AMD Radeon R5 230 OEM

The AMD Radeon R5 230 OEM is an entry-level discrete graphics card built around the Caicos chip on AMD's TeraScale 2 architecture. Fabricated on TSMC's 40 nm process, the die contains 370 million transistors across a 67 mm² area, giving a transistor density of 5.5M per mm². It belongs to the Volcanic Islands (R5 200) generation and was released on 2013-12-20, with production status now listed as end-of-life. The card uses a PCIe 2.0 x16 interface, measures 168 mm (6.6 inches) in length, and occupies a single slot.

Benchmark Performance

The database lists no recorded benchmark scores for this card: the benchmarks array is empty and the average benchmark score is 0. The percentileVsAllGpus field places it at the 50th percentile of all GPUs tracked, but with no measured entries, that figure should be read as a neutral midpoint rather than a performance verdict. In the absence of runnable scores, the card's raw compute metrics define its capability. FP32 throughput is 200.0 GFLOPS, texture rate is 5.000 GTexel/s, and pixel rate is 2.500 GPixel/s. These are modest numbers that reflect the 160 shading units, 8 texture mapping units, and 4 render output units on the chip. A card with this level of throughput is suited to basic 2D acceleration and light 3D work rather than demanding workloads. The lack of rival entries in the nearestRivals field means there are no deltaPct values to cite, so direct percentage comparisons against other GPUs cannot be made from this database. What the data does show is a consistent picture of an entry-level part: the pixel rate of 2.500 GPixel/s limits fill-rate-heavy tasks, and the texture rate of 5.000 GTexel/s constrains texturing work. The 200.0 GFLOPS FP32 figure is the ceiling for general compute, and it is a low ceiling. Benchmark results would likely reflect these limits, but the database does not include them, so any quantitative assessment rests on the architectural specifications alone.

Memory Subsystem

The R5 230 OEM ships with 1024 MB of DDR3 memory on a 64-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 10.67 GB/s. The memory clock runs at 667 MHz, which translates to 1334 Mbps effective data rate. A 64-bit bus is narrow, and the resulting 10.67 GB/s bandwidth is a hard constraint on performance. For high-resolution workloads, the memory subsystem becomes the primary bottleneck: textures and framebuffers must be moved across a narrow pipe, and the low bandwidth will cause frame pacing issues in any 3D application that exceeds the available capacity. The 1024 MB capacity is also minimal, and when the buffer fills, the card must fall back to system memory over the PCIe 2.0 x16 interface, which further reduces effective throughput. The 64-bit bus width directly limits how much data can be fetched per clock, and the 1334 Mbps effective memory speed does little to compensate. In practical terms, the memory subsystem is adequate for desktop compositing and video decode buffers, but it is not designed for high-resolution gaming or compute workloads that rely on large working sets. The 10.67 GB/s figure, combined with the 64-bit bus, is the defining constraint of the memory subsystem.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

The Caicos chip has no dedicated ray tracing cores and no tensor cores; both fields are null in the database. This means there is no hardware acceleration for ray-traced effects or AI-based workloads. The card's API support reflects its TeraScale 2 heritage: DirectX 11.2 (11_0), OpenGL 4.4, and no Vulkan support. DirectX 11.2 with the 11_0 feature level is a legacy specification, and the absence of Vulkan closes off modern cross-platform rendering paths. For ray tracing specifically, the card offers nothing — software-based ray tracing would be impractically slow given the 200.0 GFLOPS FP32 throughput, and there is no RT hardware to offload the work. The feature set is therefore limited to rasterization under DirectX 11 and OpenGL 4.4. Games that require DirectX 12 or Vulkan will not run on this card. Even within the supported APIs, the feature level 11_0 restricts the card to older shader models and rendering techniques. The lack of tensor cores also means no machine-learning inference acceleration, which rules out any modern upscaling or frame-generation features. In summary, the R5 230 OEM is a rasterization-only part with legacy API coverage, and it cannot participate in the ray-tracing or AI-enhanced rendering ecosystems that define contemporary GPUs.

How It Compares

The nearestRivals field is empty for this card, so the database provides no rival names, scores, or deltaPct values to anchor a direct comparison. Without those entries, positioning must be inferred from the card's own specifications and its place in the product lineage. The R5 230 OEM sits in the Volcanic Islands (R5 200) generation, with the Sea Islands series as its predecessor and Pirate Islands as its successor. These generation names indicate a progression, but the database does not list comparative specs for them, so no quantitative delta can be stated. What can be said is that the card occupies the bottom rung of its generation: the 160 shading units, 4 ROPs, and 64-bit memory bus are entry-level figures. In the absence of rival data, the percentileVsAllGpus value of 50 provides the only positional signal — a midpoint placement that is likely a default rather than a measured rank. The card's own metrics — 200.0 GFLOPS FP32, 10.67 GB/s bandwidth, and 2.500 GPixel/s pixel rate — define its competitive envelope. Against any modern GPU, these numbers would place it far behind, but the database does not contain those comparisons. The practical takeaway is that this card was designed for basic display output and light 2D work, not for competing in the 3D performance arena. Its end-of-life production status and 2013-12-20 release date further situate it as a legacy product.

Who Should Consider It

Based on the recorded specifications, the R5 230 OEM is suited to systems where a discrete GPU is needed for basic display output rather than 3D performance. The 200.0 GFLOPS FP32 throughput and 2.500 GPixel/s pixel rate are sufficient for desktop compositing, video playback, and legacy 2D applications. For gaming, the card's limits are clear: the 1024 MB VRAM and 10.67 GB/s bandwidth will only handle low resolutions and minimal settings, and even then only for older titles that fit within the DirectX 11.2 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.4 API support. High-resolution workloads are not realistic given the narrow 64-bit memory bus and low bandwidth. The card could serve as a diagnostic or fallback GPU for a system with a failed primary card, or as a low-power display adapter for a file server or office PC. It is not a candidate for modern games, ray-traced content, or compute tasks. The 19 W TDP and lack of power connectors make it easy to install in almost any system, and the single-slot 168 mm (6.6 inches) footprint fits in compact cases. Users who need a card purely to drive a DVI, HDMI 1.3a, or VGA display will find the outputs adequate. Those expecting playable frame rates in contemporary 3D titles should look elsewhere — the data does not support that use case. The 50th percentile database placement, while not a measured benchmark, reinforces the card's middling status in the overall GPU landscape.

Power and Cooling

The R5 230 OEM has a TDP of 19 W, which is exceptionally low. No auxiliary power connectors are required; the card draws all its power from the PCIe 2.0 x16 slot. AMD's suggested power supply rating is 200 W, which is modest and compatible with virtually any desktop PSU. The single-slot cooler design and 168 mm (6.6 inches) length mean the card will fit in most cases without clearance issues. The low 19 W TDP also means heat output is minimal, so the card does not require aggressive cooling or additional case airflow. The absence of power connectors simplifies installation — no cable management is needed, and the card can be dropped into a system with a basic 200 W supply. The 40 nm process node and 67 mm² die size contribute to the low power draw; 370 million transistors at 19 W is a very efficient envelope. For builders assembling a low-power or legacy system, the power and cooling requirements are essentially non-issues. The card's end-of-life status means it is no longer in production, but its power characteristics remain a point in its favor for niche uses. The PCIe 2.0 x16 interface is backward compatible with newer slots, so the card can be used in modern motherboards as a secondary display output, provided the system's PSU meets the 200 W suggested rating.