GeForce GT 520M vs Radeon R5 235X

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 Radeon R5 235X 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 520M vs Radeon R5 235X: 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

✅Draws 50W instead of 80W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R5 235X across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2013 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
22.4% HIGHER MSRP
$60 MSRPvs$49 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 4.7 vs 5.7 G3D/$ ($60 MSRP vs $49 MSRP).

Radeon R5 235X

2014

Why buy it

✅15.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $11 less on MSRP ($49 MSRP vs $60 MSRP).
✅Delivers 19.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.7 vs 4.7 G3D/$ ($49 MSRP vs $60 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌2014 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌60% higher power demand at 80W vs 50W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon R5 235X is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 15.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GT 520M instead at 284 vs 277, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.

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 because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon R5 235X makes the most sense to buy today. It is $11 cheaper on MSRP at $49 vs $60, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 19.4% (5.7 vs 4.7), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R5 235X is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, GeForce GT 520M has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce GT 520M vs Radeon R5 235X Technical Specifications

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

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.

Radeon R5 235X

The Radeon R5 235X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in February 13 2014. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 80W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 277 points. Launch price was $99.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GT 520M scores 284 and the Radeon R5 235X reaches 277 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GT 520M is built on Kepler while the Radeon R5 235X uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 384 (GeForce GT 520M) vs 640 (Radeon R5 235X). Raw compute: 0.7427 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 520M) vs 1.216 TFLOPS (Radeon R5 235X). Boost clocks: 967 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GT 520M	Radeon R5 235X
G3D Mark Score	284+3%	277
Architecture	Kepler	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	384	640+67%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.7427 TFLOPS	1.216 TFLOPS+64%
Boost Clock	967 MHz	1000 MHz+3%
ROPs	16	16
TMUs	32	40+25%
L1 Cache	32 KB	160 KB+400%
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GT 520M gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R5 235X leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GT 520M	Radeon R5 235X
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 128-bit on the GeForce GT 520M and 128-bit on the Radeon R5 235X.

Feature	GeForce GT 520M	Radeon R5 235X
VRAM Capacity	1 GB	1 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.0 (GeForce GT 520M) vs 11.2 (Radeon R5 235X). Maximum simultaneous displays: 1 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce GT 520M	Radeon R5 235X
DirectX	11.0	11.2+2%
Max Displays	1	2+100%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (GeForce GT 520M) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon R5 235X). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP4 vs UVD 3.1.

Feature	GeForce GT 520M	Radeon R5 235X
Encoder	No	VCE 1.0
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP4	UVD 3.1
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP	—

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GT 520M draws 50W versus the Radeon R5 235X's 80W — a 46.2% difference. The GeForce GT 520M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GT 520M) vs 350W (Radeon R5 235X). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 0mm vs 168mm, occupying 0 vs 1 slots.

Feature	GeForce GT 520M	Radeon R5 235X
TDP	50W-38%	80W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	PCIe-powered
Length	0mm	168mm
Height	0mm	—
Slots	0-100%	1
Temp (Load)	70°C	—
Perf/Watt	5.7+63%	3.5

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GT 520M came in at $60, while the Radeon R5 235X launched at $49. On MSRP, Radeon R5 235X was 18.3% cheaper ($11 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 4.7 (GeForce GT 520M) vs 5.7 (Radeon R5 235X) — the Radeon R5 235X offers 21.3% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R5 235X (2014 vs 2013).

Feature	GeForce GT 520M	Radeon R5 235X
MSRP	$60	$49-18%
Performance per Dollar	4.7	5.7+21%
Codename	GK107	Cape Verde
Release	January 9 2013	February 13 2014
Ranking	#792	#655

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