GeForce GT 120 vs Radeon HD 6230

NVIDIA

GeForce GT 120

2017Core: 1228 MHzBoost: 1468 MHz
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 6230

2011Core: 750 MHz
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GeForce GT 120 vs Radeon HD 6230 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 vs Radeon HD 6230 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 vs Radeon HD 6230: 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

2017

Why buy it

  • Draws 30W instead of 186W, a 156W reduction.
  • More future proof: Pascal (2016−2021) on 14nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 6230 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2017 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 100% HIGHER MSRP
    $100 MSRPvs$50 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.9 vs 3.6 G3D/$ ($100 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).

Radeon HD 6230

2011

Why buy it

  • 5.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $50 less on MSRP ($50 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).
  • Delivers 90.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 3.6 vs 1.9 G3D/$ ($50 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • 2011 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 520% higher power demand at 186W vs 30W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD 6230 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 5.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GT 120 instead at 188 vs 179, 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 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 14nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2017 generation instead of 2011. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon HD 6230 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $50 cheaper on MSRP at $50 vs $100, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 90.4% (3.6 vs 1.9), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 6230 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GT 120 has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GT 120 vs Radeon HD 6230 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce GT 120

The GeForce GT 120 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 17 2017. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 1228 MHz to 1468 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 188 points. Launch price was $79.

AMD

Radeon HD 6230

The Radeon HD 6230 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in December 1 2011. It features the TeraScale 3 architecture. The core clock speed is 750 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 186W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 179 points. Launch price was $180.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce GT 120 scores 188 versus the Radeon HD 6230's 179 — the GeForce GT 120 leads by 5%. The GeForce GT 120 is built on Pascal while the Radeon HD 6230 uses TeraScale 3, both on 14 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce GT 120) vs 1,280 (Radeon HD 6230). Raw compute: 1.127 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 120) vs 1.92 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6230).

FeatureGeForce GT 120Radeon HD 6230
G3D Mark Score
188+5%
179
Architecture
Pascal
TeraScale 3
Process Node
14 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
384
1280+233%
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.127 TFLOPS
1.92 TFLOPS+70%
ROPs
16
32+100%
TMUs
24
80+233%
L1 Cache
144 KB
320 KB+122%
L2 Cache
512 KB
512 KB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GT 120 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 6230 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GT 120Radeon HD 6230
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 GT 120 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 6230.

FeatureGeForce GT 120Radeon HD 6230
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
64-bit
128-bit+100%
L2 Cache
512 KB
512 KB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10.0 (GeForce GT 120) vs 11.2 (Radeon HD 6230). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce GT 120Radeon HD 6230
DirectX
10.0
11.2+12%
Max Displays
2
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (GeForce GT 120) vs UVD 2.2 (Radeon HD 6230). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP3 vs UVD 2.2.

FeatureGeForce GT 120Radeon HD 6230
Encoder
No
UVD 2.2
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP3
UVD 2.2
Codecs
MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GT 120 draws 30W versus the Radeon HD 6230's 186W — a 144.4% difference. The GeForce GT 120 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GT 120) vs 350W (Radeon HD 6230). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 168mm vs 168mm, occupying 1 vs 1 slots.

FeatureGeForce GT 120Radeon HD 6230
TDP
30W-84%
186W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
1x 6-pin
Length
168mm
168mm
Height
111mm
Slots
1
1
Temp (Load)
65°C
Perf/Watt
6.3+530%
1.0
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GT 120 came in at $100, while the Radeon HD 6230 launched at $50. On MSRP, Radeon HD 6230 was 50% cheaper ($50 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.9 (GeForce GT 120) vs 3.6 (Radeon HD 6230) — the Radeon HD 6230 offers 89.5% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GT 120 (2017 vs 2011).

FeatureGeForce GT 120Radeon HD 6230
MSRP
$100
$50-50%
Performance per Dollar
1.9
3.6+89%
Codename
GP108
Cayman
Release
May 17 2017
December 1 2011
Ranking
#641
#598

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