GeForce Go 7900 GS vs Mobility Radeon HD 5430

NVIDIA

GeForce Go 7900 GS

2013Core: 967 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Mobility Radeon HD 5430

2010Core: 700 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce Go 7900 GS vs Mobility Radeon HD 5430 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 Go 7900 GS vs Mobility Radeon HD 5430: 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 Go 7900 GS

2013

Why buy it

  • Draws 30W instead of 50W, a 20W reduction.
  • More future proof: Kepler (2012−2018) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 256 MB vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2013 hardware with 256 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 3.7 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $49 MSRP).

Mobility Radeon HD 5430

2010

Why buy it

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 3.7 vs 0 G3D/$ ($49 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • 300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 256 MB).

Trade-offs

  • 2010 hardware with 1 GB 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 50W vs 30W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Mobility Radeon HD 5430 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 1.7% in PassMark G3D (181 vs 178), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce Go 7900 GS is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2013 generation instead of 2010. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Mobility Radeon HD 5430 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, Mobility Radeon HD 5430 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce Go 7900 GS has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce Go 7900 GS vs Mobility Radeon HD 5430 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce Go 7900 GS

The GeForce Go 7900 GS is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 1 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock speed is 967 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 178 points.

AMD

Mobility Radeon HD 5430

The Mobility Radeon HD 5430 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 7 2010. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 700 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 181 points.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce Go 7900 GS scores 178 and the Mobility Radeon HD 5430 reaches 181 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce Go 7900 GS is built on Kepler while the Mobility Radeon HD 5430 uses TeraScale 2, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 768 (GeForce Go 7900 GS) vs 800 (Mobility Radeon HD 5430).

FeatureGeForce Go 7900 GSMobility Radeon HD 5430
G3D Mark Score
178
181+2%
Architecture
Kepler
TeraScale 2
Process Node
28 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
768
800+4%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce Go 7900 GS gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Mobility Radeon HD 5430 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce Go 7900 GSMobility Radeon HD 5430
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 Go 7900 GS has 256 MB of VRAM, while the Mobility Radeon HD 5430 carries 1 GB. Mobility Radeon HD 5430 gives you 300% 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 Go 7900 GS and 128-bit on the Mobility Radeon HD 5430.

FeatureGeForce Go 7900 GSMobility Radeon HD 5430
VRAM Capacity
0.25 GB
1 GB+300%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 9.0c (GeForce Go 7900 GS) vs 11.2 (Mobility Radeon HD 5430). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 0.

FeatureGeForce Go 7900 GSMobility Radeon HD 5430
DirectX
9.0c
11.2+24%
Max Displays
2
0
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (GeForce Go 7900 GS) vs UVD 2.2 (Mobility Radeon HD 5430). Decoder: PureVideo vs UVD 2.2.

FeatureGeForce Go 7900 GSMobility Radeon HD 5430
Encoder
No
UVD 2.2
Decoder
PureVideo
UVD 2.2
Codecs
MPEG-2,WMV9,H.264
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce Go 7900 GS draws 30W versus the Mobility Radeon HD 5430's 50W — a 50% difference. The GeForce Go 7900 GS is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce Go 7900 GS) vs 350W (Mobility Radeon HD 5430). Power connectors: Legacy vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 0mm vs 1mm, occupying 0 vs 0 slots.

FeatureGeForce Go 7900 GSMobility Radeon HD 5430
TDP
30W-40%
50W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
Legacy
PCIe-powered
Length
0mm
1mm
Height
0mm
Slots
0
0
Temp (Load)
85°C
Perf/Watt
5.9+64%
3.6
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce Go 7900 GS (2013 vs 2010).

FeatureGeForce Go 7900 GSMobility Radeon HD 5430
MSRP
$49
Codename
N14P-GT
Broadway
Release
April 1 2013
January 7 2010
Ranking
#616
#846

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