GeForce GT 520MX vs Radeon HD 7970M

VS

Aggregate performance score

We've compared Radeon HD 7970M and GeForce GT 520MX, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.

HD 7970M
2012
2 GB GDDR5, 100 Watt
9.26
+1168%

HD 7970M outperforms GT 520MX by a whopping 1168% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

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

Place in the ranking4741163
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Power efficiency6.352.50
ArchitectureGCN 1.0 (2011−2020)Fermi 2.0 (2010−2014)
GPU code nameWimbledonGF119
Market segmentLaptopLaptop
Release date24 April 2012 (12 years ago)30 May 2011 (13 years ago)

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores128048
Core clock speed850 MHz900 MHz
Number of transistors2,800 million292 million
Manufacturing process technology28 nm40 nm
Power consumption (TDP)100 Watt20 Watt
Texture fill rate68.007.200
Floating-point processing power2.176 TFLOPS0.1728 TFLOPS
ROPs324
TMUs808

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

Laptop sizelargeno data
InterfaceMXM-B (3.0)PCIe 2.0 x16
Supplementary power connectorsNoneno data

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 typeGDDR5DDR3
Maximum RAM amount2 GB1 GB
Memory bus width256 Bit64 Bit
Memory clock speed1200 MHz900 MHz
Memory bandwidth153.6 GB/s14.4 GB/s
Shared memory--

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 outputsNo outputs

Supported technologies

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

Optimus-+

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX12 (11_1)12 API
Shader Model5.15.1
OpenGL4.64.5
OpenCL1.21.1
Vulkan1.2.131N/A
CUDA-+

Synthetic benchmark performance

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


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark 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.

HD 7970M 9.26
+1168%
GT 520MX 0.73

  • Other tests
    • Passmark
    • 3DMark 11 Performance GPU
    • 3DMark Vantage Performance

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. 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.

HD 7970M 3568
+1165%
GT 520MX 282

3DMark 11 Performance GPU

3DMark 11 is an obsolete DirectX 11 benchmark by Futuremark. It used four tests based on two scenes, one being few submarines exploring the submerged wreck of a sunken ship, the other is an abandoned temple deep in the jungle. All the tests are heavy with volumetric lighting and tessellation, and despite being done in 1280x720 resolution, are relatively taxing. Discontinued in January 2020, 3DMark 11 is now superseded by Time Spy.

HD 7970M 5645
+846%
GT 520MX 597

3DMark Vantage Performance

3DMark Vantage is an outdated DirectX 10 benchmark using 1280x1024 screen resolution. It taxes the graphics card with two scenes, one depicting a girl escaping some militarized base located within a sea cave, the other displaying a space fleet attack on a defenseless planet. It was discontinued in April 2017, and Time Spy benchmark is now recommended to be used instead.

HD 7970M 21938
+737%
GT 520MX 2620

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:

