HD Graphics 520 vs Mobility Radeon HD 4850

HD Graphics 520

2015Core: 300 MHzBoost: 900 MHz
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VS
AMD

Mobility Radeon HD 4850

2009Core: 550 MHz
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HD Graphics 520 vs Mobility Radeon HD 4850 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.

HD Graphics 520 vs Mobility Radeon HD 4850: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

HD Graphics 520

2015

Why buy it

  • Costs $99 less on MSRP ($100 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
  • Delivers 97.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 8.6 vs 4.4 G3D/$ ($100 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).
  • Draws 15W instead of 30W, a 15W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with Unknown vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2015 hardware with Unknown of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Mobility Radeon HD 4850

2009

Why buy it

  • 100+% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs Unknown).
  • HD Graphics 520 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so Mobility Radeon HD 4850 is the less risky modern option long term.

Trade-offs

  • 2009 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 99% HIGHER MSRP
    $199 MSRPvs$100 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 4.4 vs 8.6 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).
  • 100% higher power demand at 30W vs 15W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Mobility Radeon HD 4850 is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 0.6% in PassMark G3D (866 vs 861), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Mobility Radeon HD 4850 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 1 GB vs Unknown of VRAM and the newer upscaling stack, FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
HD Graphics 520 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $99 cheaper on MSRP at $100 vs $199, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 97.9% (8.6 vs 4.4), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p, HD Graphics 520 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Mobility Radeon HD 4850 has the stronger long-term case.

HD Graphics 520 vs Mobility Radeon HD 4850 Technical Specifications

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

Intel

HD Graphics 520

The HD Graphics 520 is manufactured by Intel. It was released in September 1 2015. It features the Generation 9.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 300 MHz to 900 MHz. It has 192 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 15W. Manufactured using 14 nm+ process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 861 points.

AMD

Mobility Radeon HD 4850

The Mobility Radeon HD 4850 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 9 2009. It features the TeraScale architecture. The core clock speed is 550 MHz. It has 800 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 55 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 866 points.

Graphics Performance

The HD Graphics 520 scores 861 and the Mobility Radeon HD 4850 reaches 866 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The HD Graphics 520 is built on Generation 9.0 while the Mobility Radeon HD 4850 uses TeraScale, both on 14 nm+ vs 55 nm. Shader units: 192 (HD Graphics 520) vs 800 (Mobility Radeon HD 4850). Raw compute: 0.3456 TFLOPS (HD Graphics 520) vs 0.88 TFLOPS (Mobility Radeon HD 4850).

FeatureHD Graphics 520Mobility Radeon HD 4850
G3D Mark Score
861
866
Architecture
Generation 9.0
TeraScale
Process Node
14 nm+
55 nm
Shading Units
192
800+317%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.3456 TFLOPS
0.88 TFLOPS+155%
ROPs
3
16+433%
TMUs
24
40+67%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureHD Graphics 520Mobility Radeon HD 4850
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
AMD Anti-Lag
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Video Memory (VRAM)

The HD Graphics 520 has 0 MB of VRAM, while the Mobility Radeon HD 4850 carries 1 GB. Mobility Radeon HD 4850 gives you 100+% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is System on the HD Graphics 520 and 64-bit on the Mobility Radeon HD 4850.

FeatureHD Graphics 520Mobility Radeon HD 4850
VRAM Capacity
Shared System RAM
1 GB
Memory Type
Shared
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
System
Unknown
Bus Width
System
64-bit
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The HD Graphics 520 draws 15W versus the Mobility Radeon HD 4850's 30W — a 66.7% difference. The HD Graphics 520 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 1W (HD Graphics 520) vs 350W (Mobility Radeon HD 4850). Power connectors: Integrated vs PCIe-powered.

FeatureHD Graphics 520Mobility Radeon HD 4850
TDP
15W-50%
30W
Recommended PSU
1W-100%
350W
Power Connector
Integrated
PCIe-powered
Length
0mm
Height
0mm
Slots
0
Temp (Load)
95
Perf/Watt
57.4+99%
28.9
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the HD Graphics 520 came in at $100, while the Mobility Radeon HD 4850 launched at $199. On MSRP, HD Graphics 520 was 49.7% cheaper ($99 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 8.6 (HD Graphics 520) vs 4.4 (Mobility Radeon HD 4850) — the HD Graphics 520 offers 95.5% better value. The newer card here is HD Graphics 520 (2015 vs 2009).

FeatureHD Graphics 520Mobility Radeon HD 4850
MSRP
$100-50%
$199
Performance per Dollar
8.6+95%
4.4
Codename
Skylake GT2
M98
Release
September 1 2015
January 9 2009
Ranking
#929
#927

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