GeForce GT 230 vs Radeon R5E

NVIDIA

GeForce GT 230

2017Core: 1228 MHzBoost: 1468 MHz
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VS
AMD

Radeon R5E

2013Core: 800 MHz
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GeForce GT 230 vs Radeon R5E 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 230 vs Radeon R5E 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 R5E: 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

  • 23.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 7.3 vs 0 G3D/$ ($44 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • More future proof: Pascal (2016−2021) on 14nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 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 power demand at 30W vs 15W.

Radeon R5E

2013

Why buy it

  • Draws 15W instead of 30W, a 15W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce GT 230 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2013 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 7.3 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $44 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce GT 230 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 23.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.5% in PassMark G3D (323 vs 315), 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 2013. 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 today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup.

GeForce GT 230 vs Radeon R5E Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

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.

AMD

Radeon R5E

The Radeon R5E is manufactured by AMD. It was released in December 20 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 800 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 15W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 315 points. Launch price was $109.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GT 230 scores 323 and the Radeon R5E reaches 315 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 R5E uses GCN 1.0, both on 14 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce GT 230) vs 512 (Radeon R5E). Raw compute: 1.127 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 230) vs 0.8192 TFLOPS (Radeon R5E).

FeatureGeForce GT 230Radeon R5E
G3D Mark Score
323+3%
315
Architecture
Pascal
GCN 1.0
Process Node
14 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
384
512+33%
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.127 TFLOPS+38%
0.8192 TFLOPS
ROPs
16
16
TMUs
24
32+33%
L1 Cache
144 KB+13%
128 KB
L2 Cache
512 KB+100%
256 KB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GT 230 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R5E leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GT 230Radeon R5E
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 64-bit on the Radeon R5E. L2 Cache: 512 KB (GeForce GT 230) vs 256 KB (Radeon R5E) — the GeForce GT 230 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GT 230Radeon R5E
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
64-bit
L2 Cache
512 KB+100%
256 KB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10.0 (GeForce GT 230) vs 12 (12_0) (Radeon R5E). Vulkan: None vs 1.2. OpenGL: 3.3 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce GT 230Radeon R5E
DirectX
10.0
12 (12_0)+20%
Vulkan
None
1.2
OpenGL
3.3
4.6+39%
Max Displays
2
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (GeForce GT 230) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R5E). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP3 vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1 (GeForce GT 230) vs H.264,MPEG-4 (Radeon R5E).

FeatureGeForce GT 230Radeon R5E
Encoder
No
VCE 2.0
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP3
UVD 4.2
Codecs
MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1
H.264,MPEG-4
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GT 230 draws 30W versus the Radeon R5E's 15W — a 66.7% difference. The Radeon R5E is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GT 230) vs 0W (Radeon R5E). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs None. Card length: 168mm vs 0mm, occupying 1 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 75.

FeatureGeForce GT 230Radeon R5E
TDP
30W
15W-50%
Recommended PSU
350W
0W-100%
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
None
Length
168mm
0mm
Height
111mm
0mm
Slots
1
0-100%
Temp (Load)
75°C
75
Perf/Watt
10.8
21.0+94%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GT 230 came in at $44, while the Radeon R5E launched at $0. On MSRP, Radeon R5E was 100+% cheaper ($44 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 7.3 (GeForce GT 230) vs Infinity (Radeon R5E) — the Radeon R5E offers Infinity% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GT 230 (2017 vs 2013).

FeatureGeForce GT 230Radeon R5E
MSRP
$44
$0-100%
Performance per Dollar
7.3
Infinity
Codename
GP108
Cape Verde
Release
May 17 2017
December 20 2013
Ranking
#641
#738

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