GeForce GT 520MX vs Radeon HD 2900 GT

CPU

GPU

GeForce GT 520MX

2013Core: 941 MHzBoost: 967 MHz

Similar parts

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Radeon HD 2900 GT

2013Core: 725 MHz

Similar parts

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GeForce GT 520MX vs Radeon HD 2900 GT Performance Spectrum

GeForce GT 520MX

1 GB 50

291

0.0%

GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q Design

GeForce GTX 1070 Ti

GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU

Radeon HD 2900 GT

0.5 GB 25

292

+0.3%

Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire

Radeon RX 6550M

Radeon RX 7600M XT

Radeon RX 6700 XT

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 520MX vs Radeon HD 2900 GT 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 520MX vs Radeon HD 2900 GT: 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 520MX

2013

Why buy it

✅Costs $125 less on MSRP ($45 MSRP vs $170 MSRP).
✅Delivers 276.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 6.5 vs 1.7 G3D/$ ($45 MSRP vs $170 MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 512 MB).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 2900 GT 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.
❌100% higher power demand at 50W vs 25W.

Radeon HD 2900 GT

2013

Why buy it

✅0.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Draws 25W instead of 50W, a 25W reduction.

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.
❌
277.8% HIGHER MSRP
$170 MSRPvs$45 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.7 vs 6.5 G3D/$ ($170 MSRP vs $45 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 2900 GT is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 0.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0.3% in PassMark G3D (292 vs 291), so the answer here is pretty clean.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce GT 520MX is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 1 GB vs 512 MB of VRAM and a 28nm process instead of 40nm. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

GeForce GT 520MX makes the most sense to buy today. It is $125 cheaper on MSRP at $45 vs $170, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 276.5% (6.5 vs 1.7), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon HD 2900 GT still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GT 520MX vs Radeon HD 2900 GT Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GT 520MX

The GeForce GT 520MX 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: 291 points.

Radeon HD 2900 GT

The Radeon HD 2900 GT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 7 2013. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 725 MHz. It has 480 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 25W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 292 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GT 520MX scores 291 and the Radeon HD 2900 GT reaches 292 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GT 520MX is built on Kepler while the Radeon HD 2900 GT uses TeraScale 2, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce GT 520MX) vs 480 (Radeon HD 2900 GT). Raw compute: 0.7427 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 520MX) vs 0.696 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 2900 GT).

Feature	GeForce GT 520MX	Radeon HD 2900 GT
G3D Mark Score	291	292
Architecture	Kepler	TeraScale 2
Process Node	28 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	384	480+25%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.7427 TFLOPS+7%	0.696 TFLOPS
ROPs	16+100%	8
TMUs	32+33%	24
L1 Cache	32 KB	48 KB+50%
L2 Cache	256 KB	256 KB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GT 520MX gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon HD 2900 GT leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GT 520MX	Radeon HD 2900 GT
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 520MX has 1 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 2900 GT carries 512 MB. GeForce GT 520MX 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 520MX and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 2900 GT.

Feature	GeForce GT 520MX	Radeon HD 2900 GT
VRAM Capacity	1 GB+100%	0.5 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 520MX) vs 10 (Radeon HD 2900 GT). Maximum simultaneous displays: 1 vs 2.

Feature	GeForce GT 520MX	Radeon HD 2900 GT
DirectX	11.0+10%	10
Max Displays	1	2+100%

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: No (GeForce GT 520MX) vs UVD (Radeon HD 2900 GT). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP4 vs UVD.

Feature	GeForce GT 520MX	Radeon HD 2900 GT
Encoder	No	UVD
Decoder	PureVideo HD VP4	UVD
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 ASP	—

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GT 520MX draws 50W versus the Radeon HD 2900 GT's 25W — a 66.7% difference. The Radeon HD 2900 GT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GT 520MX) vs 350W (Radeon HD 2900 GT). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 241mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots.

Feature	GeForce GT 520MX	Radeon HD 2900 GT
TDP	50W	25W-50%
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	1x 6-pin
Length	0mm	241mm
Height	0mm	—
Slots	0-100%	2
Temp (Load)	70°C	—
Perf/Watt	5.8	11.7+102%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GT 520MX came in at $45, while the Radeon HD 2900 GT launched at $170. On MSRP, GeForce GT 520MX was 73.5% cheaper ($125 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 6.5 (GeForce GT 520MX) vs 1.7 (Radeon HD 2900 GT) — the GeForce GT 520MX offers 282.4% better value.

Feature	GeForce GT 520MX	Radeon HD 2900 GT
MSRP	$45-74%	$170
Performance per Dollar	6.5+282%	1.7
Codename	GK107	Thames
Release	January 9 2013	January 7 2013
Ranking	#792	#883

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