NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 vs AMD Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition)
The GeForce RTX 3090 has 893% better performance than the Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
The GeForce RTX 3090 has 131% better value for the money than the Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
Summary
About the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 GPU
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 is a desktop graphics card that launched in Q3 2020 with a MSRP of $1,499. It is built on the Ampere GPU microarchitecture (codename GA102) and is manufactured on a 8 nm process.
Memory
The RTX 3090 has 24 GB of GDDR6X memory, with a 1,219 MHz memory clock and a 384 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 936.2 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 3090 includes 10,496 CUDA cores, the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 1,395 MHz and can dynamically boost its clock speed up to 1,695 MHz. Complementing the processing units are 328 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 112 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing. Additionally, the GPU features 328 tensor cores optimized for AI-accelerated workloads and 82 RT cores dedicated to real-time ray tracing calculations.
Compatibility & Power Consumption
The RTX 3090 is a large graphics card, occupying 3 PCIe 4.0 x16 expansion slots. It supports HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4a display connections. With a thermal design power (TDP) of 350 W and a large, 3-slot size, it is recommended to use a power supply of 750 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 RTX 3090 has the 15th best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 58.74% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 61,518 score and $1,499 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 41.04. This is the 71st 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 5.91% 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.
| Info | GeForce RTX 3090 | Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | NVIDIA | AMD |
| Architecture | Ampere | GCN 1.0 |
| Market Segment | Desktop | Desktop |
| Release Date | Q3 2020 | Q1 2012 |
| Launch Price (MSRP) | $1,499 | $349 |
| Production Status | Active | End-of-life |
| Shop | Check Price | Check Price |
Gaming Performance
Select a game to compare FPS metrics
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
The First Descendant | GeForce RTX 3090 | Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Low - 1080p | 267 FPS | -- |
| Medium - 1080p | 167 FPS | -- |
| High - 1080p | 142 FPS | -- |
| Ultra - 1080p | 126 FPS | -- |
| QHD - 1440p | 90 FPS | -- |
| 4K UHD - 2160p | 52 FPS | -- |
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.
| GPU | Frames Per Second | |
|---|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 4080 | 62.5 | +20% |
| Radeon RX 7900 XT | 58.7 | +13% |
| GeForce RTX 3090 | 52.1 | |
| GeForce RTX 3070 Ti | 35.9 | -31% |
| GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | 29.4 | -44% |
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.
| GPU | Cost Per Frame | |
|---|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | 13.57 | -53% |
| Radeon RX 7900 XT | 15.32 | -47% |
| GeForce RTX 3070 Ti | 16.69 | -42% |
| GeForce RTX 4080 | 19.18 | -33% |
| GeForce RTX 3090 | 28.77 | |
Benchmark Performance
The GeForce RTX 3090 has 893% better performance than the Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
The GeForce RTX 3090 is ranked 15th with a score of 61,518, and the Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) is ranked 226th with a score of 6,194.
The GeForce RTX 3090 has 131% better value for the money than the Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
The GeForce RTX 3090 is ranked 71st with a performance per dollar of 41.04, 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.
| GPU | Benchmark Performance | |
|---|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER | 68,373 | +11% |
| Radeon RX 7800 XT | 65,610.5 | +7% |
| GeForce RTX 3090 | 61,518 | |
| GeForce RTX 3080 Ti | 60,980 | -1% |
| GeForce RTX 4070 | 59,969 | -3% |
| GeForce GTX 760 | 7,962 | -87% |
| Radeon HD 7970 | 7,770 | -87% |
| Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) | 6,194 | -90% |
| GeForce GTX 750 Ti | 5,378 | -91% |
| GeForce GTX 480 | 5,014 | -92% |
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.
| GPU | Performance Per Dollar | |
|---|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 3080 Ti | 50.86 | +24% |
| GeForce RTX 2080 Ti | 47.21 | +15% |
| GeForce RTX 3090 | 41.04 | |
| GeForce RTX 3090 Ti | 34.76 | -15% |
| GeForce GTX 680 | 20.47 | -50% |
| Radeon HD 7770 (GHz Edition) | 19.48 | -53% |
| Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) | 17.75 | -57% |
| Radeon HD 6870 | 17.65 | -57% |
| Radeon HD 7970 | 14.15 | -66% |
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 RTX 3090 | Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy Graphics | 19,198 | -- |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | 18,739 | -- |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics | 231,612 | -- |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics | 47,241 | -- |
| 3DMark Night Raid Graphics | 142,919 | -- |
| 3DMark 11 Performance Score | 47,895 (+673.75%) | 6,190 |
| Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64 Bit | 368 (+206.41%) | 120.1 |
| PassMark G3D Mark | 26,752 (+477.05%) | 4,636 |
| PassMark G2D Mark | 1,061 (+78.32%) | 595 |
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 RTX 3090 | Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Codename | GA102 | Pitcairn |
| Architecture | Ampere | GCN 1.0 |
| Process Size | 8 nm | 28 nm |
| Transistors | 28,300 million | 2,800 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.
| Spec | GeForce RTX 3090 | Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Memory Size | 24 GB | 2 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6X | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 936.2 Gb/s | 153.6 Gb/s |
| Memory Clock | 1,219 MHz | 1,200 MHz |
| Memory Interface | 384 bit | 256 bit |
| L1 Cache | 128 KB | 16 KB |
| L2 Cache | 6 MB | 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 RTX 3090 | Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Slots | 3 slots | 2 slots |
| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| Thermal Design Power (TDP) | 350 W | 175 W |
| Suggested PSU | 750 W | 450 W |
| Power Connectors | 1x 12-pin | 2x 6-pin |
| Outputs | HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4a | DVI, 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.
| Spec | GeForce RTX 3090 | Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Stream Processors (SP) | -- | 1,280 |
| CUDA Cores | 10,496 | -- |
| Compute Units (CU) | -- | 20 |
| Stream Multiprocessors (SM) | 82 | -- |
| Texture Mapping Units (TMU) | 328 | 80 |
| Render Output Units (ROP) | 112 | 32 |
| Tensor Cores | 328 | -- |
| Ray Tracing Cores | 82 | -- |
| Core Clock Speed | 1,395 MHz | 1,000 MHz |
| Core Clock Speed (Boost) | 1,695 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 RTX 3090 | Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| Pixel Fill Rate | 189.8 GPixel/s | 32 GPixel/s |
| Texture Fill Rate | 556 GTexel/s | 80 GTexel/s |
| FP32 Performance | 35.58 TFLOPS | 2.56 TFLOPS |
| FP64 Performance | 556 GFLOPS | 160 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 RTX 3090 | Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) |
|---|---|---|
| DirectX | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 (11_1) |
| OpenCL | 3.0 | 2.1 (1.2) |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Shader Model | 6.8 | 6.5 (5.1) |
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* Performance rating, performance per dollar, and rankings are based on the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark and MSRP.