Radeon HD 2900 GT vs Radeon HD 7520G

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 7520G 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 7520G: 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.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7520G 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.
❌
183.3% HIGHER MSRP
$170 MSRPvs$60 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.7 vs 5.3 G3D/$ ($170 MSRP vs $60 MSRP).
❌24000% longer card at 241mm vs 1mm.

Radeon HD 7520G

2012

Why buy it

✅45.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $110 less on MSRP ($60 MSRP vs $170 MSRP).
✅Delivers 205.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.3 vs 1.7 G3D/$ ($60 MSRP vs $170 MSRP).
✅Measures 1mm instead of 241mm, a 240mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌2012 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 7520G 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 7.9% in PassMark G3D (315 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 2012. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 7520G makes the most sense to buy today. It is $110 cheaper on MSRP at $60 vs $170, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 205.7% (5.3 vs 1.7), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 7520G 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 7520G 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 7520G

The Radeon HD 7520G is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 31 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1250 MHz. It has 1792 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 315 points. Launch price was $449.

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Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the Radeon HD 2900 GT scores 292 versus the Radeon HD 7520G's 315 — the Radeon HD 7520G leads by 7.9%. The Radeon HD 2900 GT is built on TeraScale 2 while the Radeon HD 7520G uses GCN 1.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 480 (Radeon HD 2900 GT) vs 1,792 (Radeon HD 7520G). Raw compute: 0.696 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 2900 GT) vs 2.867 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7520G).

Feature	Radeon HD 2900 GT	Radeon HD 7520G
G3D Mark Score	292	315+8%
Architecture	TeraScale 2	GCN 1.0
Process Node	40 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	480	1792+273%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.696 TFLOPS	2.867 TFLOPS+312%
ROPs	8	32+300%
TMUs	24	112+367%
L1 Cache	48 KB	448 KB+833%
L2 Cache	256 KB	768 KB+200%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 2900 GT	Radeon HD 7520G
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 128-bit on the Radeon HD 2900 GT and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 7520G. L2 Cache: 256 KB (Radeon HD 2900 GT) vs 768 KB (Radeon HD 7520G) — the Radeon HD 7520G has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 2900 GT	Radeon HD 7520G
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	768 KB+200%

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 10 (Radeon HD 2900 GT) vs 11.2 (Radeon HD 7520G). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 0.

Feature	Radeon HD 2900 GT	Radeon HD 7520G
DirectX	10	11.2+12%
Max Displays	2	0

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: UVD (Radeon HD 2900 GT) vs UVD 3 (Radeon HD 7520G). Decoder: UVD vs UVD 3.

Feature	Radeon HD 2900 GT	Radeon HD 7520G
Encoder	UVD	UVD 3
Decoder	UVD	UVD 3

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 2900 GT draws 25W versus the Radeon HD 7520G'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 7520G). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 241mm vs 1mm, occupying 2 vs 0 slots.

Feature	Radeon HD 2900 GT	Radeon HD 7520G
TDP	25W-88%	200W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	1x 6-pin
Length	241mm	1mm
Slots	2	0-100%
Perf/Watt	11.7+631%	1.6

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 2900 GT came in at $170, while the Radeon HD 7520G launched at $60. On MSRP, Radeon HD 7520G was 64.7% cheaper ($110 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.7 (Radeon HD 2900 GT) vs 5.3 (Radeon HD 7520G) — the Radeon HD 7520G offers 211.8% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 2900 GT (2013 vs 2012).

Feature	Radeon HD 2900 GT	Radeon HD 7520G
MSRP	$170	$60-65%
Performance per Dollar	1.7	5.3+212%
Codename	Thames	Tahiti
Release	January 7 2013	January 31 2012
Ranking	#883	#454

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