GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT vs Radeon HD 7450M

NVIDIA

GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT

2017Core: 1506 MHzBoost: 1709 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 7450M

2012Core: 675 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT vs Radeon HD 7450M 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 GT 120 / 9500 GT vs Radeon HD 7450M 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 GT 120 / 9500 GT vs Radeon HD 7450M: 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 GT 120 / 9500 GT

2017

Why buy it

  • 26.4% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 3.8 vs 0 G3D/$ ($85 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • More future proof: Pascal (2016−2021) on 16nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2017 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 200% higher power demand at 120W vs 40W.

Radeon HD 7450M

2012

Why buy it

  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 512 MB).
  • Draws 40W instead of 120W, a 80W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2012 hardware with 1 GB 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 3.8 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $85 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 26.4% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon HD 7450M instead at 330 vs 325, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 16nm process instead of 28nm and a newer 2017 generation instead of 2012. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup.

GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT vs Radeon HD 7450M Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT

The GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in December 26 2017. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1506 MHz to 1709 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 120W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 325 points.

AMD

Radeon HD 7450M

The Radeon HD 7450M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 24 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 675 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 40W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 330 points.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT scores 325 and the Radeon HD 7450M reaches 330 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT is built on Pascal while the Radeon HD 7450M uses GCN 1.0, both on 16 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,280 (GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT) vs 640 (Radeon HD 7450M). Raw compute: 4.375 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT) vs 0.864 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7450M).

FeatureGeForce GT 120 / 9500 GTRadeon HD 7450M
G3D Mark Score
325
330+2%
Architecture
Pascal
GCN 1.0
Process Node
16 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
1280+100%
640
Compute (TFLOPS)
4.375 TFLOPS+406%
0.864 TFLOPS
ROPs
40+150%
16
TMUs
80+100%
40
L1 Cache
480 KB+200%
160 KB
L2 Cache
1.25 MB+400%
0.25 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 7450M leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GT 120 / 9500 GTRadeon HD 7450M
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 GT 120 / 9500 GT has 512 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 7450M carries 1 GB. Radeon HD 7450M 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 GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT and System on the Radeon HD 7450M. L2 Cache: 1.25 MB (GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon HD 7450M) — the GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GT 120 / 9500 GTRadeon HD 7450M
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
1 GB+100%
Memory Type
GDDR5
Shared
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
System
Bus Width
64-bit
System
L2 Cache
1.25 MB+400%
0.25 MB
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT draws 120W versus the Radeon HD 7450M's 40W — a 100% difference. The Radeon HD 7450M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT) vs 350W (Radeon HD 7450M). Power connectors: None vs 1x 6-pin.

FeatureGeForce GT 120 / 9500 GTRadeon HD 7450M
TDP
120W
40W-67%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
None
1x 6-pin
Length
168mm
Height
111mm
Slots
1
Temp (Load)
75
Perf/Watt
2.7
8.3+207%
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce GT 120 / 9500 GT (2017 vs 2012).

FeatureGeForce GT 120 / 9500 GTRadeon HD 7450M
MSRP
$85
Codename
GP106
Heathrow
Release
December 26 2017
April 24 2012
Ranking
#289
#787

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