Radeon HD 2900 GT vs Radeon HD 6520G

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 HD 2900 GT vs Radeon HD 6520G 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 HD 2900 GT vs Radeon HD 6520G: 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 HD 2900 GT

2013

Why buy it

✅Draws 25W instead of 200W, a 175W reduction.
✅More future proof: TeraScale 2 (2009−2015) on 40nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 6520G across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2013 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
325% HIGHER MSRP
$170 MSRPvs$40 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.7 vs 7.5 G3D/$ ($170 MSRP vs $40 MSRP).

Radeon HD 6520G

2010

Why buy it

✅45.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $130 less on MSRP ($40 MSRP vs $170 MSRP).
✅Delivers 336.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 7.5 vs 1.7 G3D/$ ($40 MSRP vs $170 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌2010 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌700% higher power demand at 200W vs 25W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 6520G is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 45.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2.7% in PassMark G3D (300 vs 292), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon HD 2900 GT is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a newer 2013 generation instead of 2010. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 6520G makes the most sense to buy today. It is $130 cheaper on MSRP at $40 vs $170, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 336.6% (7.5 vs 1.7), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 6520G is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon HD 2900 GT has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 2900 GT vs Radeon HD 6520G Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 2900 GT

The Radeon HD 2900 GT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 7 2013. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 725 MHz. It has 480 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 25W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 292 points.

Radeon HD 6520G

The Radeon HD 6520G is manufactured by AMD. It was released in December 14 2010. It features the TeraScale 3 architecture. The boost clock speed is 800 MHz. It has 1408 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 300 points. Launch price was $299.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 2900 GT scores 292 and the Radeon HD 6520G reaches 300 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.7% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 2900 GT is built on TeraScale 2 while the Radeon HD 6520G uses TeraScale 3, both on a 40 nm process. Shader units: 480 (Radeon HD 2900 GT) vs 1,408 (Radeon HD 6520G). Raw compute: 0.696 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 2900 GT) vs 2.253 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6520G).

Feature	Radeon HD 2900 GT	Radeon HD 6520G
G3D Mark Score	292	300+3%
Architecture	TeraScale 2	TeraScale 3
Process Node	40 nm	40 nm
Shading Units	480	1408+193%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.696 TFLOPS	2.253 TFLOPS+224%
ROPs	8	32+300%
TMUs	24	88+267%
L1 Cache	48 KB	352 KB+633%
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 2900 GT	Radeon HD 6520G
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

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Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 512 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the Radeon HD 2900 GT and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 6520G. L2 Cache: 256 KB (Radeon HD 2900 GT) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 6520G) — the Radeon HD 6520G has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 2900 GT	Radeon HD 6520G
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	0.5 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	256 KB	512 KB+100%

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 2900 GT draws 25W versus the Radeon HD 6520G's 200W — a 155.6% difference. The Radeon HD 2900 GT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 2900 GT) vs 350W (Radeon HD 6520G). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin.

Feature	Radeon HD 2900 GT	Radeon HD 6520G
TDP	25W-88%	200W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	241mm	—
Slots	2	—
Perf/Watt	11.7+680%	1.5

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 2900 GT came in at $170, while the Radeon HD 6520G launched at $40. On MSRP, Radeon HD 6520G was 76.5% cheaper ($130 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.7 (Radeon HD 2900 GT) vs 7.5 (Radeon HD 6520G) — the Radeon HD 6520G offers 341.2% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 2900 GT (2013 vs 2010).

Feature	Radeon HD 2900 GT	Radeon HD 6520G
MSRP	$170	$40-76%
Performance per Dollar	1.7	7.5+341%
Codename	Thames	Cayman
Release	January 7 2013	December 14 2010
Ranking	#883	#623

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