GeForce GT 230M vs Radeon HD 7450

NVIDIA

GeForce GT 230M

2017Core: 1228 MHzBoost: 1468 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 7450

2012Boost: 1250 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce GT 230M vs Radeon HD 7450 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 230M vs Radeon HD 7450 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 230M vs Radeon HD 7450: 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 230M

2017

Why buy it

  • Draws 30W instead of 200W, a 170W reduction.
  • More future proof: Pascal (2016−2021) on 14nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7450 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2017 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 5.0 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $45 MSRP).

Radeon HD 7450

2012

Why buy it

  • 8.2% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.0 vs 0 G3D/$ ($45 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • 2012 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 566.7% higher power demand at 200W vs 30W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD 7450 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 8.2% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 3.7% in PassMark G3D (224 vs 216), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce GT 230M 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?
Radeon HD 7450 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, Radeon HD 7450 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GT 230M has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GT 230M vs Radeon HD 7450 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce GT 230M

The GeForce GT 230M 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: 216 points. Launch price was $79.

AMD

Radeon HD 7450

The Radeon HD 7450 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: 224 points. Launch price was $449.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GT 230M scores 216 and the Radeon HD 7450 reaches 224 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GT 230M is built on Pascal while the Radeon HD 7450 uses GCN 1.0, both on 14 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce GT 230M) vs 1,792 (Radeon HD 7450). Raw compute: 1.127 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 230M) vs 2.867 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7450). Boost clocks: 1468 MHz vs 1250 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GT 230MRadeon HD 7450
G3D Mark Score
216
224+4%
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 230M gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 7450 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GT 230MRadeon HD 7450
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 1 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the GeForce GT 230M and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 7450. L2 Cache: 512 KB (GeForce GT 230M) vs 768 KB (Radeon HD 7450) — the Radeon HD 7450 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GT 230MRadeon HD 7450
VRAM Capacity
1 GB
1 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
64-bit
128-bit+100%
L2 Cache
512 KB
768 KB+50%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10.1 (GeForce GT 230M) vs 11.2 (Radeon HD 7450). OpenGL: 3.3 vs 4.4. Maximum simultaneous displays: 1 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce GT 230MRadeon HD 7450
DirectX
10.1
11.2+11%
OpenGL
3.3
4.4+33%
Max Displays
1
2+100%
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (GeForce GT 230M) vs UVD 3.1 (Radeon HD 7450). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP4 vs UVD 3.1. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP (GeForce GT 230M) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (Radeon HD 7450).

FeatureGeForce GT 230MRadeon HD 7450
Encoder
No
UVD 3.1
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP4
UVD 3.1
Codecs
MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GT 230M draws 30W versus the Radeon HD 7450's 200W — a 147.8% difference. The GeForce GT 230M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GT 230M) vs 350W (Radeon HD 7450). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 168mm, occupying 0 vs 1 slots.

FeatureGeForce GT 230MRadeon HD 7450
TDP
30W-85%
200W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
1x 6-pin
Length
0mm
168mm
Height
0mm
Slots
0-100%
1
Temp (Load)
75°C
Perf/Watt
7.2+555%
1.1
💰

Value Analysis

The newer card here is GeForce GT 230M (2017 vs 2012).

FeatureGeForce GT 230MRadeon HD 7450
MSRP
$45
Codename
GP108
Tahiti
Release
May 17 2017
January 31 2012
Ranking
#641
#454

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