Quadro M520 vs Radeon R7 450

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.

Quadro M520 vs Radeon R7 450 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.

Quadro M520 vs Radeon R7 450: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

Quadro M520

2017

Why buy it

✅35.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $19 less on MSRP ($200 MSRP vs $219 MSRP).
✅Delivers 11% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 9.6 vs 8.6 G3D/$ ($200 MSRP vs $219 MSRP).
✅Draws 25W instead of 55W, a 30W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌2017 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon R7 450

2016

Why buy it

✅Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Quadro M520 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2016 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
9.5% HIGHER MSRP
$219 MSRPvs$200 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 8.6 vs 9.6 G3D/$ ($219 MSRP vs $200 MSRP).
❌120% higher power demand at 55W vs 25W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Quadro M520 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 35.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1.4% in PassMark G3D (1,913 vs 1,887), so the answer here is pretty clean.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

Quadro M520 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a newer 2017 generation instead of 2016. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Quadro M520 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $19 cheaper on MSRP at $200 vs $219, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 11% (9.6 vs 8.6), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Quadro M520 vs Radeon R7 450 Technical Specifications

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

Quadro M520

The Quadro M520 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 11 2017. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 1041 MHz to 1019 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 25W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,913 points.

Radeon R7 450

The Radeon R7 450 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in July 6 2016. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 800 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 55W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,887 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Quadro M520 scores 1,913 and the Radeon R7 450 reaches 1,887 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.4% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Quadro M520 is built on Maxwell while the Radeon R7 450 uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 384 (Quadro M520) vs 512 (Radeon R7 450). Raw compute: 0.7995 TFLOPS (Quadro M520) vs 0.8192 TFLOPS (Radeon R7 450).

Feature	Quadro M520	Radeon R7 450
G3D Mark Score	1,913+1%	1,887
Architecture	Maxwell	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	384	512+33%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.7995 TFLOPS	0.8192 TFLOPS+2%
ROPs	8	16+100%
TMUs	16	32+100%
L1 Cache	128 KB	128 KB
L2 Cache	1 MB+300%	0.25 MB

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Quadro M520	Radeon R7 450
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)

Both cards ship with 2 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the Quadro M520 and 128-bit on the Radeon R7 450. L2 Cache: 1 MB (Quadro M520) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon R7 450) — the Quadro M520 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Quadro M520	Radeon R7 450
VRAM Capacity	2 GB	2 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Bus Width	64-bit	128-bit+100%
L2 Cache	1 MB+300%	0.25 MB

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Quadro M520 draws 25W versus the Radeon R7 450's 55W — a 75% difference. The Quadro M520 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Quadro M520) vs 250W (Radeon R7 450). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs None.

Feature	Quadro M520	Radeon R7 450
TDP	25W-55%	55W
Recommended PSU	350W	250W-29%
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	None
Perf/Watt	76.5+123%	34.3

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Quadro M520 came in at $200, while the Radeon R7 450 launched at $219. On MSRP, Quadro M520 was 8.7% cheaper ($19 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 9.6 (Quadro M520) vs 8.6 (Radeon R7 450) — the Quadro M520 offers 11.6% better value. The newer card here is Quadro M520 (2017 vs 2016).

Feature	Quadro M520	Radeon R7 450
MSRP	$200-9%	$219
Performance per Dollar	9.6+12%	8.6
Codename	GM108	Cape Verde
Release	January 11 2017	July 6 2016
Ranking	#695	#667

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