GeForce 310 vs Radeon R5 220

NVIDIA

GeForce 310

2015Core: 928 MHzBoost: 941 MHz
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VS
AMD

Radeon R5 220

2013Core: 947 MHz
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GeForce 310 vs Radeon R5 220 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.

GeForce 310 vs Radeon R5 220 FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

GeForce 310 vs Radeon R5 220: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

GeForce 310

2015

Why buy it

  • Draws 33W instead of 275W, a 242W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon R5 220 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2015 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 28.6% HIGHER MSRP
    $45 MSRPvs$35 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 3.2 vs 4.2 G3D/$ ($45 MSRP vs $35 MSRP).

Radeon R5 220

2013

Why buy it

  • 3.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $10 less on MSRP ($35 MSRP vs $45 MSRP).
  • Delivers 32.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 4.2 vs 3.2 G3D/$ ($35 MSRP vs $45 MSRP).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 512 MB).

Trade-offs

  • 2013 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 733.3% higher power demand at 275W vs 33W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon R5 220 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 3.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.8% in PassMark G3D (147 vs 143), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce 310 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a newer 2015 generation instead of 2013. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon R5 220 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $10 cheaper on MSRP at $35 vs $45, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 32.2% (4.2 vs 3.2), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R5 220 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce 310 has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce 310 vs Radeon R5 220 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce 310

The GeForce 310 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 13 2015. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 928 MHz to 941 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 33W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 143 points.

AMD

Radeon R5 220

The Radeon R5 220 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 5 2013. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 947 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 275W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 147 points. Launch price was $399.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce 310 scores 143 and the Radeon R5 220 reaches 147 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 310 is built on Maxwell while the Radeon R5 220 uses GCN 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 384 (GeForce 310) vs 2,560 (Radeon R5 220). Raw compute: 0.7227 TFLOPS (GeForce 310) vs 4.849 TFLOPS (Radeon R5 220).

FeatureGeForce 310Radeon R5 220
G3D Mark Score
143
147+3%
Architecture
Maxwell
GCN 2.0
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
384
2560+567%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.7227 TFLOPS
4.849 TFLOPS+571%
ROPs
8
64+700%
TMUs
24
160+567%
L1 Cache
192 KB
640 KB+233%
L2 Cache
1 MB
1 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 310 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R5 220 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce 310Radeon R5 220
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce 310 has 512 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon R5 220 carries 1 GB. Radeon R5 220 gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce 310 and 128-bit on the Radeon R5 220.

FeatureGeForce 310Radeon R5 220
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
1 GB+100%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
L2 Cache
1 MB
1 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10.1 (GeForce 310) vs 11.2 (Radeon R5 220). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 3.

FeatureGeForce 310Radeon R5 220
DirectX
10.1
11.2+11%
Max Displays
2
3+50%
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (GeForce 310) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon R5 220). Decoder: PureVideo VP4 vs UVD 3.1.

FeatureGeForce 310Radeon R5 220
Encoder
None
VCE 1.0
Decoder
PureVideo VP4
UVD 3.1
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 Part 2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 310 draws 33W versus the Radeon R5 220's 275W — a 157.1% difference. The GeForce 310 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 310) vs 350W (Radeon R5 220). Power connectors: Legacy vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 168mm vs 168mm, occupying 1 vs 1 slots.

FeatureGeForce 310Radeon R5 220
TDP
33W-88%
275W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
Legacy
PCIe-powered
Length
168mm
168mm
Height
69mm
Slots
1
1
Temp (Load)
80°C
Perf/Watt
4.3+760%
0.5
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 310 came in at $45, while the Radeon R5 220 launched at $35. On MSRP, Radeon R5 220 was 22.2% cheaper ($10 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 3.2 (GeForce 310) vs 4.2 (Radeon R5 220) — the Radeon R5 220 offers 31.3% better value. The newer card here is GeForce 310 (2015 vs 2013).

FeatureGeForce 310Radeon R5 220
MSRP
$45
$35-22%
Performance per Dollar
3.2
4.2+31%
Codename
GM108
Hawaii
Release
March 13 2015
November 5 2013
Ranking
#810
#316

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