GeForce GT 720A vs Radeon R5 420

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 720A vs Radeon R5 420 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 720A vs Radeon R5 420: 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 720A

2014

Why buy it

✅5.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $40 less on MSRP ($40 MSRP vs $80 MSRP).
✅Delivers 97.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 14.2 vs 7.2 G3D/$ ($40 MSRP vs $80 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌2014 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon R5 420

2017

Why buy it

✅More future proof: GCN 4.0 (2016−2020) on 14nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than GeForce GT 720A across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2017 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
100% HIGHER MSRP
$80 MSRPvs$40 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 7.2 vs 14.2 G3D/$ ($80 MSRP vs $40 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

GeForce GT 720A is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 5.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon R5 420 instead at 575 vs 567, 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 720A 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?

GeForce GT 720A makes the most sense to buy today. It is $40 cheaper on MSRP at $40 vs $80, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 97.2% (14.2 vs 7.2), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce GT 720A vs Radeon R5 420 Technical Specifications

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

GeForce GT 720A

The GeForce GT 720A is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 17 2014. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 628 MHz to 657 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 55W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 567 points.

Radeon R5 420

The Radeon R5 420 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 20 2017. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1183 MHz to 1124 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 575 points. Launch price was $79.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GT 720A scores 567 and the Radeon R5 420 reaches 575 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GT 720A is built on Kepler while the Radeon R5 420 uses GCN 4.0, both on 28 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 768 (GeForce GT 720A) vs 384 (Radeon R5 420). Raw compute: 1.009 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 720A) vs 0.9085 TFLOPS (Radeon R5 420). Boost clocks: 657 MHz vs 1124 MHz.

Feature	GeForce GT 720A	Radeon R5 420
G3D Mark Score	567	575+1%
Architecture	Kepler	GCN 4.0
Process Node	28 nm	14 nm
Shading Units	768+100%	384
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.009 TFLOPS+11%	0.9085 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	657 MHz	1124 MHz+71%
ROPs	16	16
TMUs	64+167%	24
L1 Cache	64 KB	96 KB+50%
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GT 720A gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R5 420 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

Feature	GeForce GT 720A	Radeon R5 420
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 512 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the GeForce GT 720A and 128-bit on the Radeon R5 420. L2 Cache: 256 KB (GeForce GT 720A) vs 512 KB (Radeon R5 420) — the Radeon R5 420 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce GT 720A	Radeon R5 420
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	0.5 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	64-bit	128-bit+100%
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GT 720A draws 55W versus the Radeon R5 420's 50W — a 9.5% difference. The Radeon R5 420 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GT 720A) vs 350W (Radeon R5 420). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs None.

Feature	GeForce GT 720A	Radeon R5 420
TDP	55W	50W-9%
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	None
Slots	0	—
Temp (Load)	75°C	—
Perf/Watt	10.3	11.5+12%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GT 720A came in at $40, while the Radeon R5 420 launched at $80. On MSRP, GeForce GT 720A was 50% cheaper ($40 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 14.2 (GeForce GT 720A) vs 7.2 (Radeon R5 420) — the GeForce GT 720A offers 97.2% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R5 420 (2017 vs 2014).

Feature	GeForce GT 720A	Radeon R5 420
MSRP	$40-50%	$80
Performance per Dollar	14.2+97%	7.2
Codename	GK106	Lexa
Release	March 17 2014	April 20 2017
Ranking	#813	#773

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