3800 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 V3800 and 64-bit on the GeForce GT 520. L2 Cache: 0.25 MB (FirePro V3800) vs 1 MB (GeForce GT 520) — the GeForce GT 520 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureFirePro V3800GeForce GT 520
VRAM Capacity
4 GB+100%
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
64-bit
L2 Cache
0.25 MB
1 MB+300%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.2 (FirePro V3800) vs 11.0 (GeForce GT 520). Vulkan: N/A vs None. OpenGL: 4.4 vs 4.1. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

FeatureFirePro V3800GeForce GT 520
DirectX
11.2+2%
11.0
Vulkan
N/A
None
OpenGL
4.4+7%
4.1
Max Displays
2
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (FirePro V3800) vs No (GeForce GT 520). Decoder: UVD 2.3 vs PureVideo HD VP4. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (FirePro V3800) vs MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP (GeForce GT 520).

FeatureFirePro V3800GeForce GT 520
Encoder
None
No
Decoder
UVD 2.3
PureVideo HD VP4
Codecs
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1
MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The FirePro V3800 draws 74W versus the GeForce GT 520's 90W — a 19.5% difference. The FirePro V3800 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (FirePro V3800) vs 250W (GeForce GT 520). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs None. Card length: 168mm vs 145mm, occupying 1 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: 80 vs 65°C.

FeatureFirePro V3800GeForce GT 520
TDP
74W-18%
90W
Recommended PSU
350W
250W-29%
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
None
Length
168mm
145mm
Height
69mm
111mm
Slots
1
1
Temp (Load)
80
65°C-19%
Perf/Watt
4.3+19%
3.6
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the FirePro V3800 came in at $129, while the GeForce GT 520 launched at $59. On MSRP, GeForce GT 520 was 54.3% cheaper ($70 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 2.5 (FirePro V3800) vs 5.5 (GeForce GT 520) — the GeForce GT 520 offers 120% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GT 520 (2015 vs 2010).

FeatureFirePro V3800GeForce GT 520
MSRP
$129
$59-54%
Performance per Dollar
2.5
5.5+120%
Codename
Juniper
GM206
Release
April 26 2010
August 20 2015
Ranking
#780
#425
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