Contents:HighlightsSummaryGaming PerformanceBenchmark PerformanceTechnical SpecsRelated ComparisonsRelated GPUs
Performance
GeForce GTX 970M134% better
9,877.59% of 104,598
Radeon HD 6870
4,2184% of 104,598
The GeForce GTX 970M has 134% better performance than the Radeon HD 6870 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
Performance per dollar
GeForce GTX 970M
No data available
Radeon HD 6870
17.6511% of 161.45
The Radeon HD 6870 has 11% of the performance per dollar compared to the leader for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark: AMD Radeon RX 7600.
Shop GeForce GTX 970M
Shop Radeon HD 6870
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Summary
#
About the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M GPU
The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M is an end-of-life mobile graphics card that released in Q4 2014. It is built on the Maxwell 2.0 GPU microarchitecture (codename GM204) and is manufactured on a 28 nm process.
Memory
The GTX 970M has 6 GB of GDDR5 memory, with a 1,253 MHz memory clock and a 192 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 120.3 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 970M includes 1,280 CUDA cores, the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 924 MHz and can dynamically boost its clock speed up to 1,038 MHz. Complementing the processing units are 80 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 48 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing.
Compatibility & Power Consumption
The GPU has a thermal design power (TDP) of 81 W. A power supply not strong enough to handle this might result in system crashes and potentially damage your hardware.
Benchmark Performance
The GTX 970M has the 181st best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 9.44% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090.
About the AMD Radeon HD 6870 GPU
The AMD Radeon HD 6870 is an end-of-life desktop graphics card that released in Q4 2010 with a MSRP of $239. It is built on the TeraScale 2 GPU microarchitecture (codename Barts) and is manufactured on a 40 nm process.
Memory
The HD 6870 has 1,024 MB of GDDR5 memory, with a 1,050 MHz memory clock and a 256 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 134.4 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 HD 6870 includes 1,120 stream processors (SPs), the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 900 MHz. Complementing the processing units are 56 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 32 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing.
Compatibility & Power Consumption
The HD 6870 occupies 2 PCIe expansion slots. It supports DVI, HDMI 1.3a, mini-DisplayPort 1.1 display connections. AMD recommends a power supply of at least 450 W to handle the GPU's thermal design power (TDP) of 151 W.
Benchmark Performance & Value
The HD 6870 has the 269th best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 4.03% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 4,218 score and $239 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 17.65. This is the 91st 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 | GeForce GTX 970M | Radeon HD 6870 |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | NVIDIA | AMD |
| Architecture | Maxwell 2.0 | TeraScale 2 |
| Market Segment | Mobile | Desktop |
| Release Date | Q4 2014 | Q4 2010 |
| Launch Price (MSRP) | -- | $239 |
| Production Status | End-of-life | End-of-life |
| Shop | Check Price | Check Price |
Gaming Performance
#
Select a game to compare FPS metrics
Rage 2
Anno 1800
The Division 2
Dirt Rally 2.0
Anthem
Far Cry New Dawn
Metro Exodus
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
Rage 2 | GeForce GTX 970M | Radeon HD 6870 |
|---|---|---|
| Low - 720p | 67 FPS | -- |
| Medium - 1080p | 31 FPS | -- |
| High - 1080p | 27 FPS | -- |
| Ultra - 1080p | 26 FPS | -- |
| QHD - 1440p | 17 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:GeForce GTX 970M orRadeon HD 6870
| GPU | Frames Per Second | |
|---|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 3050 Mobile | 43 | +161% |
| GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Mobile | 33.7 | +104% |
| GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q | 22.4 | +36% |
| GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile | 18.1 | +10% |
| GeForce GTX 970M | 16.5 | |
| Radeon RX 5500M | 15.4 | -7% |
| GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile | 13.8 | -16% |
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:GeForce GTX 970M orRadeon HD 6870
| GPU | Cost Per Frame | |
|---|---|---|
| Our database does not have enough data to compare the FPS per dollar with other GPUs. | ||
Benchmark Performance
#
Performance
GeForce GTX 970M134% better
9,877.59% of 104,598
Radeon HD 6870
4,2184% of 104,598
The GeForce GTX 970M has 134% better performance than the Radeon HD 6870 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
The GeForce GTX 970M is ranked 181st with a score of 9,877.5, and the Radeon HD 6870 is ranked 269th with a score of 4,218.
