Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU vs Radeon R5 430

Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU

2018
Similar parts
·······
VS
AMD

Radeon R5 430

2016Core: 780 MHzBoost: 1030 MHz
Similar parts
·······

Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU vs Radeon R5 430 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.

Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU vs Radeon R5 430: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

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

Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU

2018

Why buy it

  • Draws 7W instead of 30W, a 23W reduction.
  • Measures 1mm instead of 168mm, a 167mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.
  • More future proof: Unknown architecture on 7nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with Unknown vs 512 MB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2018 hardware with Unknown of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 15.0 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $59 MSRP).

Radeon R5 430

2016

Why buy it

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 15.0 vs 0 G3D/$ ($59 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).
  • 100+% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (512 MB vs Unknown).
  • Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU is already obsolete for modern gaming, so Radeon R5 430 is the less risky modern option long term.

Trade-offs

  • 2016 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 328.6% higher power demand at 30W vs 7W.
  • 16700% longer card at 168mm vs 1mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 0.3% in PassMark G3D (889 vs 886), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon R5 430 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 512 MB 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?
Radeon R5 430 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU vs Radeon R5 430 Technical Specifications

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

Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU

The Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU is manufactured by Qualcomm. It was released in December 6 2018. The thermal design power (TDP) is 7W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 889 points.

AMD

Radeon R5 430

The Radeon R5 430 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 15 2016. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 780 MHz to 1030 MHz. It has 320 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 886 points.

Graphics Performance

The Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU scores 889 and the Radeon R5 430 reaches 886 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance.

FeatureQualcomm Adreno 685 GPURadeon R5 430
G3D Mark Score
889
886
Process Node
7 nm
28 nm

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureQualcomm Adreno 685 GPURadeon R5 430
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 Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU has 0 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon R5 430 carries 512 MB. Radeon R5 430 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 Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU and 128-bit on the Radeon R5 430.

FeatureQualcomm Adreno 685 GPURadeon R5 430
VRAM Capacity
Shared System RAM
0.5 GB
Memory Type
Shared
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
System
128-bit
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12_0 (Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon R5 430). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 3.2 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 0 vs 2.

FeatureQualcomm Adreno 685 GPURadeon R5 430
DirectX
12_0
12 (11_1)
Vulkan
1.3+8%
1.2
OpenGL
3.2
4.6+44%
Max Displays
0
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU) vs H.264,MPEG-4,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon R5 430).

FeatureQualcomm Adreno 685 GPURadeon R5 430
Encoder
None
Decoder
UVD 4.0
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9
H.264,MPEG-4,VC-1,MPEG-2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU draws 7W versus the Radeon R5 430's 30W — a 124.3% difference. The Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 1W (Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU) vs 350W (Radeon R5 430). Power connectors: Integrated vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 1mm vs 168mm, occupying 0 vs 1 slots.

FeatureQualcomm Adreno 685 GPURadeon R5 430
TDP
7W-77%
30W
Recommended PSU
1W-100%
350W
Power Connector
Integrated
PCIe-powered
Length
1mm
168mm
Height
69mm
Slots
0-100%
1
Temp (Load)
75
Perf/Watt
127.0+331%
29.5
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU came in at $0, while the Radeon R5 430 launched at $59. On MSRP, Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU was 100+% cheaper ($59 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): Infinity (Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU) vs 15.0 (Radeon R5 430) — the Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU offers Infinity% better value. The newer card here is Qualcomm Adreno 685 GPU (2018 vs 2016).

FeatureQualcomm Adreno 685 GPURadeon R5 430
MSRP
$0-100%
$59
Performance per Dollar
Infinity
15.0
Codename
Jet
Release
December 6 2018
May 15 2016
Ranking
#916
#922

Affiliate Disclosure

ChipVERSUS is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We may earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through our links. This comes at no additional cost to you and helps support our work in providing comprehensive PC building guides and tools.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.