Radeon 520 vs Radeon R5 M435

AMD

Radeon 520

2017Core: 1100 MHzBoost: 1183 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon R5 M435

2016Core: 780 MHzBoost: 1030 MHz
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Radeon 520 vs Radeon R5 M435 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 520 vs Radeon R5 M435 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 520 vs Radeon R5 M435: 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 520

2017

Why buy it

  • 26.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $72 less on MSRP ($78 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
  • Delivers 95.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 11.2 vs 5.7 G3D/$ ($78 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
  • Draws 50W instead of 75W, a 25W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • 2017 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon R5 M435

2016

Why buy it

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

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon 520 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.
  • 92.3% HIGHER MSRP
    $150 MSRPvs$78 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.7 vs 11.2 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs $78 MSRP).
  • 50% higher power demand at 75W vs 50W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon 520 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 26.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1.6% in PassMark G3D (874 vs 860), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon 520 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 14nm process instead of 28nm and 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?
Radeon 520 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $72 cheaper on MSRP at $78 vs $150, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 95.4% (11.2 vs 5.7), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Radeon 520 vs Radeon R5 M435 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

Radeon 520

The Radeon 520 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 20 2017. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1100 MHz to 1183 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 874 points. Launch price was $79.

AMD

Radeon R5 M435

The Radeon R5 M435 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 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 860 points.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon 520 scores 874 and the Radeon R5 M435 reaches 860 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon 520 is built on GCN 4.0 while the Radeon R5 M435 uses GCN 1.0, both on 14 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 512 (Radeon 520) vs 320 (Radeon R5 M435). Raw compute: 1.211 TFLOPS (Radeon 520) vs 0.6592 TFLOPS (Radeon R5 M435). Boost clocks: 1183 MHz vs 1030 MHz.

FeatureRadeon 520Radeon R5 M435
G3D Mark Score
874+2%
860
Architecture
GCN 4.0
GCN 1.0
Process Node
14 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
512+60%
320
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.211 TFLOPS+84%
0.6592 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1183 MHz+15%
1030 MHz
ROPs
16+100%
8
TMUs
32+60%
20
L1 Cache
128 KB+60%
80 KB
L2 Cache
256 KB+100%
128 KB
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling
FSR upscaling

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon 520Radeon R5 M435
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 520 and 128-bit on the Radeon R5 M435. L2 Cache: 256 KB (Radeon 520) vs 128 KB (Radeon R5 M435) — the Radeon 520 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureRadeon 520Radeon R5 M435
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
128-bit+100%
L2 Cache
256 KB+100%
128 KB
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon 520 draws 50W versus the Radeon R5 M435's 75W — a 40% difference. The Radeon 520 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 250W (Radeon 520) vs 350W (Radeon R5 M435). Power connectors: None vs Mobile.

FeatureRadeon 520Radeon R5 M435
TDP
50W-33%
75W
Recommended PSU
250W-29%
350W
Power Connector
None
Mobile
Perf/Watt
17.5+52%
11.5
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon 520 came in at $78, while the Radeon R5 M435 launched at $150. On MSRP, Radeon 520 was 48% cheaper ($72 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 11.2 (Radeon 520) vs 5.7 (Radeon R5 M435) — the Radeon 520 offers 96.5% better value. The newer card here is Radeon 520 (2017 vs 2016).

FeatureRadeon 520Radeon R5 M435
MSRP
$78-48%
$150
Performance per Dollar
11.2+96%
5.7
Codename
Lexa
Jet
Release
April 20 2017
May 15 2016
Ranking
#668
#922

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