Radeon 3020e vs Radeon R5 M420

AMD

Radeon 3020e

2019Core: 1082 MHzBoost: 1218 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon R5 M420

2016Core: 900 MHzBoost: 1000 MHz
Similar parts
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Radeon 3020e 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.

Radeon 3020e 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.

Radeon 3020e 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.

Radeon 3020e

2019

Why buy it

  • 5.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Radeon R5 M420 is already obsolete for modern gaming, so Radeon 3020e is the less risky modern option long term.
  • Draws 50W instead of 75W, a 25W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • 2019 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0 vs 1.7 G3D/$ (Unknown MSRP vs $300 MSRP).

Radeon R5 M420

2016

Why buy it

  • Delivers 100+% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 1.7 vs 0 G3D/$ ($300 MSRP vs Unknown MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon 3020e across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2016 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 50% higher power demand at 75W vs 50W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon 3020e is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 5.7% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0.2% in PassMark G3D (505 vs 504), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon 3020e is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 14nm process instead of 28nm and a newer 2019 generation instead of 2016. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon R5 M420 makes the most sense today based on the pricing and value data we have for this matchup. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R5 M420 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon 3020e has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon 3020e vs Radeon R5 M420 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

Radeon 3020e

The Radeon 3020e is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 13 2019. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1082 MHz to 1218 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 505 points.

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 Radeon 3020e scores 505 and the Radeon R5 M420 reaches 504 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon 3020e is built on GCN 4.0 while the Radeon R5 M420 uses GCN 2.0, both on 14 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 512 (Radeon 3020e) vs 768 (Radeon R5 M420). Raw compute: 1.247 TFLOPS (Radeon 3020e) vs 1.536 TFLOPS (Radeon R5 M420). Boost clocks: 1218 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

FeatureRadeon 3020eRadeon R5 M420
G3D Mark Score
505
504
Architecture
GCN 4.0
GCN 2.0
Process Node
14 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
512
768+50%
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.247 TFLOPS
1.536 TFLOPS+23%
Boost Clock
1218 MHz+22%
1000 MHz
ROPs
16
16
TMUs
32
48+50%
L1 Cache
128 KB
192 KB+50%
L2 Cache
512 KB+100%
256 KB
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling
FSR upscaling

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon 3020eRadeon R5 M420
Upscaling Tech
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
AMD Anti-Lag
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 512 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the Radeon 3020e and 128-bit on the Radeon R5 M420. L2 Cache: 512 KB (Radeon 3020e) vs 256 KB (Radeon R5 M420) — the Radeon 3020e has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureRadeon 3020eRadeon R5 M420
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
128-bit+100%
L2 Cache
512 KB+100%
256 KB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (12_1) (Radeon 3020e) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon R5 M420). Vulkan: 1.2 vs N/A. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 2.

FeatureRadeon 3020eRadeon R5 M420
DirectX
12 (12_1)
12 (11_1)
Vulkan
1.2
N/A
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
3+50%
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCN 1.0 (Radeon 3020e) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon R5 M420). Decoder: VCN 1.0 vs UVD 4.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265,VP9 (Radeon 3020e) vs H.264,MPEG-4,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon R5 M420).

FeatureRadeon 3020eRadeon R5 M420
Encoder
VCN 1.0
VCE 1.0
Decoder
VCN 1.0
UVD 4.0
Codecs
H.264,H.265,VP9
H.264,MPEG-4,VC-1,MPEG-2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon 3020e draws 50W versus the Radeon R5 M420's 75W — a 40% difference. The Radeon 3020e is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon 3020e) vs 350W (Radeon R5 M420). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs Mobile.

FeatureRadeon 3020eRadeon R5 M420
TDP
50W-33%
75W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
PCIe-powered
Mobile
Length
0mm
Height
0mm
Slots
0
Temp (Load)
80
Perf/Watt
10.1+51%
6.7
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon 3020e came in at $0, while the Radeon R5 M420 launched at $300. On MSRP, Radeon 3020e was 100+% cheaper ($300 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): Infinity (Radeon 3020e) vs 1.7 (Radeon R5 M420) — the Radeon 3020e offers Infinity% better value. The newer card here is Radeon 3020e (2019 vs 2016).

FeatureRadeon 3020eRadeon R5 M420
MSRP
$0-100%
$300
Performance per Dollar
Infinity
1.7
Codename
Polaris 23
Emerald
Release
May 13 2019
May 15 2016
Ranking
#757
#649

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