AMD Radeon HD 7970 vs AMD Radeon HD 6870
The Radeon HD 7970 has 84% better performance than the Radeon HD 6870 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
The Radeon HD 6870 has 25% better value for the money than the Radeon HD 7970 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
Summary
About the AMD Radeon HD 7970 GPU
The Radeon HD 7970 is an end-of-life desktop graphics card by AMD. It launched in Q1 2012 with a suggested retail price of $549. Its Tahiti chip that powers the GPU uses the GCN 1.0 architecture and is fabricated on the 28 nm process.
This GPU is paired with 3 GB of GDDR5 VRAM. Its 1,375 MHz memory clock and 384 bit interface gives it a bandwidth of 264 Gb/s. This impacts how much data it can store, and how fast it transfers the data to and from memory.
The HD 7970 is a dual slot graphics card, taking up 2 PCIe slots. It supports DVI, HDMI 1.4a, mini-DisplayPort 1.2 display ports. This desktop card has a TDP of 250 W. AMD recommends using a power supply of at least 600 W with this card. A power supply lower than this might result in system crashes and potentially damage your hardware.
The Radeon HD 7970 has the 208th highest 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 540 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 7.40% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 7,770 score and $549 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 14.15. This is the 90th best in value for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
About the AMD Radeon HD 6870 GPU
The Radeon HD 6870 is an end-of-life desktop graphics card by AMD. It launched in Q4 2010 with a suggested retail price of $239. Its Barts chip that powers the GPU uses the TeraScale 2 architecture and is fabricated on the 40 nm process.
This GPU is paired with 1,024 MB of GDDR5 VRAM. Its 1,050 MHz memory clock and 256 bit interface gives it a bandwidth of 134.4 Gb/s. This impacts how much data it can store, and how fast it transfers the data to and from memory.
The HD 6870 is a dual slot graphics card, taking up 2 PCIe slots. It supports DVI, HDMI 1.3a, mini-DisplayPort 1.1 display ports. This desktop card has a TDP of 151 W. AMD recommends using a power supply of at least 450 W with this card. A power supply lower than this might result in system crashes and potentially damage your hardware.
The Radeon HD 6870 has the 266th highest 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 540 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 4.02% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 4,218 score and $239 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 17.65. This is the 89th 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 7970 | Radeon HD 6870 |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | AMD | AMD |
| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | TeraScale 2 |
| Market Segment | Desktop | Desktop |
| Release Date | Q1 2012 | Q4 2010 |
| Launch Price (MSRP) | $549 | $239 |
| Production Status | End-of-life | End-of-life |
| 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
BioShock Infinite | Radeon HD 7970 | Radeon HD 6870 |
|---|---|---|
| Low - 720p | 199 FPS | -- |
| Medium - 768p | 170 FPS | -- |
| High - 768p | 151 FPS | -- |
| Ultra - 1080p | 64 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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Radeon R9 380 | 80.8 | +26% |
| GeForce GTX 1050 Ti | 78 | +21% |
| Radeon R9 280X | 76.3 | +19% |
| GeForce GTX 960 | 75.8 | +18% |
| GeForce GTX 760 | 65.3 | +2% |
| Radeon HD 7970 | 64.3 | |
| GeForce GTX 950 | 63.2 | -2% |
| GeForce GTX 1050 | 63 | -2% |
| GeForce GTX 660 Ti | 62.9 | -2% |
| GeForce GTX 680 | 62 | -4% |
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 | |
|---|---|---|
| GeForce GTX 660 Ti | 4.75 | -44% |
| Radeon R9 Nano | 4.92 | -42% |
| GeForce GTX 780 Ti | 6.01 | -30% |
| Radeon HD 7770 (GHz Edition) | 6.44 | -25% |
| GeForce GTX 680 | 8.05 | -6% |
| Radeon HD 7970 | 8.54 | |
| GeForce GTX 470 | 10.64 | +25% |
Benchmark Performance
The Radeon HD 7970 has 84% better performance than the Radeon HD 6870 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
The Radeon HD 7970 is ranked 208th with a score of 7,770, and the Radeon HD 6870 is ranked 266th with a score of 4,218.
