NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 vs AMD Radeon HD 7970
The GeForce RTX 5060 has 507% better performance than the Radeon HD 7970 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
The GeForce RTX 5060 has 1,015% better value for the money than the Radeon HD 7970 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
Summary
About the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 GPU
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is a desktop graphics card that launched in Q2 2025 with a MSRP of $299. It is built on the Blackwell 2.0 GPU microarchitecture (codename GB206) and is manufactured on a 5 nm process.
Memory
The RTX 5060 has 8 GB of GDDR7 memory, with a 1,750 MHz memory clock and a 128 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 5060 includes 3,840 CUDA cores, the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 2,280 MHz and can dynamically boost its clock speed up to 2,497 MHz. Complementing the processing units are 120 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 48 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing. Additionally, the GPU features 120 tensor cores optimized for AI-accelerated workloads and 30 RT cores dedicated to real-time ray tracing calculations.
Compatibility & Power Consumption
The RTX 5060 occupies 2 PCIe expansion slots. It supports HDMI 2.1b, DisplayPort 2.1b display connections. NVIDIA recommends a power supply of at least 300 W to handle the GPU's thermal design power (TDP) of 145 W.
Benchmark Performance & Value
The RTX 5060 has the 39th best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 567 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 36.37% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090. Its 47,201.5 score and $299 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 157.86. This is the 3rd best in value for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
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 234th best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 567 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 5.99% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090. Its 7,770 score and $549 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 14.15. This is the 103rd 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 5060 | Radeon HD 7970 |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | NVIDIA | AMD |
| Architecture | Blackwell 2.0 | GCN 1.0 |
| Market Segment | Desktop | Desktop |
| Release Date | Q2 2025 | Q1 2012 |
| Launch Price (MSRP) | $299 | $549 |
| 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
God of War Ragnarök | GeForce RTX 5060 | Radeon HD 7970 |
|---|---|---|
| Low - 1080p | 186 FPS | -- |
| Medium - 1080p | 157 FPS | -- |
| High - 1080p | 138 FPS | -- |
| Ultra - 1080p | 127 FPS | -- |
| QHD - 1440p | 90 FPS | -- |
| 4K UHD - 2160p | 37 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 4070 | 67.4 | +84% |
| GeForce RTX 5060 Ti (16 GB) | 62.7 | +71% |
| GeForce RTX 3070 Ti | 58 | +58% |
| GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | 44.9 | +23% |
| GeForce RTX 4060 | 39 | +7% |
| GeForce RTX 5060 | 36.6 | |
| Arc A770 | 34.6 | -5% |
| GeForce RTX 3060 | 34 | -7% |
| Arc B580 | 33.8 | -8% |
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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Radeon RX 9070 | 5.84 | -29% |
| GeForce RTX 5060 Ti (16 GB) | 6.84 | -16% |
| Arc B580 | 7.37 | -10% |
| GeForce RTX 4060 | 7.67 | -6% |
| GeForce RTX 5060 | 8.17 | |
| GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | 8.89 | +9% |
| GeForce RTX 4070 | 8.89 | +9% |
| Radeon RX 7900 XTX | 9.17 | +12% |
| Arc A770 | 9.51 | +16% |
| GeForce RTX 3060 | 9.68 | +18% |
Benchmark Performance
The GeForce RTX 5060 has 507% better performance than the Radeon HD 7970 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
The GeForce RTX 5060 is ranked 39th with a score of 47,201.5, and the Radeon HD 7970 is ranked 234th with a score of 7,770.
The GeForce RTX 5060 has 1,015% better value for the money than the Radeon HD 7970 for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.
The GeForce RTX 5060 is ranked 3rd with a performance per dollar of 157.86, and the Radeon HD 7970 is ranked 103rd with a performance per dollar of 14.15.
