
GeForce GT 720M vs Radeon HD 8500M

GeForce GT 720M
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Radeon HD 8500M
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Performance Spectrum - 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.
Value Upgrade Path
This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (G3D Mark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money. The GeForce GT 720M is positioned at rank 189 and the Radeon HD 8500M is on rank 498, so the GeForce GT 720M offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar GeForce GT 720M
Performance Per Dollar Radeon HD 8500M
Performance Comparison
About G3D Mark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
The Radeon HD 8500M is the superior choice for raw performance. It leads with a 1.6% higher G3D Mark score. However, the GeForce GT 720M offers more VRAM, which may be beneficial for texture-heavy scenarios at higher resolutions.
| Insight | GeForce GT 720M | Radeon HD 8500M |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | ❌Lower raw frame rates (-1.6%) | ✅Leading raw performance (+1.6%) |
| Longevity | 🛑Obsolete Architecture (2013 / Kepler (2012−2018)) | 🛑Obsolete Architecture (2012 / GCN 1.0 (2012−2020)) |
| Ecosystem | Supports FSR Upscaling | Supports FSR Upscaling |
| VRAM | ✅ More VRAM (+300%) | ❌ Less VRAM capacity |
| Efficiency | ⚡ Higher Power Consumption | 💡 Excellent Perf/Watt |
| Case Fit | — | — |
💎 Value Proposition
While current pricing data is unavailable, the Radeon HD 8500M remains the clear technical winner. Check real-time availability to determine if the performance gap justifies the market price.
Performance Check
Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 7800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.
Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.
Technical Specifications
Side-by-side comparison of GeForce GT 720M and Radeon HD 8500M

GeForce GT 720M
The GeForce GT 720M 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: 440 points.

Radeon HD 8500M
The Radeon HD 8500M is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 24 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 675 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 40W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 447 points.
Graphics Performance
The GeForce GT 720M scores 440 and the Radeon HD 8500M reaches 447 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GT 720M is built on Kepler while the Radeon HD 8500M uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 384 (GeForce GT 720M) vs 640 (Radeon HD 8500M). Raw compute: 0.7427 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 720M) vs 0.864 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8500M).
| Feature | GeForce GT 720M | Radeon HD 8500M |
|---|---|---|
| G3D Mark Score | 440 | 447+2% |
| Architecture | Kepler | GCN 1.0 |
| Process Node | 28 nm | 28 nm |
| Shading Units | 384 | 640+67% |
| Compute (TFLOPS) | 0.7427 TFLOPS | 0.864 TFLOPS+16% |
| ROPs | 16 | 16 |
| TMUs | 32 | 40+25% |
| L1 Cache | 32 KB | 160 KB+400% |
| L2 Cache | 256 KB | 256 KB |
Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)
| Feature | GeForce GT 720M | Radeon HD 8500M |
|---|---|---|
| Upscaling Tech | FSR 1.0 (Software) | FSR 1.0 (Software) |
| Frame Generation | Not Supported | Not Supported |
| Ray Reconstruction | No | No |
| Low Latency | Standard | AMD Anti-Lag |
Video Memory (VRAM)
The GeForce GT 720M comes with 2 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 8500M has 512 MB. The GeForce GT 720M offers 300% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 64-bit vs System.
| Feature | GeForce GT 720M | Radeon HD 8500M |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 2 GB+300% | 0.5 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | Shared |
| Memory Bandwidth | Unknown | System |
| Bus Width | 64-bit | System |
| L2 Cache | 256 KB | 256 KB |
Display & API Support
DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce GT 720M) vs 11.1 (11_0) (Radeon HD 8500M). Vulkan: 1.2 vs 1.0. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.
| Feature | GeForce GT 720M | Radeon HD 8500M |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 (11_0)+8% | 11.1 (11_0) |
| Vulkan | 1.2+20% | 1.0 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Max Displays | 2 | 2 |
Media & Encoding
Decoder: PureVideo HD (VP5) vs UVD 3.0. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce GT 720M) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 Part 2 (Radeon HD 8500M).
| Feature | GeForce GT 720M | Radeon HD 8500M |
|---|---|---|
| Encoder | None | — |
| Decoder | PureVideo HD (VP5) | UVD 3.0 |
| Codecs | H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 | H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 Part 2 |
Power & Dimensions
The GeForce GT 720M draws 50W versus the Radeon HD 8500M's 40W — a 22.2% difference. The Radeon HD 8500M is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GT 720M) vs 350W (Radeon HD 8500M). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 1x 6-pin. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 75°C.
| Feature | GeForce GT 720M | Radeon HD 8500M |
|---|---|---|
| TDP | 50W | 40W-20% |
| Recommended PSU | 350W | 350W |
| Power Connector | PCIe-powered | 1x 6-pin |
| Length | 0mm | — |
| Height | 0mm | — |
| Slots | 0 | 0 |
| Temp (Load) | 75 | 75°C |
| Perf/Watt | 8.8 | 11.2+27% |
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