Radeon HD 5850 vs Radeon RX 540
When comparing Radeon HD 5850 and Radeon RX 540, 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 Radeon HD 5850 and Radeon RX 540 is the price. Does the additional cost justify the performance hit? Our comparison should help you make the right decision.
Radeon RX 540 is a Laptop Graphics Card
Note: Radeon RX 540 is only used in laptop graphics. It has 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 RX 540 here:
Main Specs
Radeon HD 5850
Radeon RX 540
Power consumption (TDP)
151 Watt
65 Watt
Interface
PCIe 2.0 x16
PCIe 3.0 x16
Supplementary power connectors
2x 6-pin
1x 6-pin
Memory type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount
1 GB
4 GB
Display Connectors
2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 1x DisplayPort
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Radeon HD 5850 has 132% more power consumption, than Radeon RX 540.
Radeon HD 5850 is connected by PCIe 2.0 x16, and Radeon RX 540 uses PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.
Radeon RX 540 has 3 GB more memory, than Radeon HD 5850.
Radeon HD 5850 is used in Desktops, and Radeon RX 540 - in Laptops.
Radeon HD 5850 is build with Terascale 2 architecture, and Radeon RX 540 - with Polaris.
Radeon HD 5850 is manufactured by 40 nm process technology, and Radeon RX 540 - by 14 nm process technology.
Memory clock speed of Radeon RX 540 is 4000 MHz higher, than Radeon HD 5850.
Game benchmarks
Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Battlefield 5
Call of Duty: Warzone
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Cyberpunk 2077
Dota 2
Far Cry 5
Fortnite
Forza Horizon 4
Grand Theft Auto V
Metro Exodus
Minecraft
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS
Red Dead Redemption 2
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
World of Tanks
high / 1080p
9−10
14−16
ultra / 1080p
5−6
8−9
QHD / 1440p
0−1
3−4
low / 720p
21−24
30−33
medium / 1080p
12−14
18−20
The average gaming FPS of Radeon RX 540 in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is 50% more, than Radeon HD 5850.
high / 1080p
16−18
21−24
ultra / 1080p
14−16
20−22
QHD / 1440p
0−1
6−7
4K / 2160p
−
5−6
low / 720p
30−35
45−50
medium / 1080p
16−18
24−27
The average gaming FPS of Radeon RX 540 in Battlefield 5 is 45% more, than Radeon HD 5850.
low / 768p
45−50
45−50
QHD / 1440p
0−1
0−1
Radeon HD 5850 and Radeon RX 540 have the same average FPS in Call of Duty: Warzone.
low / 768p
160−170
200−210
medium / 768p
130−140
170−180
ultra / 1080p
65−70
90−95
QHD / 1440p
40−45
50−55
4K / 2160p
27−30
30−33
high / 768p
100−110
130−140
The average gaming FPS of Radeon RX 540 in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is 27% more, than Radeon HD 5850.
low / 768p
55−60
55−60
ultra / 1080p
27−30
35−40
medium / 1080p
45−50
45−50
The average gaming FPS of Radeon RX 540 in Cyberpunk 2077 is 6% more, than Radeon HD 5850.
low / 768p
90−95
100−110
medium / 768p
70−75
90−95
ultra / 1080p
45−50
60−65
The average gaming FPS of Radeon RX 540 in Dota 2 is 22% more, than Radeon HD 5850.
high / 1080p
10−12
16−18
ultra / 1080p
10−11
14−16
4K / 2160p
4−5
6−7
low / 720p
24−27
35−40
medium / 1080p
12−14
18−20
The average gaming FPS of Radeon RX 540 in Far Cry 5 is 58% more, than Radeon HD 5850.
high / 1080p
18−20
24−27
ultra / 1080p
12−14
18−20
QHD / 1440p
−
16−18
low / 720p
70−75
95−100
medium / 1080p
30−35
50−55
The average gaming FPS of Radeon RX 540 in Fortnite is 41% more, than Radeon HD 5850.
high / 1080p
16−18
24−27
ultra / 1080p
14−16
18−20
QHD / 1440p
4−5
8−9
low / 720p
35−40
50−55
medium / 1080p
18−20
27−30
The average gaming FPS of Radeon RX 540 in Forza Horizon 4 is 44% more, than Radeon HD 5850.
low / 768p
65−70
80−85
medium / 768p
55−60
70−75
high / 1080p
18−20
27−30
ultra / 1080p
8−9
12−14
QHD / 1440p
0−1
2−3
The average gaming FPS of Radeon RX 540 in Grand Theft Auto V is 28% more, than Radeon HD 5850.
high / 1080p
6−7
9−10
ultra / 1080p
4−5
7−8
4K / 2160p
1−2
2−3
low / 720p
18−20
27−30
medium / 1080p
8−9
12−14
The average gaming FPS of Radeon RX 540 in Metro Exodus is 50% more, than Radeon HD 5850.
low / 768p
100−110
110−120
ultra / 1080p
90−95
100−110
medium / 1080p
95−100
100−110
The average gaming FPS of Radeon RX 540 in Minecraft is 10% more, than Radeon HD 5850.
high / 1080p
18−20
21−24
ultra / 1080p
14−16
16−18
low / 720p
40−45
55−60
medium / 1080p
20−22
24−27
The average gaming FPS of Radeon RX 540 in PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS is 25% more, than Radeon HD 5850.
high / 1080p
12−14
14−16
ultra / 1080p
8−9
9−10
QHD / 1440p
0−1
0−1
low / 720p
18−20
27−30
medium / 1080p
12−14
16−18
The average gaming FPS of Radeon RX 540 in Red Dead Redemption 2 is 30% more, than Radeon HD 5850.
low / 768p
35−40
50−55
medium / 768p
21−24
30−35
high / 1080p
12−14
18−20
ultra / 1080p
8−9
10−11
4K / 2160p
7−8
8−9
The average gaming FPS of Radeon RX 540 in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is 41% more, than Radeon HD 5850.
low / 768p
90−95
100−105
medium / 768p
50−55
60−65
ultra / 1080p
24−27
30−35
high / 768p
40−45
50−55
The average gaming FPS of Radeon RX 540 in World of Tanks is 16% more, than Radeon HD 5850.
Full Specs
Radeon HD 5850
Radeon RX 540
Architecture
Terascale 2
Polaris
Code name
Cypress
Polaris 12
Type
Desktop
Laptop
Release date
30 September 2009
21 March 2017
Pipelines
1440
512
Core clock speed
725 MHz
Boost Clock
1219 MHz
Transistor count
2,154 million
1,500 million
Manufacturing process technology
40 nm
14 nm
Texture fill rate
52.20
39.01
Floating-point performance
2,088.0 gflops
1,248 gflops
Length
241 mm
Memory bus width
256 Bit
128 Bit
Memory clock speed
2000 MHz
6000 MHz
Memory bandwidth
128.0 GB/s
96 GB/s
Shared memory
-
DirectX
11.2 (11_0)
12.0
Shader Model
5.0
5.0
OpenGL
4.4
4.6
OpenCL
1.2
1.2
Vulkan
N/A
FreeSync
+
Laptop size
large
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