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GeForce GT 520M vs NVS 310

CPUCPUGPUGPU
NVIDIA

GeForce GT 520M

2013Core: 941 MHzBoost: 967 MHz
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VS

NVS 310

2015Core: 902 MHzBoost: 1033 MHz
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GeForce GT 520M vs NVS 310 Performance Spectrum

GeForce GT 520M
1 GB 50
284
+3.3%
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
NVS 310
0.5 GB 68
275
0.0%
brand logoGeForce GT 120M
brand logoGeForce 8600 GS
brand logoGeForce GT 240M
brand logoGeForce 7800 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 NVS 310: 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 $99 less on MSRP ($60 MSRP vs $159 MSRP).
  • ✅Delivers 173.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 4.7 vs 1.7 G3D/$ ($60 MSRP vs $159 MSRP).
  • ✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 512 MB).
  • ✅Draws 50W instead of 68W, a 18W 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.

NVS 310

2015

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.
  • ❌2015 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • ❌
    165% HIGHER MSRP
    $159 MSRPvs$60 MSRP
  • ❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.7 vs 4.7 G3D/$ ($159 MSRP vs $60 MSRP).
  • ❌36% higher power demand at 68W vs 50W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce GT 520M is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 3.3% in PassMark G3D (284 vs 275), 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 $99 cheaper on MSRP at $60 vs $159, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 173.7% (4.7 vs 1.7), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce GT 520M vs NVS 310 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

NVS 310

The NVS 310 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in November 4 2015. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 902 MHz to 1033 MHz. It has 512 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 68W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 275 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GT 520M scores 284 and the NVS 310 reaches 275 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GT 520M is built on Kepler while the NVS 310 uses Maxwell, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 384 (GeForce GT 520M) vs 512 (NVS 310). Raw compute: 0.7427 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 520M) vs 1.058 TFLOPS ×2 (NVS 310). Boost clocks: 967 MHz vs 1033 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GT 520MNVS 310
G3D Mark Score
284+3%
275
Architecture
Kepler
Maxwell
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
384
512 ×2+33%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.7427 TFLOPS
1.058 TFLOPS ×2+42%
Boost Clock
967 MHz
1033 MHz+7%
ROPs
16
16 ×2
TMUs
32
32 ×2
L1 Cache
32 KB
256 KB+700%
L2 Cache
0.25 MB
1 MB+300%
✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GT 520M gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The NVS 310 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GT 520MNVS 310
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 NVS 310 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 NVS 310. L2 Cache: 0.25 MB (GeForce GT 520M) vs 1 MB (NVS 310) — the NVS 310 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GT 520MNVS 310
VRAM Capacity
1 GB+100%
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
128-bit+100%
64-bit
L2 Cache
0.25 MB
1 MB+300%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.0 (GeForce GT 520M) vs 12 (11_0) (NVS 310). OpenGL: 4.0 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 1 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce GT 520MNVS 310
DirectX
11.0
12 (11_0)+9%
OpenGL
4.0
4.6+15%
Max Displays
1
2+100%
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (GeForce GT 520M) vs Fermi NVENC (NVS 310). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP4 vs VP4. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP (GeForce GT 520M) vs H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1 (NVS 310).

FeatureGeForce GT 520MNVS 310
Encoder
No
Fermi NVENC
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP4
VP4
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 NVS 310's 68W — a 30.5% difference. The GeForce GT 520M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GT 520M) vs 350W (NVS 310). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 0mm vs 145mm, occupying 0 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: 70°C vs 75°C.

FeatureGeForce GT 520MNVS 310
TDP
50W-26%
68W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
PCIe-powered
Length
0mm
145mm
Height
0mm
69mm
Slots
0-100%
1
Temp (Load)
70°C-7%
75°C
Perf/Watt
5.7+43%
4.0
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GT 520M came in at $60, while the NVS 310 launched at $159. On MSRP, GeForce GT 520M was 62.3% cheaper ($99 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 4.7 (GeForce GT 520M) vs 1.7 (NVS 310) — the GeForce GT 520M offers 176.5% better value. The newer card here is NVS 310 (2015 vs 2013).

FeatureGeForce GT 520MNVS 310
MSRP
$60-62%
$159
Performance per Dollar
4.7+176%
1.7
Codename
GK107
GM107
Release
January 9 2013
November 4 2015
Ranking
#792
#826
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