AMD Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) vs AMD Radeon RX 480
The Radeon RX 480 has 189% better performance than the Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
The Radeon RX 480 has 341% better value for the money than the Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
Summary
About the AMD Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) GPU
The AMD Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) is an end-of-life desktop graphics card that released in Q1 2012 with a MSRP of $349. It is built on the GCN 1.0 GPU microarchitecture (codename Pitcairn) and is manufactured on a 28 nm process.
Memory
The HD 7870 has 2 GB of GDDR5 memory, with a 1,200 MHz memory clock and a 256 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 153.6 Gb/s, which affects how fast it can transfer data to and from memory. GPU memory stores temporary data that helps the GPU with complex math and graphics operations. More memory is generally better, as not having enough can cause performance bottlenecks.
Cores and Clock Speeds
The HD 7870 includes 1,280 stream processors (SPs), the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 1,000 MHz. Complementing the processing units are 80 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 32 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing.
Compatibility & Power Consumption
The HD 7870 occupies 2 PCIe expansion slots. It supports DVI, HDMI 1.4a, mini-DisplayPort 1.2 display connections. AMD recommends a power supply of at least 450 W to handle the GPU's thermal design power (TDP) of 175 W.
Benchmark Performance & Value
The HD 7870 has the 226th best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 5.91% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 6,194 score and $349 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 17.75. This is the 90th best in value for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
About the AMD Radeon RX 480 GPU
The AMD Radeon RX 480 is a desktop graphics card that launched in Q2 2016 with a MSRP of $229. It is built on the GCN 4.0 GPU microarchitecture (codename Ellesmere) and is manufactured on a 14 nm process.
Memory
The RX 480 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory, with a 2,000 MHz memory clock and a 256 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 256 Gb/s, which affects how fast it can transfer data to and from memory. GPU memory stores temporary data that helps the GPU with complex math and graphics operations. More memory is generally better, as not having enough can cause performance bottlenecks.
Cores and Clock Speeds
The RX 480 includes 2,304 stream processors (SPs), the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 1,120 MHz and can dynamically boost its clock speed up to 1,266 MHz. Complementing the processing units are 144 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 32 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing.
Compatibility & Power Consumption
The RX 480 occupies 2 PCIe expansion slots. It supports HDMI 2.0b, DisplayPort 1.4a display connections. AMD recommends a power supply of at least 450 W to handle the GPU's thermal design power (TDP) of 150 W.
Benchmark Performance & Value
The RX 480 has the 124th best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 17.11% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 17,919 score and $229 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 78.25. This is the 38th best in value for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
General Info
General overview of the GPU, including details like its manufacturer, release date, launch price, and current production status.
| Info | Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) | Radeon RX 480 |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | AMD | AMD |
| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | GCN 4.0 |
| Market Segment | Desktop | Desktop |
| Release Date | Q1 2012 | Q2 2016 |
| Launch Price (MSRP) | $349 | $229 |
| Production Status | End-of-life | Active |
| Shop | Check Price | Check Price |
Gaming Performance
Select a game to compare FPS metrics
FPS Benchmarks
This table showcases the average frame rate (FPS) achieved both GPUs in at various resolutions. Frame rate is a crucial indicator of how smoothly the GPU can run the game. A higher FPS generally translates to a smoother gameplay experience.
- Frames Per Second
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty | Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) | Radeon RX 480 |
|---|---|---|
| Low - 1080p | -- | -- |
| Medium - 1080p | -- | -- |
| High - 1080p | -- | -- |
| Ultra - 1080p | -- | 29 FPS |
| QHD - 1440p | -- | -- |
| 4K UHD - 2160p | -- | -- |
Compare Frames Per Second (FPS)
The average frame rate (FPS) in can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative performance. Generally, higher FPS results in a smoother gameplay experience.
| GPU | Frames Per Second | |
|---|---|---|
| Arc A770 | 83.2 | +192% |
| GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER | 47.5 | +67% |
| GeForce GTX 1660 | 43.1 | +51% |
| GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER | 35.2 | +24% |
| Radeon RX 5500 XT | 34.5 | +21% |
| Radeon RX 480 | 28.5 | |
| Radeon RX 6500 XT | 23.5 | -18% |
Compare Cost Per Frame
The average cost per frame in can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative value. Generally, a lower cost per frame implies better value for your money.
| GPU | Cost Per Frame | |
|---|---|---|
| Arc A770 | 3.95 | -51% |
| GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER | 4.52 | -44% |
| GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER | 4.82 | -40% |
| Radeon RX 5500 XT | 4.9 | -39% |
| GeForce GTX 1660 | 5.08 | -37% |
| Radeon RX 480 | 8.04 | |
| Radeon RX 6500 XT | 8.47 | +5% |
Benchmark Performance
The Radeon RX 480 has 189% better performance than the Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
The Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) is ranked 226th with a score of 6,194, and the Radeon RX 480 is ranked 124th with a score of 17,919.
The Radeon RX 480 has 341% better value for the money than the Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
The Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) is ranked 90th with a performance per dollar of 17.75, and the Radeon RX 480 is ranked 38th with a performance per dollar of 78.25.
