RADEON HD6530D vs Radeon R5 M255

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 HD6530D vs Radeon R5 M255 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 HD6530D vs Radeon R5 M255: 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 HD6530D

2011

Why buy it

✅45.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $100 less on MSRP ($50 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).
✅Delivers 193.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 10.6 vs 3.6 G3D/$ ($50 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 4 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌2011 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌148% higher power demand at 186W vs 75W.

Radeon R5 M255

2014

Why buy it

✅700% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (4 GB vs 512 MB).
✅Draws 75W instead of 186W, a 111W 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 HD6530D across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2014 hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
200% HIGHER MSRP
$150 MSRPvs$50 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 3.6 vs 10.6 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs $50 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

RADEON HD6530D is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 45.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon R5 M255 instead at 543 vs 532, 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 HD6530D 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 HD6530D makes the most sense to buy today. It is $100 cheaper on MSRP at $50 vs $150, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 193.9% (10.6 vs 3.6), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

RADEON HD6530D vs Radeon R5 M255 Technical Specifications

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

RADEON HD6530D

The RADEON HD6530D is manufactured by AMD. It was released in December 1 2011. It features the TeraScale 3 architecture. The core clock speed is 750 MHz. It has 1280 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 186W. Manufactured using 40 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 532 points. Launch price was $180.

Radeon R5 M255

The Radeon R5 M255 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 28 2014. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 900 MHz to 925 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 543 points. Launch price was $799.99.

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Graphics Performance

The RADEON HD6530D scores 532 and the Radeon R5 M255 reaches 543 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 2.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The RADEON HD6530D is built on TeraScale 3 while the Radeon R5 M255 uses GCN 1.0, both on 40 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 1,280 (RADEON HD6530D) vs 640 (Radeon R5 M255). Raw compute: 1.92 TFLOPS (RADEON HD6530D) vs 1.184 TFLOPS (Radeon R5 M255).

Feature	RADEON HD6530D	Radeon R5 M255
G3D Mark Score	532	543+2%
Architecture	TeraScale 3	GCN 1.0
Process Node	40 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	1280+100%	640
Compute (TFLOPS)	1.92 TFLOPS+62%	1.184 TFLOPS
ROPs	32+100%	16
TMUs	80+100%	40
L1 Cache	320 KB+100%	160 KB
L2 Cache	512 KB+100%	256 KB

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	RADEON HD6530D	Radeon R5 M255
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 HD6530D has 512 MB of VRAM, while the Radeon R5 M255 carries 4 GB. Radeon R5 M255 gives you 700% 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 HD6530D and 128-bit on the Radeon R5 M255. L2 Cache: 512 KB (RADEON HD6530D) vs 256 KB (Radeon R5 M255) — the RADEON HD6530D has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	RADEON HD6530D	Radeon R5 M255
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	4 GB+700%
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: 11.2 (RADEON HD6530D) vs 12 (Radeon R5 M255). Maximum simultaneous displays: 0 vs 2.

Feature	RADEON HD6530D	Radeon R5 M255
DirectX	11.2	12+7%
Max Displays	0	2

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Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: UVD 3.0 (RADEON HD6530D) vs VCE 3.0 (Radeon R5 M255). Decoder: UVD 3.0 vs UVD 4.2.

Feature	RADEON HD6530D	Radeon R5 M255
Encoder	UVD 3.0	VCE 3.0
Decoder	UVD 3.0	UVD 4.2
Codecs	—	H.264,MPEG-4,MPEG-2,VC-1

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Power & Dimensions

The RADEON HD6530D draws 186W versus the Radeon R5 M255's 75W — a 85.1% difference. The Radeon R5 M255 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (RADEON HD6530D) vs 350W (Radeon R5 M255). Power connectors: Legacy vs Mobile.

Feature	RADEON HD6530D	Radeon R5 M255
TDP	186W	75W-60%
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	Legacy	Mobile
Length	1mm	—
Slots	0	0
Temp (Load)	—	80°C
Perf/Watt	2.9	7.2+148%

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Value Analysis

At launch, the RADEON HD6530D came in at $50, while the Radeon R5 M255 launched at $150. On MSRP, RADEON HD6530D was 66.7% cheaper ($100 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 10.6 (RADEON HD6530D) vs 3.6 (Radeon R5 M255) — the RADEON HD6530D offers 194.4% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R5 M255 (2014 vs 2011).

Feature	RADEON HD6530D	Radeon R5 M255
MSRP	$50-67%	$150
Performance per Dollar	10.6+194%	3.6
Codename	Cayman	Venus
Release	December 1 2011	January 28 2014
Ranking	#598	#851

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