AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT vs AMD Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition)

VS
Performance
Radeon RX 6900 XT854% better
59,11957% of 104,598
Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition)
6,1946% of 104,598

The Radeon RX 6900 XT has 854% better performance than the Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

Performance per dollar
Radeon RX 6900 XT233% better
59.1837% of 161.45
Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition)
17.7511% of 161.45

The Radeon RX 6900 XT has 233% better value for the money than the Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

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Summary

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About the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT GPU

The AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT is a desktop graphics card that launched in Q4 2020 with a MSRP of $999. It is built on the RDNA 2.0 GPU microarchitecture (codename Navi 21) and is manufactured on a 7 nm process.

Memory

The RX 6900 XT has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, with a 2,000 MHz memory clock and a 256 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 512 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 6900 XT includes 5,120 stream processors (SPs), the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 1,825 MHz and can dynamically boost its clock speed up to 2,250 MHz. It usually operates at 2,015 MHz during typical gaming workloads. Complementing the processing units are 320 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 128 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing. Additionally, the GPU features 80 ray accelerators dedicated to real-time ray tracing calculations.

Compatibility & Power Consumption

The RX 6900 XT is a large graphics card, occupying 3 PCIe 4.0 x16 expansion slots. It supports HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4a, USB Type-C display connections. With a thermal design power (TDP) of 300 W and a large, 3-slot size, it is recommended to use a power supply of 700 W and a case with sufficient space to accommodate the card. Compare your card's model and your case's dimensions to verify compatibility.

Benchmark Performance & Value

The RX 6900 XT has the 18th best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 56.52% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 59,119 score and $999 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 59.18. This is the 55th best in value for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

About the AMD Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) GPU

The AMD Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) is an end-of-life desktop graphics card that released in Q1 2012 with a MSRP of $349. It is built on the GCN 1.0 GPU microarchitecture (codename Pitcairn) and is manufactured on a 28 nm process.

Memory

The HD 7870 has 2 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 7870 includes 1,280 stream processors (SPs), the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 1,000 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 HD 7870 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 450 W to handle the GPU's thermal design power (TDP) of 175 W.

Benchmark Performance & Value

The HD 7870 has the 226th best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 5.92% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 6,194 score and $349 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 17.75. This is the 90th 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 6900 XTRadeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition)
ManufacturerAMDAMD
ArchitectureRDNA 2.0GCN 1.0
Market SegmentDesktopDesktop
Release DateQ4 2020Q1 2012
Launch Price (MSRP)$999$349
Production StatusActiveEnd-of-life
ShopCheck PriceCheck Price

Gaming Performance

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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 Hitman 3
Hitman 3
Radeon RX 6900 XTRadeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition)
Low - 720p
353 FPS
--
Medium - 1080p
283 FPS
--
High - 1080p
280 FPS
--
Ultra - 1080p
273 FPS
--
QHD - 1440p
213 FPS
--
4K UHD - 2160p
128 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 RX 6900 XT orRadeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition)

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 6900 XT orRadeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition)

Benchmark Performance

#
Performance
Radeon RX 6900 XT854% better
59,11957% of 104,598
Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition)
6,1946% of 104,598

The Radeon RX 6900 XT has 854% better performance than the Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The Radeon RX 6900 XT is ranked 18th with a score of 59,119, and the Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) is ranked 226th with a score of 6,194.

Performance per dollar
Radeon RX 6900 XT233% better
59.1837% of 161.45
Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition)
17.7511% of 161.45

The Radeon RX 6900 XT has 233% better value for the money than the Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The Radeon RX 6900 XT is ranked 55th with a performance per dollar of 59.18, and the Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) is ranked 90th with a performance per dollar of 17.75.

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 6900 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 6900 XT or

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 6900 XTRadeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition)
3DMark Time Spy Graphics
18,210
--
3DMark Time Spy Score
17,549
--
3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics
50,587
--
3DMark Night Raid Graphics
160,895
--
3DMark 11 Performance Score
42,418
(+585.27%)
6,190
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit
--
120.1
PassMark G3D Mark
26,809
(+478.53%)
4,634
PassMark G2D Mark
1,058
(+80.55%)
586
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 6900 XTRadeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition)
CodenameNavi 21Pitcairn
ArchitectureRDNA 2.0GCN 1.0
Process Size7 nm28 nm
Transistors26,800 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 6900 XTRadeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition)
Memory Size16 GB2 GB
Memory TypeGDDR6GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth512 Gb/s153.6 Gb/s
Memory Clock2,000 MHz1,200 MHz
Memory Interface256 bit256 bit
L1 Cache128 KB16 KB
L2 Cache4 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 6900 XTRadeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition)
Slots3 slots2 slots
Bus InterfacePCIe 4.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
Thermal Design Power (TDP)300 W175 W
Suggested PSU700 W450 W
Power Connectors2x 8-pin2x 6-pin
OutputsHDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4a, USB Type-CDVI, 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 6900 XTRadeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition)
Stream Processors (SP)5,1201,280
Compute Units (CU)8020
Texture Mapping Units (TMU)32080
Render Output Units (ROP)12832
Ray Accelerators80--
Core Clock Speed1,825 MHz1,000 MHz
Core Clock Speed (Boost)2,250 MHz--
Core Clock Speed (Game)2,015 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 6900 XTRadeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition)
Pixel Fill Rate288 GPixel/s32 GPixel/s
Texture Fill Rate720 GTexel/s80 GTexel/s
FP32 Performance23.04 TFLOPS2.56 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance1,440 GFLOPS160 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 6900 XTRadeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition)
DirectX12 Ultimate (12_2)12 (11_1)
OpenCL2.12.1 (1.2)
OpenGL4.64.6
Shader Model6.86.5 (5.1)

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