900p84
+1300%
6−7
−1300%
Full HD60
+1400%
4−5
−1400%

FPS performance in popular games

  • Full HD
    Low Preset
  • Full HD
    Medium Preset
  • Full HD
    High Preset
  • Full HD
    Ultra Preset
  • Full HD
    Epic Preset
  • 1440p
    High Preset
  • 1440p
    Ultra Preset
  • 1440p
    Epic Preset
  • 4K
    High Preset
  • 4K
    Ultra Preset
  • 4K
    Epic Preset
Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
+367%
3−4
−367%
Assassin's Creed Odyssey 21−24
+340%
5−6
−340%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 12−14
+1200%
1−2
−1200%
Battlefield 5 27−30
+1300%
2−3
−1300%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 18−20
+533%
3−4
−533%
Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
+367%
3−4
−367%
Far Cry 5 21−24
+2000%
1−2
−2000%
Far Cry New Dawn 24−27
+2500%
1−2
−2500%
Forza Horizon 4 60−65
+1425%
4−5
−1425%
Hitman 3 16−18
+240%
5−6
−240%
Horizon Zero Dawn 50−55
+364%
10−12
−364%
Metro Exodus 27−30
+1300%
2−3
−1300%
Red Dead Redemption 2 24−27 0−1
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 30−33
+400%
6−7
−400%
Watch Dogs: Legion 60−65
+93.5%
30−35
−93.5%
Assassin's Creed Odyssey 21−24
+340%
5−6
−340%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 12−14
+1200%
1−2
−1200%
Battlefield 5 27−30
+1300%
2−3
−1300%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 18−20
+533%
3−4
−533%
Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
+367%
3−4
−367%
Far Cry 5 21−24
+2000%
1−2
−2000%
Far Cry New Dawn 24−27
+2500%
1−2
−2500%
Forza Horizon 4 60−65
+1425%
4−5
−1425%
Hitman 3 16−18
+240%
5−6
−240%
Horizon Zero Dawn 50−55
+364%
10−12
−364%
Metro Exodus 27−30
+1300%
2−3
−1300%
Red Dead Redemption 2 24−27 0−1
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 30−33
+400%
6−7
−400%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 24−27
+150%
10−11
−150%
Watch Dogs: Legion 60−65
+93.5%
30−35
−93.5%
Assassin's Creed Odyssey 21−24
+340%
5−6
−340%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 12−14
+1200%
1−2
−1200%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 18−20
+533%
3−4
−533%
Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
+367%
3−4
−367%
Far Cry 5 21−24
+2000%
1−2
−2000%
Forza Horizon 4 60−65
+1425%
4−5
−1425%
Hitman 3 16−18
+240%
5−6
−240%
Horizon Zero Dawn 50−55
+364%
10−12
−364%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 30−33
+400%
6−7
−400%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 24−27
+150%
10−11
−150%
Watch Dogs: Legion 60−65
+93.5%
30−35
−93.5%
Red Dead Redemption 2 24−27 0−1
Battlefield 5 18−20 0−1
Far Cry New Dawn 14−16
+1300%
1−2
−1300%
Assassin's Creed Odyssey 9−10 0−1
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 5−6 0−1
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 9−10 0−1
Cyberpunk 2077 4−5
+300%
1−2
−300%
Far Cry 5 10−12
+1000%
1−2
−1000%
Forza Horizon 4 35−40
+1200%
3−4
−1200%
Hitman 3 12−14
+100%
6−7
−100%
Horizon Zero Dawn 18−20
+533%
3−4
−533%
Metro Exodus 12−14
+1200%
1−2
−1200%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 10−11 0−1
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 8−9 0−1
Watch Dogs: Legion 55−60
+2800%
2−3
−2800%
Red Dead Redemption 2 14−16
+400%
3−4
−400%
Battlefield 5 8−9 0−1
Far Cry New Dawn 6−7 0−1
Hitman 3 5−6 0−1
Horizon Zero Dawn 35−40
+1750%
2−3
−1750%
Metro Exodus 7−8 0−1
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 6−7 0−1
Assassin's Creed Odyssey 5−6
+400%
1−2
−400%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 4−5 0−1
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4−5 0−1
Cyberpunk 2077 1−2 0−1
Far Cry 5 5−6 0−1
Forza Horizon 4 10−12 0−1
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 5−6 0−1
Watch Dogs: Legion 3−4 0−1
Red Dead Redemption 2 9−10
+350%
2−3
−350%

This is how HD 7970M and GT 520MX compete in popular games:

  • HD 7970M is 1300% faster in 900p
  • HD 7970M is 1400% faster in 1080p

Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:

  • in Watch Dogs: Legion, with 1440p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the HD 7970M is 2800% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

  • Without exception, HD 7970M surpassed GT 520MX in all 35 of our tests.

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 9.26 0.73
Recency 24 April 2012 30 May 2011
Maximum RAM amount 2 GB 1 GB
Chip lithography 28 nm 40 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 100 Watt 20 Watt

HD 7970M has a 1168.5% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 10 months, a 100% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 42.9% more advanced lithography process.

GT 520MX, on the other hand, has 400% lower power consumption.

The Radeon HD 7970M is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GT 520MX in performance tests.


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

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite graphics card.


AMD Radeon HD 7970M
Radeon HD 7970M
NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX
GeForce GT 520MX

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.


4.2
43 votes

Rate Radeon HD 7970M on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
3.3
222 votes

Rate GeForce GT 520MX on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Questions & comments

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