AMD Radeon HD 7970 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)

VS
Performance
Radeon HD 7970
7,7707% of 104,598
GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)124% better
17,40117% of 104,598

The GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) has 124% 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
GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)311% better
58.236% of 161.45

The GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) has 311% better value for the money than the Radeon HD 7970 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

Shop Radeon HD 7970
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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 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) GPU

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) is an end-of-life desktop graphics card that released in Q3 2016 with a MSRP of $299. It is built on the Pascal GPU microarchitecture (codename GP106) and is manufactured on a 16 nm process.

Memory

The GTX 1060 has 6 GB of GDDR5 memory, with a 2,002 MHz memory clock and a 192 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 192.2 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 GTX 1060 includes 1,280 CUDA cores, the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 1,506 MHz and can dynamically boost its clock speed up to 1,709 MHz. Complementing the processing units are 80 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 48 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing.

Compatibility & Power Consumption

The GTX 1060 occupies 2 PCIe expansion slots. It supports DVI, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4a display connections. NVIDIA recommends a power supply of at least 300 W to handle the GPU's thermal design power (TDP) of 120 W.

Benchmark Performance & Value

The GTX 1060 has the 132nd best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 16.64% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 17,401 score and $299 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 58.2. This is the 57th 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 7970GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)
ManufacturerAMDNVIDIA
ArchitectureGCN 1.0Pascal
Market SegmentDesktopDesktop
Release DateQ1 2012Q3 2016
Launch Price (MSRP)$549$299
Production StatusEnd-of-lifeEnd-of-life
ShopCheck PriceCheck Price

Gaming Performance

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Select a game to compare FPS metrics

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GRID (2019)
Display FPS for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint
Ghost Recon Breakpoint

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 Borderlands 3
Borderlands 3
Radeon HD 7970GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)
Low - 720p
--
139 FPS
Medium - 1080p
--
78 FPS
High - 1080p
--
51 FPS
Ultra - 1080p
--
39 FPS
QHD - 1440p
--
27 FPS
4K UHD - 2160p
--
14 FPS
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 orGeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)

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 orGeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)
GPUCost Per Frame
GeForce GTX 1660 Ti15.94-25%
Radeon RX 59017.33-19%
GeForce GTX 107017.71-17%
GeForce RTX 206017.9-16%
Radeon RX 6500 XT19.9-7%
GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)21.36
Radeon VII21.98+3%
GeForce GTX 165024.83+16%
GeForce GTX 980 Ti32.13+50%
GeForce GTX 105051.9+143%

Benchmark Performance

#
Performance
Radeon HD 7970
7,7707% of 104,598
GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)124% better
17,40117% of 104,598

The GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) has 124% 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 GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) is ranked 132nd with a score of 17,401.

Performance per dollar
Radeon HD 7970
14.159% of 161.45
GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)311% better
58.236% of 161.45

The GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) has 311% 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 GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) is ranked 57th with a performance per dollar of 58.2.

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
GeForce GTX 98017,604.5+127%
Radeon R9 FURY17,543+126%
GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)17,401+124%
Radeon R9 Nano17,282+122%
Radeon R9 290X16,167.5+108%
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
GPUPerformance Per Dollar
GeForce GTX 107065.04+360%
Radeon R9 38061.26+333%
GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)58.2+311%
Radeon R7 37057.17+304%
Radeon VII54.19+283%
Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition)17.75+25%
Radeon HD 687017.65+25%
Radeon HD 797014.15
GeForce GTX 59013.11-7%
GeForce GTX 47012.44-12%

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
BenchmarkRadeon HD 7970GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)
3DMark Time Spy Graphics
--
4,194
3DMark Time Spy Score
--
4,631
3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics
43,795
77,035
(+75.9%)
3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics
6,862
12,984
(+89.22%)
3DMark Night Raid Graphics
--
55,760
3DMark 11 Performance Score
7,323
15,802
(+115.79%)
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit
--
148.7
PassMark G3D Mark
5,248
10,075
(+91.98%)
PassMark G2D Mark
738
745
(+0.95%)
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 7970GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)
CodenameTahitiGP106
ArchitectureGCN 1.0Pascal
Process Size28 nm16 nm
Transistors4,313 million4,400 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 7970GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)
Memory Size3 GB6 GB
Memory TypeGDDR5GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth264 Gb/s192.2 Gb/s
Memory Clock1,375 MHz2,002 MHz
Memory Interface384 bit192 bit
L1 Cache16 KB48 KB
L2 Cache768 KB1,536 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.

SpecRadeon HD 7970GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)
Slots2 slots2 slots
Bus InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
Thermal Design Power (TDP)250 W120 W
Suggested PSU600 W300 W
Power Connectors1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin1x 6-pin
OutputsDVI, HDMI 1.4a, mini-DisplayPort 1.2DVI, HDMI 2.0, 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 7970GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)
Stream Processors (SP)2,048--
CUDA Cores--1,280
Compute Units (CU)32--
Stream Multiprocessors (SM)--10
Texture Mapping Units (TMU)12880
Render Output Units (ROP)3248
Core Clock Speed925 MHz1,506 MHz
Core Clock Speed (Boost)--1,709 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 7970GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)
Pixel Fill Rate29.6 GPixel/s82.03 GPixel/s
Texture Fill Rate118.4 GTexel/s136.7 GTexel/s
FP32 Performance3.79 TFLOPS4.38 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance947.2 GFLOPS136.7 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 7970GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)
DirectX12 (11_1)12 (12_1)
OpenCL2.1 (1.2)3.0
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.