AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 vs AMD Radeon HD 7970
The Radeon Pro Vega 56 has 229% better performance than the Radeon HD 7970 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
The Radeon HD 7970 has 9% of the performance per dollar compared to the leader for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark: AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT.
Summary
About the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 GPU
The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 is a workstation graphics card that launched in Q3 2017. It is built on the GCN 5.0 GPU microarchitecture (codename Vega 10) and is manufactured on a 14 nm process.
Memory
The Pro Vega 56 has 8 GB of HBM2 memory, with a 786 MHz memory clock and a 2,048 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 402.4 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 Pro Vega 56 includes 3,584 stream processors (SPs), the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 1,138 MHz and can dynamically boost its clock speed up to 1,250 MHz. Complementing the processing units are 224 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 64 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing.
Compatibility & Power Consumption
It supports HDMI 2.0b, DisplayPort 1.4a display connections. The GPU has a thermal design power (TDP) of 210 W. A power supply not strong enough to handle this might result in system crashes and potentially damage your hardware.
Benchmark Performance
The Pro Vega 56 has the 109th best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 567 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 19.72% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090.
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.
General Info
General overview of the GPU, including details like its manufacturer, release date, launch price, and current production status.
| Info | Radeon Pro Vega 56 | Radeon HD 7970 |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | AMD | AMD |
| Architecture | GCN 5.0 | GCN 1.0 |
| Market Segment | Workstation | Desktop |
| Release Date | Q3 2017 | Q1 2012 |
| Launch Price (MSRP) | -- | $549 |
| Production Status | Active | 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
Assassin´s Creed Origins | Radeon Pro Vega 56 | Radeon HD 7970 |
|---|---|---|
| Low - 720p | -- | -- |
| Medium - 1080p | 70 FPS | -- |
| High - 1080p | 65 FPS | -- |
| Ultra - 1080p | 57 FPS | -- |
| QHD - 1440p | -- | -- |
| 4K UHD - 2160p | 33 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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Our database does not have enough FPS data to compare with other GPUs. | ||
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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Our database does not have enough data to compare the FPS per dollar with other GPUs. | ||
Benchmark Performance
The Radeon Pro Vega 56 has 229% better performance than the Radeon HD 7970 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
The Radeon Pro Vega 56 is ranked 109th with a score of 25,589, and the Radeon HD 7970 is ranked 234th with a score of 7,770.
The Radeon HD 7970 has 22% of the performance per dollar compared to the leader for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090.
Radeon HD 7970's 14.15 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.
| GPU | Benchmark Performance | |
|---|---|---|
| RTX A6000 | 50,957 | +99% |
| Radeon PRO W6800 | 44,404 | +74% |
| Radeon Pro Vega 56 | 25,589 | |
| Quadro P5000 | 20,096 | -21% |
| RTX A2000 | 19,978 | -22% |
| GeForce GTX 950 | 8,351 | -67% |
| GeForce GTX 760 | 7,962 | -69% |
| Radeon HD 7970 | 7,770 | -70% |
| Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) | 6,194 | -76% |
| GeForce GTX 750 Ti | 5,378 | -79% |
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 Pro Vega 56 | Radeon HD 7970 |
|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy Graphics | 5,465 | -- |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | 5,831 | -- |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics | -- | 43,795 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics | 17,797 (+159.36%) | 6,862 |
| 3DMark 11 Performance Score | 20,785 (+183.83%) | 7,323 |
| Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit | 129.1 | -- |
| PassMark G3D Mark | 12,354 (+135.4%) | 5,248 |
| PassMark G2D Mark | 832 (+14.13%) | 729 |
| 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 Pro Vega 56 | Radeon HD 7970 |
|---|---|---|
| Codename | Vega 10 | Tahiti |
| Architecture | GCN 5.0 | GCN 1.0 |
| Process Size | 14 nm | 28 nm |
| Transistors | 12,500 million | 4,313 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 Pro Vega 56 | Radeon HD 7970 |
|---|---|---|
| Memory Size | 8 GB | 3 GB |
| Memory Type | HBM2 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 402.4 Gb/s | 264 Gb/s |
| Memory Clock | 786 MHz | 1,375 MHz |
| Memory Interface | 2,048 bit | 384 bit |
| L1 Cache | 16 KB | 16 KB |
| L2 Cache | 4 MB | 768 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 Pro Vega 56 | Radeon HD 7970 |
|---|---|---|
| Slots | -- | 2 slots |
| Bus Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| Thermal Design Power (TDP) | 210 W | 250 W |
| Suggested PSU | -- | 600 W |
| Power Connectors | -- | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin |
| Outputs | HDMI 2.0b, DisplayPort 1.4a | DVI, HDMI 1.4a, mini-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.
| Spec | Radeon Pro Vega 56 | Radeon HD 7970 |
|---|---|---|
| Stream Processors (SP) | 3,584 | 2,048 |
| Compute Units (CU) | 56 | 32 |
| Texture Mapping Units (TMU) | 224 | 128 |
| Render Output Units (ROP) | 64 | 32 |
| Core Clock Speed | 1,138 MHz | 925 MHz |
| Core Clock Speed (Boost) | 1,250 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 Pro Vega 56 | Radeon HD 7970 |
|---|---|---|
| Pixel Fill Rate | 80 GPixel/s | 29.6 GPixel/s |
| Texture Fill Rate | 280 GTexel/s | 118.4 GTexel/s |
| FP32 Performance | 8.96 TFLOPS | 3.79 TFLOPS |
| FP64 Performance | 560 GFLOPS | 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 Pro Vega 56 | Radeon HD 7970 |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 (12_1) | 12 (11_1) |
| OpenCL | 2.1 | 2.1 (1.2) |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Shader Model | 6.7 | 6.5 (5.1) |
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* Performance rating, performance per dollar, and rankings are based on the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark and MSRP.