Radeon HD 8400 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 8400 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 8400 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 8400

2012

Why buy it

✅19.0% more average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $19 less on MSRP ($30 MSRP vs $49 MSRP).
✅Delivers 59.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 9.0 vs 5.7 G3D/$ ($30 MSRP vs $49 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 1 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2012 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌150% higher power demand at 200W vs 80W.

Radeon R5 235X

2014

Why buy it

✅100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (1 GB vs 512 MB).
✅Draws 80W instead of 200W, a 120W 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 8400 across 49 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.
❌
63.3% HIGHER MSRP
$49 MSRPvs$30 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.7 vs 9.0 G3D/$ ($49 MSRP vs $30 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon HD 8400 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 19.0% in average FPS across 49 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon R5 235X instead at 277 vs 271, 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 8400 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 8400 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $19 cheaper on MSRP at $30 vs $49, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 59.8% (9.0 vs 5.7), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Radeon HD 8400 vs Radeon R5 235X Technical Specifications

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

Radeon HD 8400

The Radeon HD 8400 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in March 5 2012. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 271 points. Launch price was $349.

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 8400 scores 271 and the Radeon R5 235X reaches 277 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon HD 8400 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon R5 235X uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 1,280 (Radeon HD 8400) vs 640 (Radeon R5 235X). Raw compute: 2.56 TFLOPS (Radeon HD 8400) vs 1.216 TFLOPS (Radeon R5 235X).

Feature	Radeon HD 8400	Radeon R5 235X
G3D Mark Score	271	277+2%
Architecture	GCN 1.0	GCN 1.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1280+100%	640
Compute (TFLOPS)	2.56 TFLOPS+111%	1.216 TFLOPS
ROPs	32+100%	16
TMUs	80+100%	40
L1 Cache	320 KB+100%	160 KB
L2 Cache	512 KB+100%	256 KB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon HD 8400	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)

The Radeon HD 8400 has 512 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon R5 235X carries 1 GB. Radeon R5 235X 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 8400 and 128-bit on the Radeon R5 235X. L2 Cache: 512 KB (Radeon HD 8400) vs 256 KB (Radeon R5 235X) — the Radeon HD 8400 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon HD 8400	Radeon R5 235X
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	1 GB+100%
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	512 KB+100%	256 KB

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Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.1 (Radeon HD 8400) vs 11.2 (Radeon R5 235X). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

Feature	Radeon HD 8400	Radeon R5 235X
DirectX	11.1	11.2
Max Displays	2	2

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Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 2.0 (Radeon HD 8400) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon R5 235X). Decoder: UVD 4.2 vs UVD 3.1.

Feature	Radeon HD 8400	Radeon R5 235X
Encoder	VCE 2.0	VCE 1.0
Decoder	UVD 4.2	UVD 3.1
Codecs	H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MPEG-4	—

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Power & Dimensions

The Radeon HD 8400 draws 200W versus the Radeon R5 235X's 80W — a 85.7% difference. The Radeon R5 235X is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon HD 8400) vs 350W (Radeon R5 235X). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs PCIe-powered.

Feature	Radeon HD 8400	Radeon R5 235X
TDP	200W	80W-60%
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	1x 6-pin	PCIe-powered
Length	—	168mm
Slots	0-100%	1
Temp (Load)	75	—
Perf/Watt	1.4	3.5+150%

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Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon HD 8400 came in at $30, while the Radeon R5 235X launched at $49. On MSRP, Radeon HD 8400 was 38.8% cheaper ($19 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 9.0 (Radeon HD 8400) vs 5.7 (Radeon R5 235X) — the Radeon HD 8400 offers 57.9% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R5 235X (2014 vs 2012).

Feature	Radeon HD 8400	Radeon R5 235X
MSRP	$30-39%	$49
Performance per Dollar	9.0+58%	5.7
Codename	Pitcairn	Cape Verde
Release	March 5 2012	February 13 2014
Ranking	#460	#655

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