Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 vs Radeon 520

When comparing Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 and Radeon 520, we look primarily at benchmarks and game tests. But it is not only about the numbers. Often you can find third-party models with higher clock speeds, better cooling, or a customizable RGB lighting. Not all of them will have all the features you need. Another thing to consider is the port selection. Most graphics cards have at least one DisplayPort and HDMI interface, but some monitors require DVI. Before you buy, check the TDP of the graphics card - this characteristic will help you estimate the consumption of the graphics card. You may even have to upgrade your PSU to meet its requirements. An important factor when choosing between Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 and Radeon 520 is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.

Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 and Radeon 520 are Laptop Graphics Cards

Note: Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 and Radeon 520 are only used in laptop graphics. They have lower GPU clock speed compared to the desktop variant, which results in lower power consumption, but also 10-30% lower gaming performance. Check available laptop models with Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 or Radeon 520 here:

Main Specs

  Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 Radeon 520
Power consumption (TDP) 110 Watt 50 Watt
Interface PCIe 2.0 x16 PCIe 3.0 x8
Supplementary power connectors None
Memory type GDDR3 DDR3, GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount 512 MB 2 GB
Display Connectors No outputs 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x VGA
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  • Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 has 120% more power consumption, than Radeon 520.
  • Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 is connected by PCIe 2.0 x16, and Radeon 520 uses PCIe 3.0 x8 interface.
  • Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 has 510 GB more memory, than Radeon 520.
  • Both cards are used in Laptops.
  • Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 is build with RV6xx architecture, and Radeon 520 - with GCN 1.0.
  • Core clock speed of Radeon 520 is 370 MHz higher, than Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2.
  • Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 is manufactured by 55 nm process technology, and Radeon 520 - by 28 nm process technology.
  • Memory clock speed of Radeon 520 is 1400 MHz higher, than Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 6−7 0−1
ultra / 1080p 4−5
QHD / 1440p 0−1 0−1
low / 720p 16−18 1−2
medium / 1080p 8−9 0−1
The average gaming FPS of Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 1600% more, than Radeon 520.

Full Specs

  Mobility Radeon HD 3870 X2 Radeon 520
Architecture RV6xx GCN 1.0
Code name M88-XT CF Oland
Type Laptop Laptop
Release date 1 September 2008 21 March 2017
Pipelines 640 320
Core clock speed 660 MHz 1030 MHz
Transistor count 666 million 1,040 million
Manufacturing process technology 55 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 10.56 20.60
Floating-point performance 2x 422.4 gflops 659.2 gflops
Memory bus width 256 Bit 64 Bit
Memory clock speed 850 MHz 2250 MHz
Memory bandwidth 54.4 GB/s 16 GB/s
Shared memory - -
DirectX 10.1 (10_1) 12.0
Shader Model 4.1 5.0
OpenGL 3.3 4.6
OpenCL N/A 1.2
Vulkan N/A +
Laptop size large
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