GeForce GT 520
Radeon R5E
GeForce GT 520 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 520 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.
Path of Exile 2
Counter-Strike 2
League of Legends
Valorant
Among Us
Apex Legends
ARC Raiders
Baldur's Gate 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
GeForce GT 520 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 520
2015Why buy it
- ✅35.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ✅Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.5 vs 0 G3D/$ ($59 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
- ✅300% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (2 GB vs 512 MB).
Trade-offs
- ❌2015 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
- ❌500% higher power demand at 90W vs 15W.
Radeon R5E
2013Why buy it
- ✅Draws 15W instead of 90W, a 75W reduction.
Trade-offs
- ❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GT 520 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
- ❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 2 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
- ❌2013 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
- ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 5.5 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $59 MSRP).
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GeForce GT 520 vs Radeon R5E Technical Specifications
Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.
GeForce GT 520
The GeForce GT 520 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in August 20 2015. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1024 MHz to 1188 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 90W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 323 points. Launch price was $159.
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 520 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 520 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the Radeon R5E uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 768 (GeForce GT 520) vs 512 (Radeon R5E). Raw compute: 1.825 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 520) vs 0.8192 TFLOPS (Radeon R5E).
| Feature | GeForce GT 520 | Radeon R5E |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 323+3% | 315 |
| Architecture | Maxwell 2.0 | GCN 1.0 |
| Process Node | 28 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 768+50% | 512 |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 1.825 TFLOPS+123% | 0.8192 TFLOPS |
| ROPs | 32+100% | 16 |
| TMUs | 48+50% | 32 |
| L1 Cache | 288 KB+125% | 128 KB |
| L2 Cache | 1 MB+300% | 0.25 MB |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
The GeForce GT 520 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.
| Feature | GeForce GT 520 | Radeon 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)
The GeForce GT 520 has 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R5E carries 512 MB. GeForce GT 520 gives you 300% 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 520 and 64-bit on the Radeon R5E. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce GT 520) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon R5E) — the GeForce GT 520 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.
| Feature | GeForce GT 520 | Radeon R5E |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 2 GB+300% | 0.5 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Bus Width | 64-bit | 64-bit |
| L2 Cache | 1 MB+300% | 0.25 MB |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 11.0 (GeForce GT 520) vs 12 (12_0) (Radeon R5E). Vulkan: None vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.1 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.
| Feature | GeForce GT 520 | Radeon R5E |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 11.0 | 12 (12_0)+9% |
| Vulkan | None | 1.2 |
| OpenGL | 4.1 | 4.6+12% |
| Max Displays | 2 | 2 |
Media & Encoding
Hardware encoder: No (GeForce GT 520) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R5E). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP4 vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP (GeForce GT 520) vs H.264,MPEG-4 (Radeon R5E).
| Feature | GeForce GT 520 | Radeon R5E |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | No | VCE 2.0 |
| Decoder | PureVideo HD VP4 | UVD 4.2 |
| Codecs | MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP | H.264,MPEG-4 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce GT 520 draws 90W versus the Radeon R5E's 15W — a 142.9% difference. The Radeon R5E is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 250W (GeForce GT 520) vs 0W (Radeon R5E). Power connectors: None vs None. Card length: 145mm vs 0mm, occupying 1 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 65°C vs 75.
| Feature | GeForce GT 520 | Radeon R5E |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 90W | 15W-83% |
| Recommended PSU | 250W | 0W-100% |
| Power Connector | None | None |
| Length | 145mm | 0mm |
| Height | 111mm | 0mm |
| Slots | 1 | 0-100% |
| Temp (Load) | 65°C-13% | 75 |
| Perf/Watt | 3.6 | 21.0+483% |
Value Analysis
At launch, the GeForce GT 520 came in at $59, while the Radeon R5E launched at $0. On MSRP, Radeon R5E was 100+% cheaper ($59 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 5.5 (GeForce GT 520) vs Infinity (Radeon R5E) — the Radeon R5E offers Infinity% better value. The newer card here is GeForce GT 520 (2015 vs 2013).
| Feature | GeForce GT 520 | Radeon R5E |
|---|---|---|
| MSRP | $59 | $0-100% |
| Performance per Dollar | 5.5 | Infinity |
| Codename | GM206 | Cape Verde |
| Release | August 20 2015 | December 20 2013 |
| Ranking | #425 | #738 |
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