Radeon 520 vs Radeon R7 G

AMD

Radeon 520

2017Core: 1100 MHzBoost: 1183 MHz
VS
AMD

Radeon R7 G

2015Boost: 975 MHz

Radeon 520 vs Radeon R7 G 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 R7 G 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 R7 G: 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

  • Draws 50W instead of 100W, a 50W reduction.
  • More future proof: GCN 4.0 (2016−2020) on 14nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon R7 G across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2017 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 13% HIGHER MSRP
    $78 MSRPvs$69 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 11.2 vs 12.6 G3D/$ ($78 MSRP vs $69 MSRP).

Radeon R7 G

2015

Why buy it

  • 72.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $9 less on MSRP ($69 MSRP vs $78 MSRP).
  • Delivers 12.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 12.6 vs 11.2 G3D/$ ($69 MSRP vs $78 MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • 2015 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 100% higher power demand at 100W vs 50W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon R7 G is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 72.6% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon 520 instead at 874 vs 870, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.
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 2015. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon R7 G makes the most sense to buy today. It is $9 cheaper on MSRP at $69 vs $78, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 12.5% (12.6 vs 11.2), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R7 G is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon 520 has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon 520 vs Radeon R7 G 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 R7 G

The Radeon R7 G is manufactured by AMD. It was released in June 18 2015. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 975 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 100W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 870 points. Launch price was $149.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon 520 scores 874 and the Radeon R7 G reaches 870 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon 520 is built on GCN 4.0 while the Radeon R7 G uses GCN 1.0, both on 14 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 512 (Radeon 520) vs 1,024 (Radeon R7 G). Raw compute: 1.211 TFLOPS (Radeon 520) vs 1.997 TFLOPS (Radeon R7 G). Boost clocks: 1183 MHz vs 975 MHz.

FeatureRadeon 520Radeon R7 G
G3D Mark Score
874
870
Architecture
GCN 4.0
GCN 1.0
Process Node
14 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
512
1024+100%
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.211 TFLOPS
1.997 TFLOPS+65%
Boost Clock
1183 MHz+21%
975 MHz
ROPs
16
32+100%
TMUs
32
64+100%
L1 Cache
128 KB
256 KB+100%
L2 Cache
256 KB
512 KB+100%
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling
FSR upscaling

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon 520Radeon R7 G
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 R7 G. L2 Cache: 256 KB (Radeon 520) vs 512 KB (Radeon R7 G) — the Radeon R7 G has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureRadeon 520Radeon R7 G
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
64-bit
128-bit+100%
L2 Cache
256 KB
512 KB+100%
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon 520 draws 50W versus the Radeon R7 G's 100W — a 66.7% difference. The Radeon 520 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 250W (Radeon 520) vs 350W (Radeon R7 G). Power connectors: None vs None.

FeatureRadeon 520Radeon R7 G
TDP
50W-50%
100W
Recommended PSU
250W-29%
350W
Power Connector
None
None
Perf/Watt
17.5+101%
8.7
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon 520 came in at $78, while the Radeon R7 G launched at $69. On MSRP, Radeon R7 G was 11.5% cheaper ($9 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 11.2 (Radeon 520) vs 12.6 (Radeon R7 G) — the Radeon R7 G offers 12.5% better value. The newer card here is Radeon 520 (2017 vs 2015).

FeatureRadeon 520Radeon R7 G
MSRP
$78
$69-12%
Performance per Dollar
11.2
12.6+13%
Codename
Lexa
Trinidad
Release
April 20 2017
June 18 2015
Ranking
#668
#467

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.