Relative Performance
The average score in the benchmark test can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative performance. Generally, powerful GPUs tend to have higher scores.
| GPU | Benchmark Performance | |
|---|---|---|
| GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER | 18,218 | +194% |
| Radeon R9 390X | 17,944 | +190% |
| Radeon RX 480 | 17,919 | +189% |
| Radeon RX 470 | 17,624.5 | +185% |
| GeForce GTX 980 | 17,604.5 | +184% |
| GeForce GTX 760 | 7,962 | +29% |
| Radeon HD 7970 | 7,770 | +25% |
| Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) | 6,194 | |
| GeForce GTX 750 Ti | 5,378 | -13% |
| GeForce GTX 480 | 5,014 | -19% |
Relative Value For Money
The average performance per dollar in the benchmark test can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative value. A higher score implies a better value for your money.
| GPU | Performance Per Dollar | |
|---|---|---|
| GeForce GTX 1660 Ti | 82.05 | +362% |
| GeForce GTX 1050 | 78.63 | +343% |
| Radeon RX 480 | 78.25 | +341% |
| GeForce RTX 2060 | 77.83 | +339% |
| Radeon RX Vega 56 | 72.9 | +311% |
| GeForce GTX 680 | 20.47 | +15% |
| Radeon HD 7770 (GHz Edition) | 19.48 | +10% |
| Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) | 17.75 | |
| Radeon HD 6870 | 17.65 | -1% |
| Radeon HD 7970 | 14.15 | -20% |
Benchmark Scores
This table showcases the average performance scores achieved by both GPUs across industry-standard benchmark tests. These scores provide a valuable insight into overall performance. Powerful GPUs tend to have higher scores.
- Popular
| Benchmark | Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) | Radeon RX 480 |
|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy Graphics | -- | 3,882 |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | -- | 4,001 |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics | -- | 72,213 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics | -- | 12,186 |
| 3DMark 11 Performance Score | 6,190 | 15,476 (+150.02%) |
| Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit | 120.1 | 166 (+38.22%) |
| PassMark G3D Mark | 4,636 | 8,624 (+86.02%) |
| PassMark G2D Mark | 595 | 780 (+31.09%) |
| Unigine Heaven 3.0 DirectX 11 | -- | 132 |
| Unigine Heaven 3.0 OpenGL | -- | 105 |
Technical Specs
Graphics Processor
General information about the graphics processing unit like their architecture, manufacturing process size, and transistor count. Newer GPU architectures generally bring efficiency improvements and may introduce technologies that enhance graphical capabilities.
| Spec | Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) | Radeon RX 480 |
|---|---|---|
| Codename | Pitcairn | Ellesmere |
| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | GCN 4.0 |
| Process Size | 28 nm | 14 nm |
| Transistors | 2,800 million | 5,700 million |
Memory Details
Memory specifications like their capacity, bandwidth, and clock speeds. GPU memory stores graphics data like frames, textures, and shadows which helps display rendered images. These specs are crucial for graphics-intense applications like gaming and 3D modeling.
| Spec | Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) | Radeon RX 480 |
|---|---|---|
| Memory Size | 2 GB | 8 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 153.6 Gb/s | 256 Gb/s |
| Memory Clock | 1,200 MHz | 2,000 MHz |
| Memory Interface | 256 bit | 256 bit |
| L1 Cache | 16 KB | 16 KB |
| L2 Cache | 512 KB | 2 MB |
Board Compatibility
Compatibility information like their slot size, bus interface, power consumption, and display support. These specs are useful for verifying compatibility with your motherboard, power supply, and monitor.
| Spec | Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) | Radeon RX 480 |
|---|---|---|
| Slots | 2 slots | 2 slots |
| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| Thermal Design Power (TDP) | 175 W | 150 W |
| Suggested PSU | 450 W | 450 W |
| Power Connectors | 2x 6-pin | 1x 6-pin |
| Outputs | DVI, HDMI 1.4a, mini-DisplayPort 1.2 | HDMI 2.0b, DisplayPort 1.4a |
Cores & Clock Speeds
Processing power information like its cores and clock speed. These specs impact how fast they can process graphics. Each type of core or component serves a specific computational purpose.
| Spec | Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) | Radeon RX 480 |
|---|---|---|
| Stream Processors (SP) | 1,280 | 2,304 |
| Compute Units (CU) | 20 | 36 |
| Texture Mapping Units (TMU) | 80 | 144 |
| Render Output Units (ROP) | 32 | 32 |
| Core Clock Speed | 1,000 MHz | 1,120 MHz |
| Core Clock Speed (Boost) | -- | 1,266 MHz |
Theoretical Performance
Theoretical performance numbers derived from the raw specifications of the different components like core count and clock speeds. While these provide a glimpse into peak processing power, they do not represent real-world performance.
| Spec | Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) | Radeon RX 480 |
|---|---|---|
| Pixel Fill Rate | 32 GPixel/s | 40.51 GPixel/s |
| Texture Fill Rate | 80 GTexel/s | 182.3 GTexel/s |
| FP32 Performance | 2.56 TFLOPS | 5.83 TFLOPS |
| FP64 Performance | 160 GFLOPS | 364.6 GFLOPS |
API Support
Graphics API versions supported by these graphics cards. APIs evolve over time, introducing new features and functionalities. Older GPUs may not support recent versions.
| Spec | Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) | Radeon RX 480 |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 (11_1) | 12 (12_0) |
| OpenCL | 2.1 (1.2) | 2.1 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Shader Model | 6.5 (5.1) | 6.7 |
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* Performance rating, performance per dollar, and rankings are based on the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark and MSRP.