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 3070 Ti | 49,588 | +5% |
| GeForce RTX 4060 Ti (8 GB) | 47,803 | +1% |
| GeForce RTX 5060 | 47,201.5 | |
| GeForce RTX 2080 Ti | 47,166 | -0% |
| GeForce RTX 3070 | 43,359 | -8% |
| GeForce GTX 950 | 8,351 | -82% |
| GeForce GTX 760 | 7,962 | -83% |
| Radeon HD 7970 | 7,770 | -84% |
| Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) | 6,194 | -87% |
| GeForce GTX 750 Ti | 5,378 | -89% |
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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Radeon RX 9070 | 161.42 | +2% |
| GeForce RTX 5060 | 157.86 | |
| Arc B580 | 153.65 | -3% |
| Radeon RX 7600 | 144.26 | -9% |
| Radeon RX 7800 XT | 131.48 | -17% |
| Radeon HD 7870 (GHz Edition) | 17.75 | -89% |
| Radeon HD 6870 | 17.65 | -89% |
| Radeon HD 7970 | 14.15 | -91% |
| GeForce GTX 590 | 13.11 | -92% |
| GeForce GTX 470 | 12.44 | -92% |
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 5060 | Radeon HD 7970 |
|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy Graphics | 13,806 | -- |
| 3DMark Time Spy Score | 14,106.5 | -- |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics | 171,078 (+290.63%) | 43,795 |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics | 37,952 (+453.07%) | 6,862 |
| 3DMark Night Raid Graphics | 163,486 | -- |
| 3DMark 11 Performance Score | 44,648.5 (+509.7%) | 7,323 |
| PassMark G3D Mark | 20,707 (+294.57%) | 5,248 |
| PassMark G2D Mark | 1,136 (+55.83%) | 729 |
| Unigine Heaven 3.0 DirectX 11 | -- | 77.8 |
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 5060 | Radeon HD 7970 |
|---|---|---|
| Codename | GB206 | Tahiti |
| Architecture | Blackwell 2.0 | GCN 1.0 |
| Process Size | 5 nm | 28 nm |
| Transistors | 21,900 million | 4,313 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.
| Spec | GeForce RTX 5060 | Radeon HD 7970 |
|---|---|---|
| Memory Size | 8 GB | 3 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR7 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 448 Gb/s | 264 Gb/s |
| Memory Clock | 1,750 MHz | 1,375 MHz |
| Memory Interface | 128 bit | 384 bit |
| L1 Cache | 128 KB | 16 KB |
| L2 Cache | 32 MB | 768 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 5060 | Radeon HD 7970 |
|---|---|---|
| Slots | 2 slots | 2 slots |
| Bus Interface | PCIe 5.0 x8 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| Thermal Design Power (TDP) | 145 W | 250 W |
| Suggested PSU | 300 W | 600 W |
| Power Connectors | 1x 8-pin | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin |
| Outputs | HDMI 2.1b, DisplayPort 2.1b | 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 5060 | Radeon HD 7970 |
|---|---|---|
| Stream Processors (SP) | -- | 2,048 |
| CUDA Cores | 3,840 | -- |
| Compute Units (CU) | -- | 32 |
| Stream Multiprocessors (SM) | 30 | -- |
| Texture Mapping Units (TMU) | 120 | 128 |
| Render Output Units (ROP) | 48 | 32 |
| Tensor Cores | 120 | -- |
| Ray Tracing Cores | 30 | -- |
| Core Clock Speed | 2,280 MHz | 925 MHz |
| Core Clock Speed (Boost) | 2,497 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 5060 | Radeon HD 7970 |
|---|---|---|
| Pixel Fill Rate | 119.9 GPixel/s | 29.6 GPixel/s |
| Texture Fill Rate | 299.6 GTexel/s | 118.4 GTexel/s |
| FP32 Performance | 19.18 TFLOPS | 3.79 TFLOPS |
| FP64 Performance | 299.6 GFLOPS | 947.2 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.
| Spec | GeForce RTX 5060 | Radeon HD 7970 |
|---|---|---|
| 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.