Radeon R5 420 vs Radeon R5 A240

AMD

Radeon R5 420

2017Core: 1183 MHzBoost: 1124 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon R5 A240

2013Boost: 780 MHz
Similar parts
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Radeon R5 420 vs Radeon R5 A240 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 R5 420 vs Radeon R5 A240 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 R5 420 vs Radeon R5 A240: 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 R5 420

2017

Why buy it

  • 38.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $20 less on MSRP ($80 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).
  • Delivers 24.8% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 7.2 vs 5.8 G3D/$ ($80 MSRP vs $100 MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • 2017 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 66.7% higher power demand at 50W vs 30W.

Radeon R5 A240

2013

Why buy it

  • Draws 30W instead of 50W, a 20W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon R5 420 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2013 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 25% HIGHER MSRP
    $100 MSRPvs$80 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 5.8 vs 7.2 G3D/$ ($100 MSRP vs $80 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon R5 420 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 38.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon R5 A240 instead at 576 vs 575, 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 R5 420 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a 14nm process instead of 28nm and a newer 2017 generation instead of 2013. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon R5 420 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $20 cheaper on MSRP at $80 vs $100, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 24.8% (7.2 vs 5.8), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Radeon R5 420 vs Radeon R5 A240 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

Radeon R5 420

The Radeon R5 420 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in April 20 2017. It features the GCN 4.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1183 MHz to 1124 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 50W. Manufactured using 14 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 575 points. Launch price was $79.

AMD

Radeon R5 A240

The Radeon R5 A240 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 8 2013. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 780 MHz. It has 320 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 576 points. Launch price was $69.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R5 420 scores 575 and the Radeon R5 A240 reaches 576 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.2% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R5 420 is built on GCN 4.0 while the Radeon R5 A240 uses GCN 1.0, both on 14 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 384 (Radeon R5 420) vs 320 (Radeon R5 A240). Raw compute: 0.9085 TFLOPS (Radeon R5 420) vs 0.448 TFLOPS (Radeon R5 A240). Boost clocks: 1124 MHz vs 780 MHz.

FeatureRadeon R5 420Radeon R5 A240
G3D Mark Score
575
576
Architecture
GCN 4.0
GCN 1.0
Process Node
14 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
384+20%
320
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.9085 TFLOPS+103%
0.448 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1124 MHz+44%
780 MHz
ROPs
16+100%
8
TMUs
24+20%
20
L1 Cache
96 KB+20%
80 KB
L2 Cache
512 KB+100%
256 KB
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling
FSR upscaling

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon R5 420Radeon R5 A240
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 R5 420 and 128-bit on the Radeon R5 A240. L2 Cache: 512 KB (Radeon R5 420) vs 256 KB (Radeon R5 A240) — the Radeon R5 420 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureRadeon R5 420Radeon R5 A240
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
L2 Cache
512 KB+100%
256 KB
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R5 420 draws 50W versus the Radeon R5 A240's 30W — a 50% difference. The Radeon R5 A240 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon R5 420) vs 350W (Radeon R5 A240). Power connectors: None vs None.

FeatureRadeon R5 420Radeon R5 A240
TDP
50W
30W-40%
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
None
None
Perf/Watt
11.5
19.2+67%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon R5 420 came in at $80, while the Radeon R5 A240 launched at $100. On MSRP, Radeon R5 420 was 20% cheaper ($20 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 7.2 (Radeon R5 420) vs 5.8 (Radeon R5 A240) — the Radeon R5 420 offers 24.1% better value. The newer card here is Radeon R5 420 (2017 vs 2013).

FeatureRadeon R5 420Radeon R5 A240
MSRP
$80-20%
$100
Performance per Dollar
7.2+24%
5.8
Codename
Lexa
Oland
Release
April 20 2017
October 8 2013
Ranking
#773
#911

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