Radeon HD 7450 vs Radeon R5 230

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 7450 vs Radeon R5 230 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 7450 vs Radeon R5 230: 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 7450

2012

Why buy it

✅25.0% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $5 less on MSRP ($45 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).
✅Delivers 12.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 5.0 vs 4.4 G3D/$ ($45 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).
✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 512 MB).

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.
❌300% higher power demand at 200W vs 50W.

Radeon R5 230

2017

Why buy it

✅Draws 50W instead of 200W, a 150W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7450 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2017 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
11.1% HIGHER MSRP
$50 MSRPvs$45 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 4.4 vs 5.0 G3D/$ ($50 MSRP vs $45 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 7450 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 25.0% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0.9% in PassMark G3D (224 vs 222), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon HD 7450 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 1 GB vs 512 MB of VRAM. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon HD 7450 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $5 cheaper on MSRP at $45 vs $50, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 12.1% (5.0 vs 4.4), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Radeon HD 7450 vs Radeon R5 230 Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 7450

The Radeon HD 7450 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: 224 points. Launch price was $449.

Radeon R5 230

The Radeon R5 230 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 18 2017. It features the GCN 3.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 730 MHz to 1024 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 222 points.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 7450 scores 224 and the Radeon R5 230 reaches 222 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.9% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 7450 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon R5 230 uses GCN 3.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,792 (Radeon HD 7450) vs 384 (Radeon R5 230). Raw compute: 2.867 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7450) vs 0.7864 TFLOPS (Radeon R5 230). Boost clocks: 1250 MHz vs 1024 MHz.

Feature	Radeon HD 7450	Radeon R5 230
G3D Mark Score	224	222
Architecture	GCN 1.0	GCN 3.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1792+367%	384
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.867 TFLOPS+265%	0.7864 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1250 MHz+22%	1024 MHz
ROPs	32+300%	8
TMUs	112+367%	24
L1 Cache	448 KB+367%	96 KB
L2 Cache	768 KB+500%	128 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 7450	Radeon R5 230
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 7450 has 1 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R5 230 carries 512 MB. Radeon HD 7450 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 7450 and 128-bit on the Radeon R5 230. L2 Cache: 768 KB (Radeon HD 7450) vs 128 KB (Radeon R5 230) — the Radeon HD 7450 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 7450	Radeon R5 230
VRAM Capacity	1 GB+100%	0.5 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	768 KB+500%	128 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.2 (Radeon HD 7450) vs 11.2 (Radeon R5 230). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	Radeon HD 7450	Radeon R5 230
DirectX	11.2	11.2
Max Displays	2	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: UVD 3.1 (Radeon HD 7450) vs UVD 2.2 (Radeon R5 230). Decoder: UVD 3.1 vs UVD 2.2.

Feature	Radeon HD 7450	Radeon R5 230
Encoder	UVD 3.1	UVD 2.2
Decoder	UVD 3.1	UVD 2.2
Codecs	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1	—

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 7450 draws 200W versus the Radeon R5 230's 50W — a 120% difference. The Radeon R5 230 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 7450) vs 350W (Radeon R5 230). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 168mm vs 168mm, occupying 1 vs 1 slots.

Feature	Radeon HD 7450	Radeon R5 230
TDP	200W	50W-75%
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	168mm	168mm
Slots	1	1
Perf/Watt	1.1	4.4+300%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 7450 came in at $45, while the Radeon R5 230 launched at $50. On MSRP, Radeon HD 7450 was 10% cheaper ($5 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 5.0 (Radeon HD 7450) vs 4.4 (Radeon R5 230) — the Radeon HD 7450 offers 13.6% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R5 230 (2017 vs 2012).

Feature	Radeon HD 7450	Radeon R5 230
MSRP	$45-10%	$50
Performance per Dollar	5.0+14%	4.4
Codename	Tahiti	Weston
Release	January 31 2012	April 18 2017
Ranking	#454	#873

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