GeForce 820A vs GeForce GT 720A

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 820A vs GeForce GT 720A 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 820A vs GeForce GT 720A: 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 820A

2014

Why buy it

✅Draws 33W instead of 55W, a 22W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GT 720A across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2014 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
150% HIGHER MSRP
$100 MSRPvs$40 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.6 vs 14.2 G3D/$ ($100 MSRP vs $40 MSRP).

GeForce GT 720A

2014

Why buy it

✅3.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $60 less on MSRP ($40 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).
✅Delivers 154.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 14.2 vs 5.6 G3D/$ ($40 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌2014 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌66.7% higher power demand at 55W vs 33W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce GT 720A is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 3.7% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2% in PassMark G3D (567 vs 556), so the answer here is pretty clean.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce 820A 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?

GeForce GT 720A makes the most sense to buy today. It is $60 cheaper on MSRP at $40 vs $100, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 154.9% (14.2 vs 5.6), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, GeForce GT 720A is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce 820A has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce 820A vs GeForce GT 720A Technical Specifications

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

GeForce 820A

The GeForce 820A is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in July 22 2014. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 1082 MHz to 1150 MHz. It has 256 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 33W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 556 points.

GeForce GT 720A

The GeForce GT 720A is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 17 2014. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 628 MHz to 657 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 55W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 567 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce 820A scores 556 and the GeForce GT 720A reaches 567 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 820A is built on Maxwell while the GeForce GT 720A uses Kepler, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 256 (GeForce 820A) vs 768 (GeForce GT 720A). Raw compute: 0.5888 TFLOPS (GeForce 820A) vs 1.009 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 720A). Boost clocks: 1150 MHz vs 657 MHz.

Feature	GeForce 820A	GeForce GT 720A
G3D Mark Score	556	567+2%
Architecture	Maxwell	Kepler
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	256	768+200%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.5888 TFLOPS	1.009 TFLOPS+71%
Boost Clock	1150 MHz+75%	657 MHz
ROPs	8	16+100%
TMUs	16	64+300%
L1 Cache	128 KB+100%	64 KB
L2 Cache	1 MB+300%	0.25 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	GeForce 820A	GeForce GT 720A
Upscaling Tech	Upscaling support	Upscaling support
Frame Generation	Not Supported	Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	NVIDIA Reflex

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 512 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce 820A and 64-bit on the GeForce GT 720A. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce 820A) vs 0.25 MB (GeForce GT 720A) — the GeForce 820A has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce 820A	GeForce GT 720A
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	0.5 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit+100%	64-bit
L2 Cache	1 MB+300%	0.25 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce 820A) vs 12 (11_0) (GeForce GT 720A). Vulkan: N/A vs 1.0. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce 820A	GeForce GT 720A
DirectX	12 (11_0)	12 (11_0)
Vulkan	N/A	1.0
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	2	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: N/A (GeForce 820A) vs No NVENC (GeForce GT 720A). Decoder: PureVideo HD (VP5) vs PureVideo HD VP5. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce 820A) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce GT 720A).

Feature	GeForce 820A	GeForce GT 720A
Encoder	N/A	No NVENC
Decoder	PureVideo HD (VP5)	PureVideo HD VP5
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 820A draws 33W versus the GeForce GT 720A's 55W — a 50% difference. The GeForce 820A is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 820A) vs 350W (GeForce GT 720A). Power connectors: Legacy vs PCIe-powered. Typical load temperature: 70 vs 75°C.

Feature	GeForce 820A	GeForce GT 720A
TDP	33W-40%	55W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	Legacy	PCIe-powered
Length	0mm	—
Height	0mm	—
Slots	0	0
Temp (Load)	70-7%	75°C
Perf/Watt	16.8+63%	10.3

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 820A came in at $100, while the GeForce GT 720A launched at $40. On MSRP, GeForce GT 720A was 60% cheaper ($60 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 5.6 (GeForce 820A) vs 14.2 (GeForce GT 720A) — the GeForce GT 720A offers 153.6% better value.

Feature	GeForce 820A	GeForce GT 720A
MSRP	$100	$40-60%
Performance per Dollar	5.6	14.2+154%
Codename	GM108	GK106
Release	July 22 2014	March 17 2014
Ranking	#832	#813

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