AMD Radeon HD 7970 vs AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT

VS
Performance
Radeon HD 7970
7,7707% of 104,598
Radeon RX 5700 XT361% better
35,822.534% of 104,598

The Radeon RX 5700 XT has 361% better performance than the Radeon HD 7970 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

Performance per dollar
Radeon HD 7970
14.159% of 161.45
Radeon RX 5700 XT534% better
89.7856% of 161.45

The Radeon RX 5700 XT has 534% better value for the money than the Radeon HD 7970 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

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Summary

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About the AMD Radeon HD 7970 GPU

The AMD Radeon HD 7970 is an end-of-life desktop graphics card that released in Q1 2012 with a MSRP of $549. It is built on the GCN 1.0 GPU microarchitecture (codename Tahiti) and is manufactured on a 28 nm process.

Memory

The HD 7970 has 3 GB of GDDR5 memory, with a 1,375 MHz memory clock and a 384 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 264 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 7970 includes 2,048 stream processors (SPs), the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 925 MHz. Complementing the processing units are 128 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 32 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing.

Compatibility & Power Consumption

The HD 7970 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 600 W to handle the GPU's thermal design power (TDP) of 250 W.

Benchmark Performance & Value

The HD 7970 has the 211th best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 7.43% 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 92nd best in value for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

About the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT GPU

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT is a desktop graphics card that launched in Q3 2019 with a MSRP of $399. It is built on the RDNA 1.0 GPU microarchitecture (codename Navi 10) and is manufactured on a 7 nm process.

Memory

The RX 5700 XT has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, with a 1,750 MHz memory clock and a 256 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 448 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 5700 XT includes 2,560 stream processors (SPs), the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 1,605 MHz and can dynamically boost its clock speed up to 1,905 MHz. It usually operates at 1,755 MHz during typical gaming workloads. Complementing the processing units are 160 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 64 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing.

Compatibility & Power Consumption

The RX 5700 XT occupies 2 PCIe expansion slots. It supports HDMI 2.0b, DisplayPort 1.4a display connections. AMD recommends a power supply of at least 550 W to handle the GPU's thermal design power (TDP) of 225 W.

Benchmark Performance & Value

The RX 5700 XT has the 56th best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 34.25% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 35,822.5 score and $399 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 89.78. This is the 26th 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.

InfoRadeon HD 7970Radeon RX 5700 XT
ManufacturerAMDAMD
ArchitectureGCN 1.0RDNA 1.0
Market SegmentDesktopDesktop
Release DateQ1 2012Q3 2019
Launch Price (MSRP)$549$399
Production StatusEnd-of-lifeActive
ShopCheck PriceCheck Price

Gaming Performance

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Select a game to compare FPS metrics

Display FPS for F1 24
F1 24
Display FPS for Senua's Saga Hellblade 2
Senua's Saga Hellblade 2
Display FPS for Ghost of Tsushima
Ghost of Tsushima
Display FPS for Dragon's Dogma 2
Dragon's Dogma 2
Display FPS for Horizon Forbidden West
Horizon Forbidden West
Display FPS for Alone in the Dark (2024)
Alone in the Dark (2024)
Display FPS for Sons of the Forest
Sons of the Forest

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
FPS data for F1 24
F1 24
Radeon HD 7970Radeon RX 5700 XT
Low - 1080p
--
235 FPS
Medium - 1080p
--
205 FPS
High - 1080p
--
145 FPS
Ultra - 1080p
--
--
QHD - 1440p
--
--
4K UHD - 2160p
--
--
FPS Source: Notebookcheck

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.

Choose Baseline GPU:Radeon HD 7970 orRadeon RX 5700 XT
GPUFrames Per Second
Arc A770181.4+25%
GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER172.9+19%
Arc A750168.5+16%
Radeon RX 6600166.3+14%
GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER148.3+2%
Radeon RX 5700 XT145.4
Radeon RX 5700130.1-11%
Radeon RX 5600 XT124.4-14%
GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER109.9-24%

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.

