GeForce GT 230 vs Radeon HD 7540D

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 230 vs Radeon HD 7540D 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 230 vs Radeon HD 7540D: 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 230

2017

Why buy it

✅Costs $23 less on MSRP ($44 MSRP vs $67 MSRP).
✅Delivers 48.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 7.3 vs 4.9 G3D/$ ($44 MSRP vs $67 MSRP).
✅Draws 30W instead of 200W, a 170W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7540D 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.

Radeon HD 7540D

2012

Why buy it

✅14.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌2012 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
52.3% HIGHER MSRP
$67 MSRPvs$44 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 4.9 vs 7.3 G3D/$ ($67 MSRP vs $44 MSRP).
❌566.7% higher power demand at 200W vs 30W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 7540D is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 14.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.5% in PassMark G3D (331 vs 323), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

GeForce GT 230 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 14nm 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 230 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $23 cheaper on MSRP at $44 vs $67, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 48.6% (7.3 vs 4.9), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon HD 7540D still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GT 230 vs Radeon HD 7540D Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GT 230

The GeForce GT 230 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: 323 points. Launch price was $79.

Radeon HD 7540D

The Radeon HD 7540D is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 31 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1250 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 331 points. Launch price was $449.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GT 230 scores 323 and the Radeon HD 7540D reaches 331 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GT 230 is built on Pascal while the Radeon HD 7540D uses GCN 1.0, both on 14 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce GT 230) vs 1,792 (Radeon HD 7540D). Raw compute: 1.127 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 230) vs 2.867 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7540D). Boost clocks: 1468 MHz vs 1250 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GT 230	Radeon HD 7540D
G3D Mark Score	323	331+2%
Architecture	Pascal	GCN 1.0
Process Node	14 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	384	1792+367%
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.127 TFLOPS	2.867 TFLOPS+154%
Boost Clock	1468 MHz+17%	1250 MHz
ROPs	16	32+100%
TMUs	24	112+367%
L1 Cache	144 KB	448 KB+211%
L2 Cache	512 KB	768 KB+50%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GT 230 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 7540D leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GT 230	Radeon HD 7540D
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 230 and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 7540D. L2 Cache: 512 KB (GeForce GT 230) vs 768 KB (Radeon HD 7540D) — the Radeon HD 7540D has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GT 230	Radeon HD 7540D
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	768 KB+50%

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GT 230 draws 30W versus the Radeon HD 7540D's 200W — a 147.8% difference. The GeForce GT 230 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GT 230) vs 350W (Radeon HD 7540D). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs None.

Feature	GeForce GT 230	Radeon HD 7540D
TDP	30W-85%	200W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	None
Length	168mm	—
Height	111mm	—
Slots	1	—
Temp (Load)	75°C	—
Perf/Watt	10.8+535%	1.7

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GT 230 came in at $44, while the Radeon HD 7540D launched at $67. On MSRP, GeForce GT 230 was 34.3% cheaper ($23 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 7.3 (GeForce GT 230) vs 4.9 (Radeon HD 7540D) — the GeForce GT 230 offers 49% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GT 230 (2017 vs 2012).

Feature	GeForce GT 230	Radeon HD 7540D
MSRP	$44-34%	$67
Performance per Dollar	7.3+49%	4.9
Codename	GP108	Tahiti
Release	May 17 2017	January 31 2012
Ranking	#641	#454

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