Radeon HD 7520G vs Radeon R3

AMD

Radeon HD 7520G

2012Boost: 1250 MHz
VS
AMD

Radeon R3

2019Core: 1082 MHzBoost: 1218 MHz
Similar parts
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Radeon HD 7520G vs Radeon R3 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 7520G vs Radeon R3 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 7520G vs Radeon R3: 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 7520G

2012

Why buy it

  • 15.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

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.
  • 20% HIGHER MSRP
    $60 MSRPvs$50 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.3 vs 6.3 G3D/$ ($60 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).
  • 300% higher power demand at 200W vs 50W.

Radeon R3

2019

Why buy it

  • Costs $10 less on MSRP ($50 MSRP vs $60 MSRP).
  • Delivers 19.6% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 6.3 vs 5.3 G3D/$ ($50 MSRP vs $60 MSRP).
  • Radeon HD 7520G is already obsolete for modern gaming, so Radeon R3 is the less risky modern option long term.
  • Draws 50W instead of 200W, a 150W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7520G across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2019 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM already sits in legacy territory for modern games.

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 15.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0.3% in PassMark G3D (315 vs 314), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon R3 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 14nm process instead of 28nm and a newer 2019 generation instead of 2012. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon R3 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $10 cheaper on MSRP at $50 vs $60, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 19.6% (6.3 vs 5.3), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon HD 7520G still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

Radeon HD 7520G vs Radeon R3 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

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.

AMD

Radeon R3

The Radeon R3 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 13 2019. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1082 MHz to 1218 MHz. It has 512 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 314 points.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 7520G scores 315 and the Radeon R3 reaches 314 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 7520G is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon R3 uses GCN 4.0, both on 28 nm vs 14 nm. Shader units: 1,792 (Radeon HD 7520G) vs 512 (Radeon R3). Raw compute: 2.867 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7520G) vs 1.247 TFLOPS (Radeon R3). Boost clocks: 1250 MHz vs 1218 MHz.

FeatureRadeon HD 7520GRadeon R3
G3D Mark Score
315
314
Architecture
GCN 1.0
GCN 4.0
Process Node
28 nm
14 nm
Shading Units
1792+250%
512
Compute (TFLOPS)
2.867 TFLOPS+130%
1.247 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1250 MHz+3%
1218 MHz
ROPs
32+100%
16
TMUs
112+250%
32
L1 Cache
448 KB+250%
128 KB
L2 Cache
768 KB+50%
512 KB
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling
FSR upscaling

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon HD 7520GRadeon R3
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 7520G and 64-bit on the Radeon R3. L2 Cache: 768 KB (Radeon HD 7520G) vs 512 KB (Radeon R3) — the Radeon HD 7520G has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureRadeon HD 7520GRadeon R3
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
128-bit+100%
64-bit
L2 Cache
768 KB+50%
512 KB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.2 (Radeon HD 7520G) vs 12 (12_0) (Radeon R3). Maximum simultaneous displays: 0 vs 2.

FeatureRadeon HD 7520GRadeon R3
DirectX
11.2
12 (12_0)+7%
Max Displays
0
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: UVD 3 (Radeon HD 7520G) vs VCE 2.0 (Radeon R3). Decoder: UVD 3 vs UVD 4.2.

FeatureRadeon HD 7520GRadeon R3
Encoder
UVD 3
VCE 2.0
Decoder
UVD 3
UVD 4.2
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 7520G draws 200W versus the Radeon R3's 50W — a 120% difference. The Radeon R3 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 7520G) vs 350W (Radeon R3). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered.

FeatureRadeon HD 7520GRadeon R3
TDP
200W
50W-75%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
1mm
Slots
0
0
Temp (Load)
70°C
Perf/Watt
1.6
6.3+294%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 7520G came in at $60, while the Radeon R3 launched at $50. On MSRP, Radeon R3 was 16.7% cheaper ($10 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 5.3 (Radeon HD 7520G) vs 6.3 (Radeon R3) — the Radeon R3 offers 18.9% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R3 (2019 vs 2012).

FeatureRadeon HD 7520GRadeon R3
MSRP
$60
$50-17%
Performance per Dollar
5.3
6.3+19%
Codename
Tahiti
Polaris 23
Release
January 31 2012
May 13 2019
Ranking
#454
#757

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