AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT vs AMD Radeon HD 7970

VS
Performance
Radeon RX 6850M XT441% better
42,015.540% of 104,737
Radeon HD 7970
7,7707% of 104,737

The Radeon RX 6850M XT has 441% better performance than the Radeon HD 7970 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

Performance per dollar
Radeon RX 6850M XT
No data available
Radeon HD 7970
14.159% of 161.45

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 7600.

Shop Radeon RX 6850M XT
Shop Radeon HD 7970
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Summary

#

About the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT GPU

The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT is a mobile graphics card that launched in Q1 2022. It is built on the RDNA 2.0 GPU microarchitecture (codename Navi 22) and is manufactured on a 7 nm process.

Memory

The RX 6850M XT has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory, with a 2,250 MHz memory clock and a 192 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 432 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 6850M XT includes 2,560 stream processors (SPs), the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 2,321 MHz and can dynamically boost its clock speed up to 2,581 MHz. It usually operates at 2,463 MHz during typical gaming workloads. Complementing the processing units are 160 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 64 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing. Additionally, the GPU features 40 ray accelerators dedicated to real-time ray tracing calculations.

Compatibility & Power Consumption

The GPU has a thermal design power (TDP) of 165 W. A power supply not strong enough to handle this might result in system crashes and potentially damage your hardware.

Benchmark Performance

The RX 6850M XT has the 35th best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 40.12% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090.

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 7.42% 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.

General Info

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

InfoRadeon RX 6850M XTRadeon HD 7970
ManufacturerAMDAMD
ArchitectureRDNA 2.0GCN 1.0
Market SegmentMobileDesktop
Release DateQ1 2022Q1 2012
Launch Price (MSRP)--$549
Production StatusActiveEnd-of-life
ShopCheck PriceCheck Price

Gaming Performance

#

Select a game to compare FPS metrics

Display FPS for Far Cry 6
Far Cry 6
Display FPS for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022)
Display FPS for Cyberpunk 2077 (1.6)
Cyberpunk 2077 (1.6)
Display FPS for EA Sports F1 22
EA Sports F1 22
Display FPS for Dying Light 2 Stay Human
Dying Light 2
Display FPS for God of War
God of War
Display FPS for Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
Guardians of the Galaxy

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 Far Cry 6
Far Cry 6
Radeon RX 6850M XTRadeon HD 7970
Low - 720p
123 FPS
--
Medium - 1080p
112 FPS
--
High - 1080p
100 FPS
--
Ultra - 1080p
99 FPS
--
QHD - 1440p
87 FPS
--
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 6850M XT orRadeon HD 7970

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 6850M XT orRadeon HD 7970
GPUCost Per Frame
Our database does not have enough data to compare the FPS per dollar with other GPUs.

Benchmark Performance

#
Performance
Radeon RX 6850M XT441% better
42,015.540% of 104,737
Radeon HD 7970
7,7707% of 104,737

The Radeon RX 6850M XT has 441% better performance than the Radeon HD 7970 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The Radeon RX 6850M XT is ranked 35th with a score of 42,015.5, and the Radeon HD 7970 is ranked 211th with a score of 7,770.

Performance per dollar
Radeon RX 6850M XT
No data available
Radeon HD 7970
14.159% of 161.45

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 4090.

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.

Choose Baseline GPU:Radeon RX 6850M XT or

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 6850M XT orRadeon HD 7970

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 6850M XTRadeon HD 7970
3DMark Time Spy Graphics
11,837
--
3DMark Time Spy Score
11,649.5
--
3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics
172,972
(+294.96%)
43,795
3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics
33,900.5
(+394.03%)
6,862
3DMark 11 Performance Score
30,854.5
(+321.34%)
7,323
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit
200.8
--
PassMark G3D Mark
17,474
(+232.96%)
5,248
PassMark G2D Mark
618
735
(+18.93%)
Unigine Heaven 3.0 DirectX 11
--
77.8
Benchmarks Source: Notebookcheck

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.

SpecRadeon RX 6850M XTRadeon HD 7970
CodenameNavi 22Tahiti
ArchitectureRDNA 2.0GCN 1.0
Process Size7 nm28 nm
Transistors17,200 million4,313 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.

SpecRadeon RX 6850M XTRadeon HD 7970
Memory Size12 GB3 GB
Memory TypeGDDR6GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth432 Gb/s264 Gb/s
Memory Clock2,250 MHz1,375 MHz
Memory Interface192 bit384 bit
L1 Cache128 KB16 KB
L2 Cache3 MB768 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 6850M XTRadeon HD 7970
Slots--2 slots
Bus InterfacePCIe 4.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
Thermal Design Power (TDP)165 W250 W
Suggested PSU--600 W
Power Connectors--1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
OutputsDevice DependentDVI, 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.

SpecRadeon RX 6850M XTRadeon HD 7970
Stream Processors (SP)2,5602,048
Compute Units (CU)4032
Texture Mapping Units (TMU)160128
Render Output Units (ROP)6432
Ray Accelerators40--
Core Clock Speed2,321 MHz925 MHz
Core Clock Speed (Boost)2,581 MHz--
Core Clock Speed (Game)2,463 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 6850M XTRadeon HD 7970
Pixel Fill Rate165.2 GPixel/s29.6 GPixel/s
Texture Fill Rate413 GTexel/s118.4 GTexel/s
FP32 Performance13.21 TFLOPS3.79 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance825.9 GFLOPS947.2 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.

SpecRadeon RX 6850M XTRadeon HD 7970
DirectX12 Ultimate (12_2)12 (11_1)
OpenCL2.12.1 (1.2)
OpenGL4.64.6
Shader Model6.86.5 (5.1)

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.