GeForce GTS 240 vs Radeon R5 M420

NVIDIA

GeForce GTS 240

2010Core: 783 MHz
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VS
AMD

Radeon R5 M420

2016Core: 900 MHzBoost: 1000 MHz
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GeForce GTS 240 vs Radeon R5 M420 Performance Spectrum

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 GTS 240 vs Radeon R5 M420 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 GTS 240 vs Radeon R5 M420: 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 GTS 240

2010

Why buy it

  • Costs $220 less on MSRP ($80 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
  • Delivers 283.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 6.4 vs 1.7 G3D/$ ($80 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 512 MB).

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon R5 M420 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2010 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 41.3% higher power demand at 106W vs 75W.

Radeon R5 M420

2016

Why buy it

  • 1.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Draws 75W instead of 106W, a 31W reduction.
  • More future proof: GCN 2.0 (2013−2017) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2016 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 275% HIGHER MSRP
    $300 MSRPvs$80 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.7 vs 6.4 G3D/$ ($300 MSRP vs $80 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon R5 M420 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 1.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward GeForce GTS 240 instead at 515 vs 504, 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 GTS 240 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 GTS 240 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $220 cheaper on MSRP at $80 vs $300, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 283.2% (6.4 vs 1.7), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon R5 M420 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce GTS 240 vs Radeon R5 M420 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce GTS 240

The GeForce GTS 240 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 13 2010. It features the Fermi architecture. The core clock speed is 783 MHz. It has 192 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 106W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 515 points. Launch price was $129.

AMD

Radeon R5 M420

The Radeon R5 M420 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 15 2016. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 900 MHz to 1000 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 504 points.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce GTS 240 scores 515 and the Radeon R5 M420 reaches 504 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce GTS 240 is built on Fermi while the Radeon R5 M420 uses GCN 2.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 192 (GeForce GTS 240) vs 768 (Radeon R5 M420). Raw compute: 0.6013 TFLOPS (GeForce GTS 240) vs 1.536 TFLOPS (Radeon R5 M420).

FeatureGeForce GTS 240Radeon R5 M420
G3D Mark Score
515+2%
504
Architecture
Fermi
GCN 2.0
Process Node
40 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
192
768+300%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.6013 TFLOPS
1.536 TFLOPS+155%
ROPs
16
16
TMUs
32
48+50%
L1 Cache
256 KB+33%
192 KB
L2 Cache
256 KB
256 KB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce GTS 240 gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon R5 M420 leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce GTS 240Radeon R5 M420
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 GTS 240 has 1 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R5 M420 carries 512 MB. GeForce GTS 240 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 GTS 240 and 128-bit on the Radeon R5 M420.

FeatureGeForce GTS 240Radeon R5 M420
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: 11.1 (10_0) (GeForce GTS 240) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon R5 M420). OpenGL: 3.2 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce GTS 240Radeon R5 M420
DirectX
11.1 (10_0)
12 (11_1)+8%
OpenGL
3.2
4.6+44%
Max Displays
2
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: PureVideo HD VP2 (GeForce GTS 240) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon R5 M420). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP2 vs UVD 4.0. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce GTS 240) vs H.264,MPEG-4,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon R5 M420).

FeatureGeForce GTS 240Radeon R5 M420
Encoder
PureVideo HD VP2
VCE 1.0
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP2
UVD 4.0
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
H.264,MPEG-4,VC-1,MPEG-2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTS 240 draws 106W versus the Radeon R5 M420's 75W — a 34.3% difference. The Radeon R5 M420 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTS 240) vs 350W (Radeon R5 M420). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs Mobile. Card length: 229mm vs 0mm, occupying 1 vs 0 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 80.

FeatureGeForce GTS 240Radeon R5 M420
TDP
106W
75W-29%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
Mobile
Length
229mm
0mm
Height
111mm
0mm
Slots
1
0-100%
Temp (Load)
85°C
80-6%
Perf/Watt
4.9
6.7+37%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTS 240 came in at $80, while the Radeon R5 M420 launched at $300. On MSRP, GeForce GTS 240 was 73.3% cheaper ($220 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 6.4 (GeForce GTS 240) vs 1.7 (Radeon R5 M420) — the GeForce GTS 240 offers 276.5% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R5 M420 (2016 vs 2010).

FeatureGeForce GTS 240Radeon R5 M420
MSRP
$80-73%
$300
Performance per Dollar
6.4+276%
1.7
Codename
GF106
Emerald
Release
September 13 2010
May 15 2016
Ranking
#791
#649

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