The Radeon HD 6870 has 25% better value for the money than the Radeon HD 7970 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
The Radeon HD 7970 is ranked 90th with a performance per dollar of 14.15, and the Radeon HD 6870 is ranked 89th with a performance per dollar of 17.65.
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 950 | 8,351 | +7% |
| GeForce GTX 760 | 7,962 | +2% |
| Radeon HD 7970 | 7,770 | |
| Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) | 6,194 | -20% |
| GeForce GTX 750 Ti | 5,378 | -31% |
| GeForce GT 1030 | 4,727.5 | -39% |
| GeForce GTX 470 | 4,342 | -44% |
| Radeon HD 6870 | 4,218 | -46% |
| Radeon HD 7770 (GHz Edition) | 3,098 | -60% |
| Radeon HD 6450 | 623 | -92% |
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 780 Ti | 22.34 | +58% |
| GeForce GTX 680 | 20.47 | +45% |
| Radeon HD 7770 (GHz Edition) | 19.48 | +38% |
| Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) | 17.75 | +25% |
| Radeon HD 6870 | 17.65 | +25% |
| Radeon HD 7970 | 14.15 | |
| GeForce GTX 590 | 13.11 | -7% |
| GeForce GTX 470 | 12.44 | -12% |
| Radeon HD 6450 | 11.33 | -20% |
| GeForce GTX 480 | 10.05 | -29% |
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 7970 | Radeon HD 6870 |
|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics | 43,795 (+65.66%) | 26,437 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics | 6,862 (+118.47%) | 3,141 |
| 3DMark 11 Performance Score | 7,323 (+61.03%) | 4,547.5 |
| PassMark G3D Mark | 5,248 (+136.5%) | 2,219 |
| PassMark G2D Mark | 727 (+79.06%) | 406 |
| Unigine Heaven 3.0 DirectX 11 | 77.8 | -- |
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 7970 | Radeon HD 6870 |
|---|---|---|
| Codename | Tahiti | Barts |
| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | TeraScale 2 |
| Process Size | 28 nm | 40 nm |
| Transistors | 4,313 million | 1,700 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 7970 | Radeon HD 6870 |
|---|---|---|
| Memory Size | 3 GB | 1,024 MB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 264 Gb/s | 134.4 Gb/s |
| Memory Clock | 1,375 MHz | 1,050 MHz |
| Memory Interface | 384 bit | 256 bit |
| L1 Cache | 16 KB | 8 KB |
| L2 Cache | 768 KB | 512 KB |
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 7970 | Radeon HD 6870 |
|---|---|---|
| Slots | 2 slots | 2 slots |
| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 2.0 x16 |
| Thermal Design Power (TDP) | 250 W | 151 W |
| Suggested PSU | 600 W | 450 W |
| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | 2x 6-pin |
| Outputs | DVI, HDMI 1.4a, mini-DisplayPort 1.2 | DVI, HDMI 1.3a, mini-DisplayPort 1.1 |
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 7970 | Radeon HD 6870 |
|---|---|---|
| Stream Processors (SP) | 2,048 | 1,120 |
| Compute Units (CU) | 32 | 14 |
| Texture Mapping Units (TMU) | 128 | 56 |
| Render Output Units (ROP) | 32 | 32 |
| Core Clock Speed | 925 MHz | 900 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 7970 | Radeon HD 6870 |
|---|---|---|
| Pixel Fill Rate | 29.6 GPixel/s | 28.8 GPixel/s |
| Texture Fill Rate | 118.4 GTexel/s | 50.4 GTexel/s |
| FP32 Performance | 3.79 TFLOPS | 2.02 TFLOPS |
| FP64 Performance | 947.2 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 7970 | Radeon HD 6870 |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 (11_1) | 11.2 (11_0) |
| OpenCL | 2.1 (1.2) | 1.2 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.4 |
| Shader Model | 6.5 (5.1) | 5.0 |
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* Performance rating, performance per dollar, and rankings are based on the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark and MSRP.