Radeon HD 6520G vs Radeon HD 7470

AMD

Radeon HD 6520G

2010Boost: 800 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon HD 7470

2012Boost: 925 MHz
Similar parts
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Radeon HD 6520G vs Radeon HD 7470 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 HD 6520G vs Radeon HD 7470 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 6520G vs Radeon HD 7470: 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 6520G

2010

Why buy it

  • Costs $10 less on MSRP ($40 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).
  • Delivers 29.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 7.5 vs 5.8 G3D/$ ($40 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).
  • Draws 200W instead of 250W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • 2010 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon HD 7470

2012

Why buy it

  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 512 MB).
  • More future proof: GCN 1.0 (2012−2020) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 2012 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 25% HIGHER MSRP
    $50 MSRPvs$40 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.8 vs 7.5 G3D/$ ($50 MSRP vs $40 MSRP).
  • 25% higher power demand at 250W vs 200W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon HD 6520G is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 3.8% in PassMark G3D (300 vs 289), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon HD 6520G is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon HD 6520G makes the most sense to buy today. It is $10 cheaper on MSRP at $40 vs $50, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 29.8% (7.5 vs 5.8), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Radeon HD 6520G vs Radeon HD 7470 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

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.

AMD

Radeon HD 7470

The Radeon HD 7470 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 9 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 925 MHz. It has 2048 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 250W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 289 points. Launch price was $549.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 6520G scores 300 and the Radeon HD 7470 reaches 289 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.8% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 6520G is built on TeraScale 3 while the Radeon HD 7470 uses GCN 1.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,408 (Radeon HD 6520G) vs 2,048 (Radeon HD 7470). Raw compute: 2.253 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6520G) vs 3.789 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7470). Boost clocks: 800 MHz vs 925 MHz.

FeatureRadeon HD 6520GRadeon HD 7470
G3D Mark Score
300+4%
289
Architecture
TeraScale 3
GCN 1.0
Process Node
40 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
1408
2048+45%
Compute (TFLOPS)
2.253 TFLOPS
3.789 TFLOPS+68%
Boost Clock
800 MHz
925 MHz+16%
ROPs
32
32
TMUs
88
128+45%
L1 Cache
352 KB
512 KB+45%
L2 Cache
512 KB
768 KB+50%
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling
FSR upscaling

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon HD 6520GRadeon HD 7470
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)

The Radeon HD 6520G has 512 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon HD 7470 carries 1 GB. Radeon HD 7470 gives you 100% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the Radeon HD 6520G and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 7470. L2 Cache: 512 KB (Radeon HD 6520G) vs 768 KB (Radeon HD 7470) — the Radeon HD 7470 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureRadeon HD 6520GRadeon HD 7470
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
1 GB+100%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
L2 Cache
512 KB
768 KB+50%
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 6520G draws 200W versus the Radeon HD 7470's 250W — a 22.2% difference. The Radeon HD 6520G is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 6520G) vs 350W (Radeon HD 7470). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 1x 6-pin.

FeatureRadeon HD 6520GRadeon HD 7470
TDP
200W-20%
250W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
1x 6-pin
Length
168mm
Height
69mm
Slots
1
Temp (Load)
70
Perf/Watt
1.5+25%
1.2
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 6520G came in at $40, while the Radeon HD 7470 launched at $50. On MSRP, Radeon HD 6520G was 20% cheaper ($10 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 7.5 (Radeon HD 6520G) vs 5.8 (Radeon HD 7470) — the Radeon HD 6520G offers 29.3% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 7470 (2012 vs 2010).

FeatureRadeon HD 6520GRadeon HD 7470
MSRP
$40-20%
$50
Performance per Dollar
7.5+29%
5.8
Codename
Cayman
Tahiti
Release
December 14 2010
January 9 2012
Ranking
#623
#431

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