Radeon HD 7540D vs Radeon HD 8310E

AMD

Radeon HD 7540D

2012Boost: 1250 MHz
VS
AMD

Radeon HD 8310E

2010Core: 800 MHz

Radeon HD 7540D vs Radeon HD 8310E 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 7540D vs Radeon HD 8310E 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 7540D vs Radeon HD 8310E: 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 7540D

2012

Why buy it

  • 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 8310E across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2012 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 34% HIGHER MSRP
    $67 MSRPvs$50 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 4.9 vs 6.8 G3D/$ ($67 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).

Radeon HD 8310E

2010

Why buy it

  • 6.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $17 less on MSRP ($50 MSRP vs $67 MSRP).
  • Delivers 38% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 6.8 vs 4.9 G3D/$ ($50 MSRP vs $67 MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • 2010 hardware with 512 MB 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 8310E is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 6.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 3% in PassMark G3D (341 vs 331), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon HD 7540D is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 28nm process instead of 40nm and a newer 2012 generation instead of 2010. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon HD 8310E makes the most sense to buy today. It is $17 cheaper on MSRP at $50 vs $67, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 38% (6.8 vs 4.9), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon HD 8310E is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon HD 7540D has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon HD 7540D vs Radeon HD 8310E Technical Specifications

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

AMD

Radeon HD 7540D

The Radeon HD 7540D 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: 331 points. Launch price was $449.

AMD

Radeon HD 8310E

The Radeon HD 8310E is manufactured by AMD. It was released in February 25 2010. It features the TeraScale 2 architecture. The core clock speed is 800 MHz. It has 1120 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 175W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 341 points.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 7540D scores 331 and the Radeon HD 8310E reaches 341 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 7540D is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon HD 8310E uses TeraScale 2, both on 28 nm vs 40 nm. Shader units: 1,792 (Radeon HD 7540D) vs 1,120 (Radeon HD 8310E). Raw compute: 2.867 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7540D) vs 1.792 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8310E).

FeatureRadeon HD 7540DRadeon HD 8310E
G3D Mark Score
331
341+3%
Architecture
GCN 1.0
TeraScale 2
Process Node
28 nm
40 nm
Shading Units
1792+60%
1120
Compute (TFLOPS)
2.867 TFLOPS+60%
1.792 TFLOPS
ROPs
32+100%
16
TMUs
112+100%
56
L1 Cache
448 KB+300%
112 KB
L2 Cache
768 KB+50%
512 KB
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling
FSR upscaling

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon HD 7540DRadeon HD 8310E
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 7540D and 128-bit on the Radeon HD 8310E. L2 Cache: 768 KB (Radeon HD 7540D) vs 512 KB (Radeon HD 8310E) — the Radeon HD 7540D has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureRadeon HD 7540DRadeon HD 8310E
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
L2 Cache
768 KB+50%
512 KB
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 7540D draws 200W versus the Radeon HD 8310E's 175W — a 13.3% difference. The Radeon HD 8310E is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 7540D) vs 350W (Radeon HD 8310E). Power connectors: None vs 1x 6-pin.

FeatureRadeon HD 7540DRadeon HD 8310E
TDP
200W
175W-13%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
None
1x 6-pin
Perf/Watt
1.7
1.9+12%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 7540D came in at $67, while the Radeon HD 8310E launched at $50. On MSRP, Radeon HD 8310E was 25.4% cheaper ($17 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 4.9 (Radeon HD 7540D) vs 6.8 (Radeon HD 8310E) — the Radeon HD 8310E offers 38.8% better value. The newer card here is Radeon HD 7540D (2012 vs 2010).

FeatureRadeon HD 7540DRadeon HD 8310E
MSRP
$67
$50-25%
Performance per Dollar
4.9
6.8+39%
Codename
Tahiti
Cypress
Release
January 31 2012
February 25 2010
Ranking
#454
#724

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