Radeon HD 6530D vs Radeon R5 235

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 6530D vs Radeon R5 235 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 6530D vs Radeon R5 235: 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 6530D

2011

Why buy it

✅53.1% more average FPS across 47 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Measures 1mm instead of 168mm, a 167mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2011 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
2% HIGHER MSRP
$50 MSRPvs$49 MSRP
❌520% higher power demand at 186W vs 30W.

Radeon R5 235

2016

Why buy it

✅Costs $1 less on MSRP ($49 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 512 MB).
✅Draws 30W instead of 186W, a 156W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 6530D across 47 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2016 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌16700% longer card at 168mm vs 1mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 6530D is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 53.1% in average FPS across 47 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0.3% in PassMark G3D (337 vs 336), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon HD 6530D 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 R5 235 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $1 cheaper on MSRP at $49 vs $50, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 1.7% (6.9 vs 6.7), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R5 235 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon HD 6530D has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 6530D vs Radeon R5 235 Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 6530D

The Radeon HD 6530D is manufactured by AMD. It was released in December 1 2011. It features the TeraScale 3 architecture. The core clock speed is 750 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 186W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 337 points. Launch price was $180.

Radeon R5 235

The Radeon R5 235 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 30W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 336 points.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 6530D scores 337 and the Radeon R5 235 reaches 336 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 6530D is built on TeraScale 3 while the Radeon R5 235 uses GCN 1.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,280 (Radeon HD 6530D) vs 320 (Radeon R5 235). Raw compute: 1.92 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 6530D) vs 0.6592 TFLOPS (Radeon R5 235).

Feature	Radeon HD 6530D	Radeon R5 235
G3D Mark Score	337	336
Architecture	TeraScale 3	GCN 1.0
Process Node	40 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1280+300%	320
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.92 TFLOPS+191%	0.6592 TFLOPS
ROPs	32+300%	8
TMUs	80+300%	20
L1 Cache	320 KB+300%	80 KB
L2 Cache	512 KB+300%	128 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 6530D	Radeon R5 235
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)

The Radeon HD 6530D has 512 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon R5 235 carries 1 GB. Radeon R5 235 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 6530D and 128-bit on the Radeon R5 235. L2 Cache: 512 KB (Radeon HD 6530D) vs 128 KB (Radeon R5 235) — the Radeon HD 6530D has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 6530D	Radeon R5 235
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+300%	128 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11 (Radeon HD 6530D) vs 11.2 (Radeon R5 235). Maximum simultaneous displays: 0 vs 2.

Feature	Radeon HD 6530D	Radeon R5 235
DirectX	11	11.2+2%
Max Displays	0	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: UVD 3 (Radeon HD 6530D) vs None (Radeon R5 235). Decoder: UVD 3 vs UVD 3.1.

Feature	Radeon HD 6530D	Radeon R5 235
Encoder	UVD 3	None
Decoder	UVD 3	UVD 3.1
Codecs	—	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4,MVC

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Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 6530D draws 186W versus the Radeon R5 235's 30W — a 144.4% difference. The Radeon R5 235 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 6530D) vs 350W (Radeon R5 235). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 1mm vs 168mm, occupying 0 vs 1 slots.

Feature	Radeon HD 6530D	Radeon R5 235
TDP	186W	30W-84%
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	1mm	168mm
Height	—	111mm
Slots	0-100%	1
Temp (Load)	—	75
Perf/Watt	1.8	11.2+522%

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Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 6530D came in at $50, while the Radeon R5 235 launched at $49. On MSRP, Radeon R5 235 was 2% cheaper ($1 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 6.7 (Radeon HD 6530D) vs 6.9 (Radeon R5 235) — the Radeon R5 235 offers 3% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R5 235 (2016 vs 2011).

Feature	Radeon HD 6530D	Radeon R5 235
MSRP	$50	$49-2%
Performance per Dollar	6.7	6.9+3%
Codename	Cayman	Jet
Release	December 1 2011	May 15 2016
Ranking	#598	#922

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