Choose Baseline GPU:Radeon HD 7970 orRadeon RX 5700 XT

Benchmark Performance

#
Performance
Radeon HD 7970
7,7707% of 104,598
Radeon RX 5700 XT361% better
35,822.534% of 104,598

The Radeon RX 5700 XT has 361% better performance than the Radeon HD 7970 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The Radeon HD 7970 is ranked 211th with a score of 7,770, and the Radeon RX 5700 XT is ranked 56th with a score of 35,822.5.

Performance per dollar
Radeon HD 7970
14.159% of 161.45
Radeon RX 5700 XT534% better
89.7856% of 161.45

The Radeon RX 5700 XT has 534% better value for the money than the Radeon HD 7970 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The Radeon HD 7970 is ranked 92nd with a performance per dollar of 14.15, and the Radeon RX 5700 XT is ranked 26th with a performance per dollar of 89.78.

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.

Choose Baseline GPU:Radeon HD 7970 or
GPUBenchmark Performance
Arc A75037,288+380%
TITAN X (Pascal)35,995+363%
Radeon RX 5700 XT35,822.5+361%
GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER34,963.5+350%
Radeon RX 660031,774+309%
GeForce GTX 9508,351+7%
GeForce GTX 7607,962+2%
Radeon HD 79707,770
Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition)6,194-20%
GeForce GTX 750 Ti5,378-31%

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.

Choose Baseline GPU:Radeon HD 7970 or

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
BenchmarkRadeon HD 7970Radeon RX 5700 XT
3DMark Time Spy Graphics
--
8,876
3DMark Time Spy Score
--
9,114
3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics
43,795
146,093
(+233.58%)
3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics
6,862
26,189
(+281.65%)
3DMark Night Raid Graphics
--
99,695.5
3DMark 11 Performance Score
7,323
28,361.5
(+287.29%)
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit
--
163.9
PassMark G3D Mark
5,248
16,579
(+215.91%)
PassMark G2D Mark
738
918
(+24.39%)
Unigine Heaven 3.0 DirectX 11
77.8
--
Benchmarks Source: Notebookcheck

Technical Specs

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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.

SpecRadeon HD 7970Radeon RX 5700 XT
CodenameTahitiNavi 10
ArchitectureGCN 1.0RDNA 1.0
Process Size28 nm7 nm
Transistors4,313 million10,300 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.

SpecRadeon HD 7970Radeon RX 5700 XT
Memory Size3 GB8 GB
Memory TypeGDDR5GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth264 Gb/s448 Gb/s
Memory Clock1,375 MHz1,750 MHz
Memory Interface384 bit256 bit
L1 Cache16 KB--
L2 Cache768 KB4 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.

SpecRadeon HD 7970Radeon RX 5700 XT
Slots2 slots2 slots
Bus InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 4.0 x16
Thermal Design Power (TDP)250 W225 W
Suggested PSU600 W550 W
Power Connectors1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
OutputsDVI, HDMI 1.4a, mini-DisplayPort 1.2HDMI 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.

SpecRadeon HD 7970Radeon RX 5700 XT
Stream Processors (SP)2,0482,560
Compute Units (CU)3240
Texture Mapping Units (TMU)128160
Render Output Units (ROP)3264
Core Clock Speed925 MHz1,605 MHz
Core Clock Speed (Boost)--1,905 MHz
Core Clock Speed (Game)--1,755 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.

SpecRadeon HD 7970Radeon RX 5700 XT
Pixel Fill Rate29.6 GPixel/s121.9 GPixel/s
Texture Fill Rate118.4 GTexel/s304.8 GTexel/s
FP32 Performance3.79 TFLOPS9.75 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance947.2 GFLOPS609.6 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.

SpecRadeon HD 7970Radeon RX 5700 XT
DirectX12 (11_1)12 (12_1)
OpenCL2.1 (1.2)2.1
OpenGL4.64.6
Shader Model6.5 (5.1)6.8

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* Performance rating, performance per dollar, and rankings are based on the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark and MSRP.