Radeon R5 M315 vs Radeon R5 M420

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 M315 vs Radeon R5 M420 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 M315 vs Radeon R5 M420: 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 M315

2016

Why buy it

✅Costs $150 less on MSRP ($150 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
✅Delivers 94% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 3.3 vs 1.7 G3D/$ ($150 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon R5 M420 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌2016 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon R5 M420

2016

Why buy it

✅28.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.

Trade-offs

❌2016 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
❌
100% HIGHER MSRP
$300 MSRPvs$150 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 1.7 vs 3.3 G3D/$ ($300 MSRP vs $150 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon R5 M420 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 28.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 3.1% in PassMark G3D (504 vs 489), so the answer here is pretty clean.

Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?

Radeon R5 M315 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 M315 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $150 cheaper on MSRP at $150 vs $300, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 94% (3.3 vs 1.7), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. Radeon R5 M420 still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

Radeon R5 M315 vs Radeon R5 M420 Technical Specifications

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

Radeon R5 M315

The Radeon R5 M315 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 15 2016. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 780 MHz to 1030 MHz. It has 320 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 489 points.

Radeon R5 M420

The Radeon R5 M420 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 15 2016. It features the GCN 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 900 MHz to 1000 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 504 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R5 M315 scores 489 and the Radeon R5 M420 reaches 504 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 3.1% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R5 M315 is built on GCN 1.0 while the Radeon R5 M420 uses GCN 2.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 320 (Radeon R5 M315) vs 768 (Radeon R5 M420). Raw compute: 0.6592 TFLOPS (Radeon R5 M315) vs 1.536 TFLOPS (Radeon R5 M420). Boost clocks: 1030 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

Feature	Radeon R5 M315	Radeon R5 M420
G3D Mark Score	489	504+3%
Architecture	GCN 1.0	GCN 2.0
Process Node	28 nm	28 nm
Shading Units	320	768+140%
Compute (TFLOPS)	0.6592 TFLOPS	1.536 TFLOPS+133%
Boost Clock	1030 MHz+3%	1000 MHz
ROPs	8	16+100%
TMUs	20	48+140%
L1 Cache	80 KB	192 KB+140%
L2 Cache	128 KB	256 KB+100%
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling	FSR upscaling

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Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Feature	Radeon R5 M315	Radeon R5 M420
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 M315 and 128-bit on the Radeon R5 M420. L2 Cache: 128 KB (Radeon R5 M315) vs 256 KB (Radeon R5 M420) — the Radeon R5 M420 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon R5 M315	Radeon R5 M420
VRAM Capacity	0.5 GB	0.5 GB
Memory Type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth	Unknown	Unknown
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit
L2 Cache	128 KB	256 KB+100%

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R5 M315 draws 75W versus the Radeon R5 M420's 75W — a 0% difference. The Radeon R5 M420 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon R5 M315) vs 350W (Radeon R5 M420). Power connectors: Mobile vs Mobile.

Feature	Radeon R5 M315	Radeon R5 M420
TDP	75W	75W
Recommended PSU	350W	350W
Power Connector	Mobile	Mobile
Length	—	0mm
Height	—	0mm
Slots	—	0
Temp (Load)	—	80
Perf/Watt	6.5	6.7+3%

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon R5 M315 came in at $150, while the Radeon R5 M420 launched at $300. On MSRP, Radeon R5 M315 was 50% cheaper ($150 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 3.3 (Radeon R5 M315) vs 1.7 (Radeon R5 M420) — the Radeon R5 M315 offers 94.1% better value.

Feature	Radeon R5 M315	Radeon R5 M420
MSRP	$150-50%	$300
Performance per Dollar	3.3+94%	1.7
Codename	Jet	Emerald
Release	May 15 2016	May 15 2016
Ranking	#922	#649

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