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GeForce GT 520M vs GRID K120Q

CPUCPUGPUGPU
NVIDIA

GeForce GT 520M

2013Core: 941 MHzBoost: 967 MHz
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VS

GRID K120Q

2013Core: 745 MHz
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GeForce GT 520M vs GRID K120Q Performance Spectrum

GeForce GT 520M
1 GB 50
284
0.0%
brand logoGeForce GT 120M
brand logoGeForce GT 120
brand logoGeForce GT 330M
brand logoGeForce GT 415
brand logoGeForce GTX 1630
brand logoGeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design
brand logoGeForce GTX 1070 Ti
brand logoGeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
GRID K120Q
0.5 GB 225
293
+3.2%
brand logoGeForce 8600M GT
brand logoGeForce 315
brand logoGeForce GT 220
brand logoGeForce 7900 GT
brand logoGeForce GTX 1630
brand logoGeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design
brand logoGeForce GTX 1070 Ti
brand logoGeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU

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 520M vs GRID K120Q: 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 520M

2013

Why buy it

  • ✅Costs $65 less on MSRP ($60 MSRP vs $125 MSRP).
  • ✅Delivers 101.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 4.7 vs 2.3 G3D/$ ($60 MSRP vs $125 MSRP).
  • ✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 512 MB).
  • ✅Draws 50W instead of 225W, a 175W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • ❌2013 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

GRID K120Q

2013

Why buy it

  • ✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

  • ❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 1 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.
  • ❌
    108.3% HIGHER MSRP
    $125 MSRPvs$60 MSRP
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 2.3 vs 4.7 G3D/$ ($125 MSRP vs $60 MSRP).
  • ❌350% higher power demand at 225W vs 50W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GRID K120Q is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 3.2% in PassMark G3D (293 vs 284), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce GT 520M is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 1 GB vs 512 MB of VRAM. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce GT 520M makes the most sense to buy today. It is $65 cheaper on MSRP at $60 vs $125, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 101.9% (4.7 vs 2.3), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. GRID K120Q still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GT 520M vs GRID K120Q Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce GT 520M

The GeForce GT 520M is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 9 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 941 MHz to 967 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 284 points.

NVIDIA

GRID K120Q

The GRID K120Q is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in June 28 2013. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock speed is 745 MHz. It has 1536 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 225W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 293 points. Launch price was $937.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GT 520M scores 284 and the GRID K120Q reaches 293 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GT 520M is built on Kepler while the GRID K120Q uses Kepler, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 384 (GeForce GT 520M) vs 1,536 (GRID K120Q). Raw compute: 0.7427 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 520M) vs 2.289 TFLOPS (GRID K120Q).

FeatureGeForce GT 520MGRID K120Q
G3D Mark Score
284
293+3%
Architecture
Kepler
Kepler
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
384
1536+300%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.7427 TFLOPS
2.289 TFLOPS+208%
ROPs
16
32+100%
TMUs
32
128+300%
L1 Cache
32 KB
128 KB+300%
L2 Cache
256 KB
512 KB+100%
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GT 520M gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The GRID K120Q leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GT 520MGRID K120Q
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
Standard
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce GT 520M has 1 GB of VRAM, while the GRID K120Q carries 512 MB. GeForce GT 520M gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce GT 520M and 64-bit on the GRID K120Q. L2 Cache: 256 KB (GeForce GT 520M) vs 512 KB (GRID K120Q) — the GRID K120Q has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GT 520MGRID K120Q
VRAM Capacity
1 GB+100%
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
128-bit+100%
64-bit
L2 Cache
256 KB
512 KB+100%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.0 (GeForce GT 520M) vs 12 (11_0) (GRID K120Q). Vulkan: None vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.0 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 1 vs 0.

FeatureGeForce GT 520MGRID K120Q
DirectX
11.0
12 (11_0)+9%
Vulkan
None
1.2
OpenGL
4.0
4.6+15%
Max Displays
1
0
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (GeForce GT 520M) vs NVENC 1 (GRID K120Q). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP4 vs NVDEC 1. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP (GeForce GT 520M) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (GRID K120Q).

FeatureGeForce GT 520MGRID K120Q
Encoder
No
NVENC 1
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP4
NVDEC 1
Codecs
MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GT 520M draws 50W versus the GRID K120Q's 225W — a 127.3% difference. The GeForce GT 520M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GT 520M) vs 350W (GRID K120Q). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered.

FeatureGeForce GT 520MGRID K120Q
TDP
50W-78%
225W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
PCIe-powered
Length
0mm
—
Height
0mm
—
Slots
0
0
Temp (Load)
70°C
—
Perf/Watt
5.7+338%
1.3
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GT 520M came in at $60, while the GRID K120Q launched at $125. On MSRP, GeForce GT 520M was 52% cheaper ($65 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 4.7 (GeForce GT 520M) vs 2.3 (GRID K120Q) — the GeForce GT 520M offers 104.3% better value.

FeatureGeForce GT 520MGRID K120Q
MSRP
$60-52%
$125
Performance per Dollar
4.7+104%
2.3
Codename
GK107
GK104
Release
January 9 2013
June 28 2013
Ranking
#792
#589
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