Radeon 520 vs Radeon R9 M280X

When choosing between Radeon 520 and Radeon R9 M280X, it is worth examining the specifications of the models in detail. Do they meet the recommended requirements of modern games and software? Storage capacity, form factor, TDP, available ports, warranty and manufacturer support are all important. For example, the size of a PC case can limit the maximum thickness and length of the card. Often, instead of the factory overclocked card and RGB backlight, it is better to choose a reference model with a more efficient GPU. And make sure that your current power supply unit has the correct connection pins (using adapters is not recommended). This GPUs compare tool is meant to help you to choose the best graphics card for your build. Let's find out the difference between Radeon 520 and Radeon R9 M280X.

Radeon 520 and Radeon R9 M280X are Laptop Graphics Cards

Note: Radeon 520 and Radeon R9 M280X 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 Radeon 520 or Radeon R9 M280X here:

Main Specs

  Radeon 520 Radeon R9 M280X
Power consumption (TDP) 50 Watt
Interface PCIe 3.0 x8 PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors None
Memory type DDR3, GDDR5 Not Listed
Maximum RAM amount 2 GB
Display Connectors 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x VGA No outputs
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  • Radeon 520 is connected by PCIe 3.0 x8, and Radeon R9 M280X uses PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.
  • Both cards are used in Laptops.
  • Radeon 520 is build with GCN 1.0 architecture, and Radeon R9 M280X - with GCN.
  • Core clock speed of Radeon 520 is 130 MHz higher, than Radeon R9 M280X.
  • Radeon 520 and Radeon R9 M280X are manufactured by 28 nm process technology.

Game benchmarks

high / 1080p 0−1 2−3
ultra / 1080p 1−2
QHD / 1440p 0−1 0−1
low / 720p 1−2 14−16
medium / 1080p 0−1 4−5
The average gaming FPS of Radeon R9 M280X in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 1400% more, than Radeon 520.

Full Specs

  Radeon 520 Radeon R9 M280X
Architecture GCN 1.0 GCN
Code name Oland Saturn XT
Type Laptop Laptop
Release date 21 March 2017 1 February 2015
Pipelines 320 896
Core clock speed 1030 MHz 900 MHz
Transistor count 1,040 million 2,080 million
Manufacturing process technology 28 nm 28 nm
Texture fill rate 20.60 61.60
Floating-point performance 659.2 gflops 1,792 gflops
Memory bus width 64 Bit
Memory clock speed 2250 MHz
Memory bandwidth 16 GB/s 96 GB/s
Shared memory - -
DirectX 12.0
Shader Model 5.0 6.3
OpenGL 4.6 4.4
OpenCL 1.2 Not Listed
Vulkan +
FreeSync +
Bus support Not Listed
Laptop size large
HD3D +
PowerTune +
DualGraphics +
ZeroCore +
Switchable graphics +
Mantle +
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