Radeon R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) vs Radeon R7 A265

AMD

Radeon R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)

2014Core: 720 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

Radeon R7 A265

2014Core: 725 MHzBoost: 825 MHz
Similar parts
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Radeon R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) vs Radeon R7 A265 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 R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) vs Radeon R7 A265 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 R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) vs Radeon R7 A265: 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 R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)

2014

Why buy it

  • 106.3% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $100 less on MSRP ($49 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).
  • Delivers 205.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 20.4 vs 6.7 G3D/$ ($49 MSRP vs $149 MSRP).

Trade-offs

  • 2014 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

Radeon R7 A265

2014

Why buy it

  • Competitive enough if your priority is price, power, or specific feature preference.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • 2014 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • 204.1% HIGHER MSRP
    $149 MSRPvs$49 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 6.7 vs 20.4 G3D/$ ($149 MSRP vs $49 MSRP).

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 106.3% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0.6% in PassMark G3D (1,000 vs 994), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) 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 R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) makes the most sense to buy today. It is $100 cheaper on MSRP at $49 vs $149, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 205.9% (20.4 vs 6.7), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

Radeon R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) vs Radeon R7 A265 Technical Specifications

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

AMD

Radeon R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)

The Radeon R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 14 2014. It features the GCN architecture. The core clock speed is 720 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,000 points.

AMD

Radeon R7 A265

The Radeon R7 A265 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 9 2014. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 725 MHz to 825 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 994 points.

Graphics Performance

The Radeon R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) scores 1,000 and the Radeon R7 A265 reaches 994 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) is built on GCN while the Radeon R7 A265 uses GCN 1.0, both on a 28 nm process. Shader units: 384 (Radeon R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)) vs 384 (Radeon R7 A265).

FeatureRadeon R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)Radeon R7 A265
G3D Mark Score
1,000
994
Architecture
GCN
GCN 1.0
Process Node
28 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
384
384
Frame Generation
FSR upscaling
FSR upscaling

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

FeatureRadeon R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)Radeon R7 A265
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 R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) and 128-bit on the Radeon R7 A265.

FeatureRadeon R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)Radeon R7 A265
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
Unknown
Bus Width
128-bit
128-bit
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12_0 (Radeon R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon R7 A265). Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 2.

FeatureRadeon R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)Radeon R7 A265
DirectX
12_0
12 (11_1)
Max Displays
3+50%
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCE 2.0 (Radeon R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon R7 A265). Decoder: UVD 4.2 vs UVD 4.0.

FeatureRadeon R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)Radeon R7 A265
Encoder
VCE 2.0
VCE 1.0
Decoder
UVD 4.2
UVD 4.0
Codecs
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) draws 30W versus the Radeon R7 A265's 30W — a 0% difference. The Radeon R7 A265 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (Radeon R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)) vs 350W (Radeon R7 A265). Power connectors: None vs PCIe-powered.

FeatureRadeon R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)Radeon R7 A265
TDP
30W
30W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
None
PCIe-powered
Length
0mm
Slots
0
0
Temp (Load)
75
Perf/Watt
33.3
33.1
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) came in at $49, while the Radeon R7 A265 launched at $149. On MSRP, Radeon R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) was 67.1% cheaper ($100 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 20.4 (Radeon R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)) vs 6.7 (Radeon R7 A265) — the Radeon R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop) offers 204.5% better value.

FeatureRadeon R7 384 Cores (Kaveri Desktop)Radeon R7 A265
MSRP
$49-67%
$149
Performance per Dollar
20.4+204%
6.7
Codename
Kaveri Spectre
Opal
Release
January 14 2014
January 9 2014
Ranking
#865
#890

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