NVS 310 vs Radeon R5 235X

NVS 310

2015Core: 902 MHzBoost: 1033 MHz
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VS
AMD

Radeon R5 235X

2014Boost: 1000 MHz
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NVS 310 vs Radeon R5 235X 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.

NVS 310 vs Radeon R5 235X: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

NVS 310

2015

Why buy it

  • Draws 68W instead of 80W, a 12W reduction.
  • Measures 145mm instead of 168mm, a 23mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2015 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 224.5% HIGHER MSRP
    $159 MSRPvs$49 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.7 vs 5.7 G3D/$ ($159 MSRP vs $49 MSRP).

Radeon R5 235X

2014

Why buy it

  • Costs $110 less on MSRP ($49 MSRP vs $159 MSRP).
  • Delivers 226.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.7 vs 1.7 G3D/$ ($49 MSRP vs $159 MSRP).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 512 MB).

Trade-offs

  • 2014 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 17.6% higher power demand at 80W vs 68W.
  • 15.9% longer card at 168mm vs 145mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon R5 235X is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 0.7% in PassMark G3D (277 vs 275), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
NVS 310 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a newer 2015 generation instead of 2014. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon R5 235X makes the most sense to buy today. It is $110 cheaper on MSRP at $49 vs $159, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 226.8% (5.7 vs 1.7), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R5 235X is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, NVS 310 has the stronger long-term case.

NVS 310 vs Radeon R5 235X Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

NVS 310

The NVS 310 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in November 4 2015. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 902 MHz to 1033 MHz. It has 512 ×2 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 68W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 275 points.

AMD

Radeon R5 235X

The Radeon R5 235X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in February 13 2014. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 80W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 277 points. Launch price was $99.

Graphics Performance

The NVS 310 scores 275 and the Radeon R5 235X reaches 277 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The NVS 310 is built on Maxwell while the Radeon R5 235X uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 512 (NVS 310) vs 640 (Radeon R5 235X). Raw compute: 1.058 TFLOPS ×2 (NVS 310) vs 1.216 TFLOPS (Radeon R5 235X). Boost clocks: 1033 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

FeatureNVS 310Radeon R5 235X
G3D Mark Score
275
277
Architecture
Maxwell
GCN 1.0
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
512 ×2
640+25%
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.058 TFLOPS ×2
1.216 TFLOPS+15%
Boost Clock
1033 MHz+3%
1000 MHz
ROPs
16 ×2
16
TMUs
32 ×2
40+25%
L1 Cache
256 KB+60%
160 KB
L2 Cache
1 MB+300%
0.25 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureNVS 310Radeon R5 235X
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
Standard
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The NVS 310 has 512 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon R5 235X carries 1 GB. Radeon R5 235X gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the NVS 310 and 128-bit on the Radeon R5 235X. L2 Cache: 1 MB (NVS 310) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon R5 235X) — the NVS 310 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureNVS 310Radeon R5 235X
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
1 GB+100%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
128-bit+100%
L2 Cache
1 MB+300%
0.25 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (NVS 310) vs 11.2 (Radeon R5 235X). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

FeatureNVS 310Radeon R5 235X
DirectX
12 (11_0)+7%
11.2
Max Displays
2
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: Fermi NVENC (NVS 310) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon R5 235X). Decoder: VP4 vs UVD 3.1.

FeatureNVS 310Radeon R5 235X
Encoder
Fermi NVENC
VCE 1.0
Decoder
VP4
UVD 3.1
Codecs
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The NVS 310 draws 68W versus the Radeon R5 235X's 80W — a 16.2% difference. The NVS 310 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (NVS 310) vs 350W (Radeon R5 235X). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 145mm vs 168mm, occupying 1 vs 1 slots.

FeatureNVS 310Radeon R5 235X
TDP
68W-15%
80W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
PCIe-powered
Length
145mm
168mm
Height
69mm
Slots
1
1
Temp (Load)
75°C
Perf/Watt
4.0+14%
3.5
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the NVS 310 came in at $159, while the Radeon R5 235X launched at $49. On MSRP, Radeon R5 235X was 69.2% cheaper ($110 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.7 (NVS 310) vs 5.7 (Radeon R5 235X) — the Radeon R5 235X offers 235.3% better value. The newer card here is NVS 310 (2015 vs 2014).

FeatureNVS 310Radeon R5 235X
MSRP
$159
$49-69%
Performance per Dollar
1.7
5.7+235%
Codename
GM107
Cape Verde
Release
November 4 2015
February 13 2014
Ranking
#826
#655

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