GeForce GT 520 vs GT 640M

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Aggregated performance score

GT 640M
2012
2048 MB DDR3\GDDR5
2.37
+196%

GT 640M outperforms GT 520 by a whopping 196% based on our aggregated benchmark results.

Primary details

GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.

Place in performance ranking8051103
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation0.230.01
ArchitectureKepler (2012−2018)Fermi 2.0 (2010−2014)
GPU code nameN13P-GSGF119
Market segmentLaptopDesktop
Release date22 March 2012 (12 years ago)13 April 2011 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)no data$59
Current price$310 $88 (1.5x MSRP)

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

GT 640M has 2200% better value for money than GT 520.

Detailed specifications

General performance parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. These parameters indirectly speak of performance, but for precise assessment you have to consider their benchmark and gaming test results. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores38448
CUDA cores38448
Core clock speedUp to 625 MHz810 MHz
Boost clock speed645 MHzno data
Number of transistors1,270 million292 million
Manufacturing process technology28 nm40 nm
Power consumption (TDP)32 Watt29 Watt
Maximum GPU temperatureno data102 °C
Texture fill rateUp to 20.0 billion/sec6.5 billion/sec
Floating-point performance480.0 gflops155.52 gflops

Form factor & compatibility

Information on GeForce GT 640M and GeForce GT 520 compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop video cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility). For notebook video cards it's notebook size, connection slot and bus, if the video card is inserted into a slot instead of being soldered to the notebook motherboard.

Laptop sizemedium sizedno data
Bus supportPCI Express 2.0, PCI Express 3.016x PCI-E 2.0
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 2.0 x16
Lengthno data5.7" (14.5 cm)
Heightno data2.7" (6.9 cm)
Widthno data1-slot
Supplementary power connectorsno dataNone

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory typeDDR3\GDDR5DDR3
Maximum RAM amount2 GB1 GB (DDR3)
Memory bus width128bit64 Bit
Memory clock speed1800 - 4000 MHz900 MHz (DDR3)
Memory bandwidthUp to 64.0 GB/s14.4 GB/s
Shared memory-no data

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display ConnectorsNo outputsDual Link DVI-IHDMIVGA (optional)
Multi monitor supportno data+
HDMI++
HDCP+no data
Maximum VGA resolutionUp to 2048x15362048x1536
Audio input for HDMIno dataInternal

Supported technologies

Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.

3D Blu-Ray+no data
Optimus+no data

API compatibility

List of supported graphics and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX12 API12 (11_0)
Shader Model5.15.1
OpenGL4.54.2
OpenCL1.11.1
Vulkan1.1.126N/A
CUDA++

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark performance comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark performance score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

GT 640M 2.37
+196%
GT 520 0.80

GT 640M outperforms GT 520 by 196% based on our aggregated benchmark results.


Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark, part of Passmark PerformanceTest suite. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

Benchmark coverage: 25%

GT 640M 919
+196%
GT 520 310

GT 640M outperforms GT 520 by 196% in Passmark.

3DMark Fire Strike Graphics

Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.

Benchmark coverage: 14%

GT 640M 1225
+222%
GT 520 380

GT 640M outperforms GT 520 by 222% in 3DMark Fire Strike Graphics.

GeekBench 5 OpenCL

Geekbench 5 is a widespread graphics card benchmark combined from 11 different test scenarios. All these scenarios rely on direct usage of GPU's processing power, no 3D rendering is involved. This variation uses OpenCL API by Khronos Group.

Benchmark coverage: 9%

GT 640M 3190
+151%
GT 520 1271

GT 640M outperforms GT 520 by 151% in GeekBench 5 OpenCL.

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

900p24
+200%
8−9
−200%
Full HD22
+214%
7−8
−214%
1200p19
+217%
6−7
−217%

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 5−6
+400%
1−2
−400%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 3−4
+200%
1−2
−200%
Battlefield 5 4−5
+300%
1−2
−300%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 10−12
+267%
3−4
−267%
Cyberpunk 2077 5−6
+400%
1−2
−400%
Far Cry 5 3−4
+200%
1−2
−200%
Far Cry New Dawn 2−3 0−1
Forza Horizon 4 5−6
+400%
1−2
−400%
Hitman 3 4−5
+300%
1−2
−300%
Horizon Zero Dawn 3−4
+200%
1−2
−200%
Red Dead Redemption 2 5−6
+400%
1−2
−400%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 9−10
+200%
3−4
−200%
Watch Dogs: Legion 0−1 0−1

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 3−4
+200%
1−2
−200%
Battlefield 5 4−5
+300%
1−2
−300%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 10−12
+267%
3−4
−267%
Cyberpunk 2077 5−6
+400%
1−2
−400%
Far Cry 5 3−4
+200%
1−2
−200%
Far Cry New Dawn 2−3 0−1
Forza Horizon 4 5−6
+400%
1−2
−400%
Hitman 3 4−5
+300%
1−2
−300%
Horizon Zero Dawn 3−4
+200%
1−2
−200%
Metro Exodus 3−4
+200%
1−2
−200%
Red Dead Redemption 2 5−6
+400%
1−2
−400%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 9−10
+200%
3−4
−200%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 6−7
+200%
2−3
−200%
Watch Dogs: Legion 0−1 0−1

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 3−4
+200%
1−2
−200%
Battlefield 5 4−5
+300%
1−2
−300%
Cyberpunk 2077 5−6
+400%
1−2
−400%
Far Cry 5 3−4
+200%
1−2
−200%
Far Cry New Dawn 2−3 0−1
Forza Horizon 4 5−6
+400%
1−2
−400%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 6−7
+200%
2−3
−200%
Watch Dogs: Legion 0−1 0−1

1440p
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4−5
+300%
1−2
−300%
Hitman 3 5−6
+400%
1−2
−400%
Horizon Zero Dawn 9−10
+200%
3−4
−200%
Metro Exodus 1−2 0−1
Red Dead Redemption 2 1−2 0−1
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 6−7
+200%
2−3
−200%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 1−2 0−1
Far Cry 5 4−5
+300%
1−2
−300%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 2−3 0−1

4K
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2−3 0−1
Hitman 3 2−3 0−1
Horizon Zero Dawn 7−8
+250%
2−3
−250%
Red Dead Redemption 2 1−2 0−1

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 1−2 0−1
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 1−2 0−1
Far Cry 5 3−4
+200%
1−2
−200%
Far Cry New Dawn 6−7
+200%
2−3
−200%

This is how GT 640M and GT 520 compete in popular games:

  • GT 640M is 200% faster in 900p
  • GT 640M is 214% faster in 1080p
  • GT 640M is 217% faster in 1200p

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 2.37 0.80
Recency 22 March 2012 13 April 2011
Maximum RAM amount 2 GB 1 GB (DDR3)
Chip lithography 28 nm 40 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 32 Watt 29 Watt

The GeForce GT 640M is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GT 520 in performance tests.

Be aware that GeForce GT 640M is a notebook card while GeForce GT 520 is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M
GeForce GT 640M
NVIDIA GeForce GT 520
GeForce GT 520

Comparisons with similar GPUs

We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.

Community ratings

Here you can see the user ratings of the compared graphics cards, as well as rate them yourself.


3.7 273 votes

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3.1 670 votes

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Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about this comparison, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.