GeForce 9700M GTS vs Radeon HD 6520G 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 9700M GTS vs Radeon HD 6520G 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.
Path of Exile 2
Counter-Strike 2
League of Legends
Valorant
Among Us
Apex Legends
ARC Raiders
Baldur's Gate 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
GeForce 9700M GTS vs Radeon HD 6520G: 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 9700M GTS
2008Why buy it
- ✅Draws 150W instead of 200W, a 50W reduction.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 6520G across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌2008 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 7.5 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $40 MSRP).
Radeon HD 6520G
2010Why buy it
- ✅1.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 7.5 vs 0 G3D/$ ($40 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
- ✅More future proof: TeraScale 3 (2010−2013) on 40nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.
Trade-offs
- ❌2010 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
- ❌33.3% higher power demand at 200W vs 150W.
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GeForce 9700M GTS vs Radeon HD 6520G Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
GeForce 9700M GTS
The GeForce 9700M GTS is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in July 15 2008. It features the G9x architecture. The core clock speed is 500 MHz. It has 224 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 150W. Manufactured using 65 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 312 points.
Radeon HD 6520G
The Radeon HD 6520G is manufactured by AMD. It was released in December 14 2010. It features the TeraScale 3 architecture. The boost clock speed is 800 MHz. It has 1408 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 300 points. Launch price was $299.
Graphics Performance
The GeForce 9700M GTS scores 312 and the Radeon HD 6520G reaches 300 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce 9700M GTS is built on G9x while the Radeon HD 6520G uses TeraScale 3, both on 65 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 224 (GeForce 9700M GTS) vs 1,408 (Radeon HD 6520G).
| Feature | GeForce 9700M GTS | Radeon HD 6520G |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 312+4% | 300 |
| Architecture | G9x | TeraScale 3 |
| Process Node | 65 nm | 40 nm |
| Shading Units | 224 | 1408+529% |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce 9700M GTS gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 6520G leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.
| Feature | GeForce 9700M GTS | Radeon HD 6520G |
|---|---|---|
| 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)
Both cards ship with 512 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the GeForce 9700M GTS and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 6520G.
| Feature | GeForce 9700M GTS | Radeon HD 6520G |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 0.5 GB | 0.5 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | Unknown | Unknown |
| Bus Width | 64-bit | 128-bit+100% |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce 9700M GTS draws 150W versus the Radeon HD 6520G's 200W — a 28.6% difference. The GeForce 9700M GTS is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 9700M GTS) vs 350W (Radeon HD 6520G). Power connectors: Legacy vs 1x 6-pin.
| Feature | GeForce 9700M GTS | Radeon HD 6520G |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 150W-25% | 200W |
| Recommended PSU | 350W | 350W |
| Power Connector | Legacy | 1x 6-pin |
| Length | 0mm | — |
| Height | 0mm | — |
| Slots | 0 | — |
| Temp (Load) | 90 | — |
| Perf/Watt | 2.1+40% | 1.5 |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce 9700M GTS came in at $0, while the Radeon HD 6520G launched at $40. On MSRP, GeForce 9700M GTS was 100+% cheaper ($40 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): Infinity (GeForce 9700M GTS) vs 7.5 (Radeon HD 6520G) — the GeForce 9700M GTS offers Infinity% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 6520G (2010 vs 2008).
| Feature | GeForce 9700M GTS | Radeon HD 6520G |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $0-100% | $40 |
| Performance per Dollar | Infinity | 7.5 |
| Codename | NB9E-GTX | Cayman |
| Release | July 15 2008 | December 14 2010 |
| Ranking | #825 | #623 |
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