Radeon HD 7540D vs Radeon R5 310

AMD

Radeon HD 7540D

2012Boost: 1250 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon R5 310

2017Core: 730 MHzBoost: 1024 MHz
Similar parts
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Radeon HD 7540D vs Radeon R5 310 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 R5 310 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 R5 310: 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

  • 41.1% 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.
  • 36.7% HIGHER MSRP
    $67 MSRPvs$49 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 4.9 vs 6.8 G3D/$ ($67 MSRP vs $49 MSRP).
  • 300% higher power demand at 200W vs 50W.

Radeon R5 310

2017

Why buy it

  • Costs $18 less on MSRP ($49 MSRP vs $67 MSRP).
  • Delivers 37.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 6.8 vs 4.9 G3D/$ ($49 MSRP vs $67 MSRP).
  • Draws 50W instead of 200W, a 150W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon HD 7540D across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2017 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 7540D 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. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon R5 310 instead at 332 vs 331, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.
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 because it comes out ahead on the available hardware-headroom signals for this matchup.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon R5 310 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $18 cheaper on MSRP at $49 vs $67, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 37.1% (6.8 vs 4.9), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon R5 310 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 R5 310 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 R5 310

The Radeon R5 310 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: 332 points.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon HD 7540D scores 331 and the Radeon R5 310 reaches 332 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.3% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 7540D is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon R5 310 uses GCN 3.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,792 (Radeon HD 7540D) vs 384 (Radeon R5 310). Raw compute: 2.867 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 7540D) vs 0.7864 TFLOPS (Radeon R5 310). Boost clocks: 1250 MHz vs 1024 MHz.

FeatureRadeon HD 7540DRadeon R5 310
G3D Mark Score
331
332
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)

FeatureRadeon HD 7540DRadeon R5 310
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 R5 310. L2 Cache: 768 KB (Radeon HD 7540D) vs 128 KB (Radeon R5 310) — the Radeon HD 7540D has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureRadeon HD 7540DRadeon R5 310
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+500%
128 KB
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 7540D draws 200W versus the Radeon R5 310's 50W — a 120% difference. The Radeon R5 310 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 7540D) vs 350W (Radeon R5 310). Power connectors: None vs PCIe-powered.

FeatureRadeon HD 7540DRadeon R5 310
TDP
200W
50W-75%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
None
PCIe-powered
Perf/Watt
1.7
6.6+288%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 7540D came in at $67, while the Radeon R5 310 launched at $49. On MSRP, Radeon R5 310 was 26.9% cheaper ($18 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 4.9 (Radeon HD 7540D) vs 6.8 (Radeon R5 310) — the Radeon R5 310 offers 38.8% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R5 310 (2017 vs 2012).

FeatureRadeon HD 7540DRadeon R5 310
MSRP
$67
$49-27%
Performance per Dollar
4.9
6.8+39%
Codename
Tahiti
Weston
Release
January 31 2012
April 18 2017
Ranking
#454
#873

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