Radeon HD 7470 vs Radeon R5 235X

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 7470 vs Radeon R5 235X 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 7470 vs Radeon R5 235X: 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 7470

2012

Why buy it

✅41.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

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.
❌212.5% higher power demand at 250W vs 80W.

Radeon R5 235X

2014

Why buy it

✅Costs $1 less on MSRP ($49 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).
✅Draws 80W instead of 250W, a 170W reduction.
✅More future proof: GCN 1.0 (2012−2020) on 28nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7470 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2014 hardware with 1 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 7470 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 41.1% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 4.3% in PassMark G3D (289 vs 277), so the answer here is pretty clean.

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

Radeon HD 7470 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 7470 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $1 more expensive on MSRP at $50 vs $49, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 2.2% (5.8 vs 5.7), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Radeon HD 7470 vs Radeon R5 235X Technical Specifications

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

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.

Radeon R5 235X

The Radeon R5 235X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in February 13 2014. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 80W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 277 points. Launch price was $99.

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Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 7470 scores 289 and the Radeon R5 235X reaches 277 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 7470 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon R5 235X uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 2,048 (Radeon HD 7470) vs 640 (Radeon R5 235X). Raw compute: 3.789 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7470) vs 1.216 TFLOPS (Radeon R5 235X). Boost clocks: 925 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	Radeon HD 7470	Radeon R5 235X
G3D Mark Score	289+4%	277
Architecture	GCN 1.0	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	2048+220%	640
Compute (TFLOPS)	3.789 TFLOPS+212%	1.216 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	925 MHz	1000 MHz+8%
ROPs	32+100%	16
TMUs	128+220%	40
L1 Cache	512 KB+220%	160 KB
L2 Cache	768 KB+200%	256 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 7470	Radeon R5 235X
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 1 GB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the Radeon HD 7470 and 128-bit on the Radeon R5 235X. L2 Cache: 768 KB (Radeon HD 7470) vs 256 KB (Radeon R5 235X) — the Radeon HD 7470 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 7470	Radeon R5 235X
VRAM Capacity	1 GB	1 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	768 KB+200%	256 KB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.2 (11_0) (Radeon HD 7470) vs 11.2 (Radeon R5 235X). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	Radeon HD 7470	Radeon R5 235X
DirectX	11.2 (11_0)	11.2
Max Displays	2	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (Radeon HD 7470) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon R5 235X). Decoder: UVD 3.1 vs UVD 3.1.

Feature	Radeon HD 7470	Radeon R5 235X
Encoder	None	VCE 1.0
Decoder	UVD 3.1	UVD 3.1
Codecs	H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4	—

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 7470 draws 250W versus the Radeon R5 235X's 80W — a 103% difference. The Radeon R5 235X is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 7470) vs 350W (Radeon R5 235X). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 168mm vs 168mm, occupying 1 vs 1 slots.

Feature	Radeon HD 7470	Radeon R5 235X
TDP	250W	80W-68%
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	168mm	168mm
Height	69mm	—
Slots	1	1
Temp (Load)	70	—
Perf/Watt	1.2	3.5+192%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 7470 came in at $50, while the Radeon R5 235X launched at $49. On MSRP, Radeon R5 235X was 2% cheaper ($1 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 5.8 (Radeon HD 7470) vs 5.7 (Radeon R5 235X) — the Radeon HD 7470 offers 1.8% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R5 235X (2014 vs 2012).

Feature	Radeon HD 7470	Radeon R5 235X
MSRP	$50	$49-2%
Performance per Dollar	5.8+2%	5.7
Codename	Tahiti	Cape Verde
Release	January 9 2012	February 13 2014
Ranking	#431	#655

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