PC Part DB: Build Smarter: Compare PC part benchmarks & specsPC PART DB

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 vs AMD Radeon HD 6870

NVIDIA
VS
AMD
Performance
GeForce RTX 3070920% better
43,00541% of 104,737
Radeon HD 6870
4,2184% of 104,737

The GeForce RTX 3070 has 920% better performance than the Radeon HD 6870 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

Performance per dollar
GeForce RTX 3070388% better
86.1853% of 161.45
Radeon HD 6870
17.6511% of 161.45

The GeForce RTX 3070 has 388% better value for the money than the Radeon HD 6870 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

Shop GeForce RTX 3070
Shop Radeon HD 6870
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Summary

#

About the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 GPU

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is a desktop graphics card that launched in Q4 2020 with a MSRP of $499. It is built on the Ampere GPU microarchitecture (codename GA104) and is manufactured on a 8 nm process.

Memory

The RTX 3070 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, with a 1,750 MHz memory clock and a 256 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 448 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 RTX 3070 includes 5,888 CUDA cores, the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 1,500 MHz and can dynamically boost its clock speed up to 1,725 MHz. Complementing the processing units are 184 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 96 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing. Additionally, the GPU features 184 tensor cores optimized for AI-accelerated workloads and 46 RT cores dedicated to real-time ray tracing calculations.

Compatibility & Power Consumption

The RTX 3070 occupies 2 PCIe expansion slots. It supports HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4a display connections. NVIDIA recommends a power supply of at least 550 W to handle the GPU's thermal design power (TDP) of 220 W.

Benchmark Performance & Value

The RTX 3070 has the 33rd best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 41.06% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 43,005 score and $499 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 86.18. This is the 30th best in value for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

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.

InfoGeForce RTX 3070Radeon HD 6870
ManufacturerNVIDIAAMD
ArchitectureAmpereTeraScale 2
Market SegmentDesktopDesktop
Release DateQ4 2020Q4 2010
Launch Price (MSRP)$499$239
Production StatusActiveEnd-of-life
ShopCheck PriceCheck Price

Gaming Performance

#

Select a game to compare FPS metrics

Display FPS for Sons of the Forest
Sons of the Forest
Display FPS for Enshrouded
Enshrouded
Display FPS for Palworld
Palworld
Display FPS for Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
Display FPS for Ready or Not
Ready or Not
Display FPS for The Finals
The Finals
Display FPS for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

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 Sons of the Forest
Sons of the Forest
GeForce RTX 3070Radeon HD 6870
Low - 1080p
115 FPS
--
Medium - 1080p
104 FPS
--
High - 1080p
103 FPS
--
Ultra - 1080p
102 FPS
--
QHD - 1440p
82 FPS
--
4K UHD - 2160p
51 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:GeForce RTX 3070 orRadeon HD 6870

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 RTX 3070 orRadeon HD 6870

Benchmark Performance

#
Performance
GeForce RTX 3070920% better
43,00541% of 104,737
Radeon HD 6870
4,2184% of 104,737

The GeForce RTX 3070 has 920% better performance than the Radeon HD 6870 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The GeForce RTX 3070 is ranked 33rd with a score of 43,005, and the Radeon HD 6870 is ranked 269th with a score of 4,218.

Performance per dollar
GeForce RTX 3070388% better
86.1853% of 161.45
Radeon HD 6870
17.6511% of 161.45

The GeForce RTX 3070 has 388% better value for the money than the Radeon HD 6870 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The GeForce RTX 3070 is ranked 30th with a performance per dollar of 86.18, and the Radeon HD 6870 is ranked 91st with a performance per dollar of 17.65.

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 RTX 3070 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:GeForce RTX 3070 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
BenchmarkGeForce RTX 3070Radeon HD 6870
3DMark Time Spy Graphics
12,892
--
3DMark Time Spy Score
12,665
--
3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics
154,864
(+485.79%)
26,437
3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics
31,020
(+887.58%)
3,141
3DMark Night Raid Graphics
124,547
--
3DMark 11 Performance Score
31,876
(+600.96%)
4,547.5
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit
213.5
--
PassMark G3D Mark
22,377
(+908.43%)
2,219
PassMark G2D Mark
991
(+147.75%)
400
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.

SpecGeForce RTX 3070Radeon HD 6870
CodenameGA104Barts
ArchitectureAmpereTeraScale 2
Process Size8 nm40 nm
Transistors17,400 million1,700 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.

SpecGeForce RTX 3070Radeon HD 6870
Memory Size8 GB1,024 MB
Memory TypeGDDR6GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth448 Gb/s134.4 Gb/s
Memory Clock1,750 MHz1,050 MHz
Memory Interface256 bit256 bit
L1 Cache128 KB8 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.

SpecGeForce RTX 3070Radeon HD 6870
Slots2 slots2 slots
Bus InterfacePCIe 4.0 x16PCIe 2.0 x16
Thermal Design Power (TDP)220 W151 W
Suggested PSU550 W450 W
Power Connectors1x 12-pin2x 6-pin
OutputsHDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4aDVI, 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.

SpecGeForce RTX 3070Radeon HD 6870
Stream Processors (SP)--1,120
CUDA Cores5,888--
Compute Units (CU)--14
Stream Multiprocessors (SM)46--
Texture Mapping Units (TMU)18456
Render Output Units (ROP)9632
Tensor Cores184--
Ray Tracing Cores46--
Core Clock Speed1,500 MHz900 MHz
Core Clock Speed (Boost)1,725 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.

SpecGeForce RTX 3070Radeon HD 6870
Pixel Fill Rate165.6 GPixel/s28.8 GPixel/s
Texture Fill Rate317.4 GTexel/s50.4 GTexel/s
FP32 Performance20.31 TFLOPS2.02 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance317.4 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.

SpecGeForce RTX 3070Radeon HD 6870
DirectX12 Ultimate (12_2)11.2 (11_0)
OpenCL3.01.2
OpenGL4.64.4
Shader Model6.75.0

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.