AMD Radeon HD 8970M vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980

VS
Performance
Radeon HD 8970M
6,8187% of 104,737
GeForce GTX 980158% better
17,604.517% of 104,737

The GeForce GTX 980 has 158% better performance than the Radeon HD 8970M for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

Performance per dollar
Radeon HD 8970M
No data available
GeForce GTX 980
32.0720% of 161.45

The GeForce GTX 980 has 20% of the performance per dollar compared to the leader for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark: AMD Radeon RX 7600.

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Summary

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About the AMD Radeon HD 8970M GPU

The AMD Radeon HD 8970M is an end-of-life mobile graphics card that released in Q2 2013. It is built on the GCN 1.0 GPU microarchitecture (codename Neptune) and is manufactured on a 28 nm process.

Memory

The HD 8970M has 4 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 8970M includes 1,280 stream processors (SPs), the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 850 MHz and can dynamically boost its clock speed up to 900 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 GPU has a thermal design power (TDP) of 100 W. A power supply not strong enough to handle this might result in system crashes and potentially damage your hardware.

Benchmark Performance

The HD 8970M has the 220th best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 6.51% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090.

About the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 GPU

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 is an end-of-life desktop graphics card that released in Q3 2014 with a MSRP of $549. It is built on the Maxwell 2.0 GPU microarchitecture (codename GM204) and is manufactured on a 28 nm process.

Memory

The GTX 980 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory, with a 1,753 MHz memory clock and a 256 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 224.4 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 980 includes 2,048 CUDA cores, the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 1,127 MHz and can dynamically boost its clock speed up to 1,216 MHz. Complementing the processing units are 128 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 64 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing.

Compatibility & Power Consumption

The GTX 980 occupies 2 PCIe expansion slots. It supports DVI, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2 display connections. NVIDIA recommends a power supply of at least 450 W to handle the GPU's thermal design power (TDP) of 165 W.

Benchmark Performance & Value

The GTX 980 has the 127th best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 16.81% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 17,604.5 score and $549 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 32.07. This is the 76th 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 8970MGeForce GTX 980
ManufacturerAMDNVIDIA
ArchitectureGCN 1.0Maxwell 2.0
Market SegmentMobileDesktop
Release DateQ2 2013Q3 2014
Launch Price (MSRP)--$549
Production StatusEnd-of-lifeEnd-of-life
ShopCheck PriceCheck Price

Gaming Performance

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Select a game to compare FPS metrics

Display FPS for Just Cause 4
Just Cause 4
Display FPS for Darksiders III
Darksiders III
Display FPS for Battlefield V
Battlefield V
Display FPS for Hitman 2
Hitman 2
Display FPS for Assassin´s Creed Odyssey
Assassin´s Creed Odyssey
Display FPS for Forza Horizon 4
Forza Horizon 4
Display FPS for Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Shadow of the Tomb Raider

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 Just Cause 4
Just Cause 4
Radeon HD 8970MGeForce GTX 980
Low - 720p
--
109 FPS
Medium - 1080p
--
77 FPS
High - 1080p
--
67 FPS
Ultra - 1080p
--
62 FPS
QHD - 1440p
--
44 FPS
4K UHD - 2160p
--
24 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 8970M orGeForce GTX 980

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 8970M orGeForce GTX 980
GPUCost Per Frame
GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)13.53-42%
Radeon RX Vega 6413.71-41%
Radeon VII15.3-35%
GeForce GTX 97016.53-29%
GeForce GTX 980 Ti22.46-4%
GeForce GTX 98023.36

Benchmark Performance

#
Performance
Radeon HD 8970M
6,8187% of 104,737
GeForce GTX 980158% better
17,604.517% of 104,737

The GeForce GTX 980 has 158% better performance than the Radeon HD 8970M for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The Radeon HD 8970M is ranked 220th with a score of 6,818, and the GeForce GTX 980 is ranked 127th with a score of 17,604.5.

Performance per dollar
Radeon HD 8970M
No data available
GeForce GTX 980
32.0720% of 161.45

The GeForce GTX 980 has 49% of the performance per dollar compared to the leader for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090.

GeForce GTX 980's 32.07 performance per dollar ranks it 0th among the other benchmarked GPUs in our database.

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 8970M or
GPUBenchmark Performance
Radeon RX 48017,919+163%
Radeon RX 47017,624.5+158%
GeForce GTX 98017,604.5+158%
Radeon R9 FURY17,543+157%
GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB)17,401+155%
Quadro K5100M6,880+1%
Radeon R9 M390 (Mac Edition)6,819+0%
Radeon HD 8970M6,818
Radeon R9 M290X6,817-0%
Radeon Pro 4606,749-1%

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 8970M orGeForce GTX 980
GPUPerformance Per Dollar
GeForce GTX 96054.11+69%
GeForce GTX 97048.73+52%
Radeon R9 390X41.83+30%
Radeon R9 280X36.09+13%
GeForce GTX 980 Ti35.53+11%
GeForce GTX 98032.07
Radeon R9 FURY31.95-0%
Radeon R9 290X29.45-8%
Radeon R9 Nano26.63-17%
GeForce GTX 780 Ti22.34-30%

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 8970MGeForce GTX 980
3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics
31,027
85,374
(+175.16%)
3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics
5,038.5
12,938
(+156.78%)
3DMark 11 Performance Score
5,422
14,169
(+161.32%)
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit
--
109.6
PassMark G3D Mark
3,876
11,098
(+186.33%)
PassMark G2D Mark
804
(+0.75%)
798
Unigine Heaven 3.0 DirectX 11
56.1
129.7
(+131.19%)
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 8970MGeForce GTX 980
CodenameNeptuneGM204
ArchitectureGCN 1.0Maxwell 2.0
Process Size28 nm28 nm
Transistors2,800 million5,200 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 8970MGeForce GTX 980
Memory Size4 GB4 GB
Memory TypeGDDR5GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth153.6 Gb/s224.4 Gb/s
Memory Clock1,200 MHz1,753 MHz
Memory Interface256 bit256 bit
L1 Cache16 KB48 KB
L2 Cache512 KB2 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 8970MGeForce GTX 980
Slots--2 slots
Bus InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
Thermal Design Power (TDP)100 W165 W
Suggested PSU--450 W
Power Connectors--2x 6-pin
OutputsDevice DependentDVI, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2

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 8970MGeForce GTX 980
Stream Processors (SP)1,280--
CUDA Cores--2,048
Compute Units (CU)20--
Texture Mapping Units (TMU)80128
Render Output Units (ROP)3264
Core Clock Speed850 MHz1,127 MHz
Core Clock Speed (Boost)900 MHz1,216 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 8970MGeForce GTX 980
Pixel Fill Rate28.8 GPixel/s77.82 GPixel/s
Texture Fill Rate72 GTexel/s155.6 GTexel/s
FP32 Performance2.3 TFLOPS4.98 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance144 GFLOPS155.6 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 8970MGeForce GTX 980
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.