AMD Radeon RX 480 vs AMD Radeon HD 8970M

VS
Performance
Radeon RX 480163% better
17,91917% of 104,598
Radeon HD 8970M
6,8187% of 104,598

The Radeon RX 480 has 163% better performance than the Radeon HD 8970M for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

Performance per dollar
Radeon RX 480
78.2548% of 161.45
Radeon HD 8970M
No data available

The Radeon RX 480 has 48% 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

#

About the AMD Radeon RX 480 GPU

The AMD Radeon RX 480 is a desktop graphics card that launched in Q2 2016 with a MSRP of $229. It is built on the GCN 4.0 GPU microarchitecture (codename Ellesmere) and is manufactured on a 14 nm process.

Memory

The RX 480 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory, with a 2,000 MHz memory clock and a 256 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 256 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 480 includes 2,304 stream processors (SPs), the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 1,120 MHz and can dynamically boost its clock speed up to 1,266 MHz. Complementing the processing units are 144 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 32 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing.

Compatibility & Power Consumption

The RX 480 occupies 2 PCIe expansion slots. It supports HDMI 2.0b, DisplayPort 1.4a display connections. AMD recommends a power supply of at least 450 W to handle the GPU's thermal design power (TDP) of 150 W.

Benchmark Performance & Value

The RX 480 has the 124th best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 17.13% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 17,919 score and $229 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 78.25. This is the 38th best in value for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

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 6.52% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090.

General Info

General overview of the GPU, including details like its manufacturer, release date, launch price, and current production status.

InfoRadeon RX 480Radeon HD 8970M
ManufacturerAMDAMD
ArchitectureGCN 4.0GCN 1.0
Market SegmentDesktopMobile
Release DateQ2 2016Q2 2013
Launch Price (MSRP)$229--
Production StatusActiveEnd-of-life
ShopCheck PriceCheck Price

Gaming Performance

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Select a game to compare FPS metrics

Display FPS for Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Display FPS for Baldur's Gate 3
Baldur's Gate 3
Display FPS for Outriders
Outriders
Display FPS for Flight Simulator 2020
Flight Simulator 2020
Display FPS for Valorant
Valorant
Display FPS for Gears Tactics
Gears Tactics
Display FPS for Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2

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 Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Radeon RX 480Radeon HD 8970M
Low - 1080p
--
--
Medium - 1080p
--
--
High - 1080p
--
--
Ultra - 1080p
29 FPS
--
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 RX 480 orRadeon HD 8970M
GPUFrames Per Second
Arc A77083.2+192%
GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER47.5+67%
GeForce GTX 166043.1+51%
GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER35.2+24%
Radeon RX 5500 XT34.5+21%
Radeon RX 48028.5
Radeon RX 6500 XT23.5-18%

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 RX 480 orRadeon HD 8970M
GPUCost Per Frame
Arc A7703.95-51%
GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER4.52-44%
GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER4.82-40%
Radeon RX 5500 XT4.9-39%
GeForce GTX 16605.08-37%
Radeon RX 4808.04
Radeon RX 6500 XT8.47+5%

Benchmark Performance

#
Performance
Radeon RX 480163% better
17,91917% of 104,598
Radeon HD 8970M
6,8187% of 104,598

The Radeon RX 480 has 163% better performance than the Radeon HD 8970M for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The Radeon RX 480 is ranked 124th with a score of 17,919, and the Radeon HD 8970M is ranked 220th with a score of 6,818.

Performance per dollar
Radeon RX 480
78.2548% of 161.45
Radeon HD 8970M
No data available

The Radeon RX 480 has 120% of the performance per dollar compared to the leader for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090.

Radeon RX 480's 78.25 performance per dollar ranks it 38th 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 RX 480 or
GPUBenchmark Performance
GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER18,224.5+2%
Radeon R9 390X17,944+0%
Radeon RX 48017,919
Radeon RX 47017,624.5-2%
GeForce GTX 98017,604.5-2%
Quadro K5100M6,880-62%
Radeon R9 M390 (Mac Edition)6,819-62%
Radeon HD 8970M6,818-62%
Radeon R9 M290X6,817-62%
Radeon Pro 4606,749-62%

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 RX 480 orRadeon HD 8970M

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 RX 480Radeon HD 8970M
3DMark Time Spy Graphics
3,882
--
3DMark Time Spy Score
4,001
--
3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics
72,213
(+132.74%)
31,027
3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics
12,186
(+141.86%)
5,038.5
3DMark 11 Performance Score
15,476
(+185.43%)
5,422
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit
166
--
PassMark G3D Mark
8,624
(+122.5%)
3,876
PassMark G2D Mark
786
801
(+1.91%)
Unigine Heaven 3.0 DirectX 11
132
(+135.29%)
56.1
Unigine Heaven 3.0 OpenGL
105
--
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 RX 480Radeon HD 8970M
CodenameEllesmereNeptune
ArchitectureGCN 4.0GCN 1.0
Process Size14 nm28 nm
Transistors5,700 million2,800 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 RX 480Radeon HD 8970M
Memory Size8 GB4 GB
Memory TypeGDDR5GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth256 Gb/s153.6 Gb/s
Memory Clock2,000 MHz1,200 MHz
Memory Interface256 bit256 bit
L1 Cache16 KB16 KB
L2 Cache2 MB512 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 RX 480Radeon HD 8970M
Slots2 slots--
Bus InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
Thermal Design Power (TDP)150 W100 W
Suggested PSU450 W--
Power Connectors1x 6-pin--
OutputsHDMI 2.0b, DisplayPort 1.4aDevice Dependent

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 RX 480Radeon HD 8970M
Stream Processors (SP)2,3041,280
Compute Units (CU)3620
Texture Mapping Units (TMU)14480
Render Output Units (ROP)3232
Core Clock Speed1,120 MHz850 MHz
Core Clock Speed (Boost)1,266 MHz900 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 RX 480Radeon HD 8970M
Pixel Fill Rate40.51 GPixel/s28.8 GPixel/s
Texture Fill Rate182.3 GTexel/s72 GTexel/s
FP32 Performance5.83 TFLOPS2.3 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance364.6 GFLOPS144 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 RX 480Radeon HD 8970M
DirectX12 (12_0)12 (11_1)
OpenCL2.12.1 (1.2)
OpenGL4.64.6
Shader Model6.76.5 (5.1)

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