Performance per dollar
GeForce GTX 970M
No data available
Radeon HD 6870
17.6511% of 161.45
The Radeon HD 6870 has 27% of the performance per dollar compared to the leader for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090.
Radeon HD 6870's 17.65 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:GeForce GTX 970M or
| GPU | Benchmark Performance | |
|---|---|---|
| Quadro M4000M | 10,259 | +4% |
| GeForce MX550 | 10,005 | +1% |
| GeForce GTX 970M | 9,877.5 | |
| FirePro W7170M | 9,708 | -2% |
| GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mobile | 9,615.5 | -3% |
| GeForce GT 1030 | 4,727.5 | -52% |
| GeForce GTX 470 | 4,342 | -56% |
| Radeon HD 6870 | 4,218 | -57% |
| Radeon HD 7770 (GHz Edition) | 3,098 | -69% |
| Radeon HD 6450 | 623 | -94% |
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:GeForce GTX 970M orRadeon HD 6870
| GPU | Performance Per Dollar | |
|---|---|---|
| Radeon R9 Nano | 26.63 | +51% |
| GeForce GTX 780 Ti | 22.34 | +27% |
| GeForce GTX 680 | 20.47 | +16% |
| Radeon HD 7770 (GHz Edition) | 19.48 | +10% |
| Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) | 17.75 | +1% |
| Radeon HD 6870 | 17.65 | |
| Radeon HD 7970 | 14.15 | -20% |
| GeForce GTX 590 | 13.11 | -26% |
| GeForce GTX 470 | 12.44 | -30% |
| Radeon HD 6450 | 11.33 | -36% |
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 | GeForce GTX 970M | Radeon HD 6870 |
|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics | 51,247 (+93.85%) | 26,437 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics | 7,463 (+137.6%) | 3,141 |
| 3DMark 11 Performance Score | 9,403 (+106.77%) | 4,547.5 |
| Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit | 90.5 | -- |
| PassMark G3D Mark | 5,724 (+158.3%) | 2,216 |
| PassMark G2D Mark | 387 | 412 (+6.46%) |
| Unigine Heaven 3.0 DirectX 11 | 93 | -- |
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.
| Spec | GeForce GTX 970M | Radeon HD 6870 |
|---|---|---|
| Codename | GM204 | Barts |
| Architecture | Maxwell 2.0 | TeraScale 2 |
| Process Size | 28 nm | 40 nm |
| Transistors | 5,200 million | 1,700 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 | GeForce GTX 970M | Radeon HD 6870 |
|---|---|---|
| Memory Size | 6 GB | 1,024 MB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 120.3 Gb/s | 134.4 Gb/s |
| Memory Clock | 1,253 MHz | 1,050 MHz |
| Memory Interface | 192 bit | 256 bit |
| L1 Cache | 48 KB | 8 KB |
| L2 Cache | 1,536 KB | 512 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 | GeForce GTX 970M | Radeon HD 6870 |
|---|---|---|
| Slots | -- | 2 slots |
| Bus Interface | MXM-B (3.0) | PCIe 2.0 x16 |
| Thermal Design Power (TDP) | 81 W | 151 W |
| Suggested PSU | -- | 450 W |
| Power Connectors | -- | 2x 6-pin |
| Outputs | Device Dependent | DVI, HDMI 1.3a, mini-DisplayPort 1.1 |
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 | GeForce GTX 970M | Radeon HD 6870 |
|---|---|---|
| Stream Processors (SP) | -- | 1,120 |
| CUDA Cores | 1,280 | -- |
| Compute Units (CU) | -- | 14 |
| Texture Mapping Units (TMU) | 80 | 56 |
| Render Output Units (ROP) | 48 | 32 |
| Core Clock Speed | 924 MHz | 900 MHz |
| Core Clock Speed (Boost) | 1,038 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 | GeForce GTX 970M | Radeon HD 6870 |
|---|---|---|
| Pixel Fill Rate | 49.82 GPixel/s | 28.8 GPixel/s |
| Texture Fill Rate | 83.04 GTexel/s | 50.4 GTexel/s |
| FP32 Performance | 2.66 TFLOPS | 2.02 TFLOPS |
| FP64 Performance | 83.04 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 | GeForce GTX 970M | Radeon HD 6870 |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 (12_1) | 11.2 (11_0) |
| OpenCL | 3.0 | 1.2 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.4 |
| Shader Model | 6.8 | 5.0 |
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.