AMD Radeon HD 7970 vs AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT
The Radeon RX 9070 XT has 1,173% better performance than the Radeon HD 7970 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
The Radeon RX 9070 XT has 1,067% 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 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 234th best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 567 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 5.99% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090. Its 7,770 score and $549 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 14.15. This is the 103rd best in value for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
About the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT GPU
The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is a desktop graphics card that launched in Q1 2025 with a MSRP of $599. It is built on the RDNA 4.0 GPU microarchitecture (codename Navi 48) and is manufactured on a 4 nm process.
Memory
The RX 9070 XT has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, with a 2,518 MHz memory clock and a 256 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 644.6 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 RX 9070 XT includes 4,096 stream processors (SPs), the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 1,660 MHz and can dynamically boost its clock speed up to 2,970 MHz. It usually operates at 2,400 MHz during typical gaming workloads. Complementing the processing units are 256 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 128 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing. Additionally, the GPU features 128 AI accelerators optimized for AI workloads and 64 ray accelerators dedicated to real-time ray tracing calculations.
Compatibility & Power Consumption
The RX 9070 XT occupies 2 PCIe expansion slots. It supports HDMI 2.1b, DisplayPort 2.1a display connections. AMD recommends a power supply of at least 700 W to handle the GPU's thermal design power (TDP) of 304 W.
Benchmark Performance & Value
The RX 9070 XT has the 4th best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 567 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 76.22% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090. Its 98,912 score and $599 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 165.13. This is the 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 RX 9070 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | AMD | AMD |
| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | RDNA 4.0 |
| Market Segment | Desktop | Desktop |
| Release Date | Q1 2012 | Q1 2025 |
| Launch Price (MSRP) | $549 | $599 |
| 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
God of War Ragnarök | Radeon HD 7970 | Radeon RX 9070 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Low - 1080p | -- | 350 FPS |
| Medium - 1080p | -- | 291 FPS |
| High - 1080p | -- | 258 FPS |
| Ultra - 1080p | -- | 239 FPS |
| QHD - 1440p | -- | 186 FPS |
| 4K UHD - 2160p | -- | 110 FPS |
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 | |
|---|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 4090 | 139.6 | +27% |
| GeForce RTX 5080 | 129 | +17% |
| Radeon RX 9070 XT | 109.8 | |
| Radeon RX 7900 XTX | 109 | -1% |
| GeForce RTX 5070 Ti | 109 | -1% |
| GeForce RTX 4080 | 100.8 | -8% |
| Radeon RX 9070 | 94 | -14% |
| Radeon RX 7900 XT | 86.1 | -22% |
| GeForce RTX 5070 | 81.5 | -26% |
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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Radeon RX 9070 XT | 5.46 | |
| Radeon RX 9070 | 5.84 | +7% |
| GeForce RTX 5070 | 6.74 | +23% |
| GeForce RTX 5060 Ti (16 GB) | 6.84 | +25% |
| GeForce RTX 5070 Ti | 6.87 | +26% |
| GeForce RTX 4060 | 7.67 | +41% |
| GeForce RTX 5080 | 7.74 | +42% |
| GeForce RTX 5060 | 8.17 | +50% |
| GeForce RTX 4070 | 8.89 | +63% |
| Radeon RX 7900 XTX | 9.17 | +68% |
Benchmark Performance
The Radeon RX 9070 XT has 1,173% better performance than the Radeon HD 7970 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
The Radeon HD 7970 is ranked 234th with a score of 7,770, and the Radeon RX 9070 XT is ranked 4th with a score of 98,912.
The Radeon RX 9070 XT has 1,067% better value for the money than the Radeon HD 7970 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
The Radeon HD 7970 is ranked 103rd with a performance per dollar of 14.15, and the Radeon RX 9070 XT is ranked 1st with a performance per dollar of 165.13.
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 RTX 4090 | 104,527 | +1,245% |
| GeForce RTX 5080 | 100,190 | +1,189% |
| Radeon RX 9070 XT | 98,912 | +1,173% |
| Radeon RX 9070 | 88,618 | +1,041% |
| GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER | 87,055 | +1,020% |
| 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% |
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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Radeon RX 9070 XT | 165.13 | +1,067% |
| Radeon RX 9070 | 161.42 | +1,041% |
| GeForce RTX 5060 | 157.86 | +1,015% |
| Radeon RX 7800 XT | 131.48 | +829% |
| GeForce RTX 5070 | 130.5 | +822% |
| 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% |
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 RX 9070 XT |
|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy Graphics | -- | 30,530 |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | -- | 26,837 |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics | 43,795 | 151,649 (+246.27%) |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics | 6,862 | 64,925 (+846.15%) |
| 3DMark Night Raid Graphics | -- | 223,151 |
| 3DMark 11 Performance Score | 7,323 | 67,978 (+828.28%) |
| PassMark G3D Mark | 5,248 | 26,890 (+412.39%) |
| PassMark G2D Mark | 729 | 1,336 (+83.26%) |
| 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 RX 9070 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Codename | Tahiti | Navi 48 |
| Architecture | GCN 1.0 | RDNA 4.0 |
| Process Size | 28 nm | 4 nm |
| Transistors | 4,313 million | 53,900 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 RX 9070 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Memory Size | 3 GB | 16 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 264 Gb/s | 644.6 Gb/s |
| Memory Clock | 1,375 MHz | 2,518 MHz |
| Memory Interface | 384 bit | 256 bit |
| L1 Cache | 16 KB | -- |
| L2 Cache | 768 KB | 8 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 7970 | Radeon RX 9070 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Slots | 2 slots | 2 slots |
| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 5.0 x16 |
| Thermal Design Power (TDP) | 250 W | 304 W |
| Suggested PSU | 600 W | 700 W |
| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | 2x 8-pin |
| Outputs | DVI, HDMI 1.4a, mini-DisplayPort 1.2 | HDMI 2.1b, DisplayPort 2.1a |
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 RX 9070 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Stream Processors (SP) | 2,048 | 4,096 |
| Compute Units (CU) | 32 | 64 |
| Texture Mapping Units (TMU) | 128 | 256 |
| Render Output Units (ROP) | 32 | 128 |
| AI Accelerators | -- | 128 |
| Ray Accelerators | -- | 64 |
| Core Clock Speed | 925 MHz | 1,660 MHz |
| Core Clock Speed (Boost) | -- | 2,970 MHz |
| Core Clock Speed (Game) | -- | 2,400 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 RX 9070 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Pixel Fill Rate | 29.6 GPixel/s | 380.2 GPixel/s |
| Texture Fill Rate | 118.4 GTexel/s | 760.3 GTexel/s |
| FP32 Performance | 3.79 TFLOPS | 48.66 TFLOPS |
| FP64 Performance | 947.2 GFLOPS | 1.52 TFLOPS |
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 RX 9070 XT |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 (11_1) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |
| OpenCL | 2.1 (1.2) | 2.2 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Shader Model | 6.5 (5.1) | 6.8 |
Check out these comparisons for similar GPUs:
Looking for alternatives? Check out these similar GPUs:
* Performance rating, performance per dollar, and rankings are based on the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark and MSRP.