ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 vs GeForce GT 520M

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Aggregate performance score

We've compared GeForce GT 520M with Radeon HD 4870 X2, including specs and performance data.

GT 520M
2011
1 GB DDR3, 12 Watt
0.74

ATI HD 4870 X2 outperforms GT 520M by a whopping 358% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.

Place in the ranking1153725
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation0.010.13
Power efficiency4.270.82
ArchitectureFermi (2010−2014)TeraScale (2005−2013)
GPU code nameGF108R700
Market segmentLaptopDesktop
Release date5 January 2011 (13 years ago)12 August 2008 (16 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$59.99 $550

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

ATI HD 4870 X2 has 1200% better value for money than GT 520M.

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores48800
Core clock speed600 MHz700 MHz
Number of transistors585 million956 million
Manufacturing process technology40 nm55 nm
Power consumption (TDP)12 Watt286 Watt
Texture fill rate4.80028.00
Floating-point processing power0.1152 TFLOPS1.12 TFLOPS
ROPs416
TMUs840

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

InterfacePCIe 2.0 x16PCIe 2.0 x16
Lengthno data267 mm
Widthno data2-slot
Supplementary power connectorsNone1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory typeDDR3GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount1 GB1 GB
Memory bus width64 Bit256 Bit
Memory clock speed800 MHz900 MHz
Memory bandwidth12.8 GB/s115.2 GB/s
Shared memory--

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display ConnectorsPortable Device Dependent2x DVI, 1x S-Video

Supported technologies

Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.

Optimus+-

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX12 API10.1 (10_1)
Shader Model5.14.1
OpenGL4.53.3
OpenCL1.11.1
VulkanN/AN/A
CUDA+-

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

GT 520M 0.74
ATI HD 4870 X2 3.39
+358%

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

GT 520M 285
ATI HD 4870 X2 1309
+359%

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

900p8
−338%
35−40
+338%
Full HD12
−317%
50−55
+317%
1200p7
−329%
30−35
+329%

Cost per frame, $

1080p5.0011.00

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 3−4
−300%
12−14
+300%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 5−6
−320%
21−24
+320%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3−4
−300%
12−14
+300%
Cyberpunk 2077 3−4
−300%
12−14
+300%
Far Cry New Dawn 1−2
−300%
4−5
+300%
Hitman 3 5−6
−320%
21−24
+320%
Horizon Zero Dawn 10−12
−355%
50−55
+355%
Red Dead Redemption 2 0−1 0−1
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 6−7
−350%
27−30
+350%
Watch Dogs: Legion 30−35
−352%
140−150
+352%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 5−6
−320%
21−24
+320%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3−4
−300%
12−14
+300%
Cyberpunk 2077 3−4
−300%
12−14
+300%
Far Cry New Dawn 1−2
−300%
4−5
+300%
Hitman 3 5−6
−320%
21−24
+320%
Horizon Zero Dawn 10−12
−355%
50−55
+355%
Red Dead Redemption 2 0−1 0−1
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 6−7
−350%
27−30
+350%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 10−11
−350%
45−50
+350%
Watch Dogs: Legion 30−35
−352%
140−150
+352%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 5−6
−320%
21−24
+320%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3−4
−300%
12−14
+300%
Cyberpunk 2077 3−4
−300%
12−14
+300%
Hitman 3 5−6
−320%
21−24
+320%
Horizon Zero Dawn 10−12
−355%
50−55
+355%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 6−7
−350%
27−30
+350%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 10−11
−350%
45−50
+350%
Watch Dogs: Legion 30−35
−352%
140−150
+352%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 0−1 0−1

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5 0−1 0−1
Far Cry New Dawn 1−2
−300%
4−5
+300%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 0−1 0−1
Cyberpunk 2077 1−2
−300%
4−5
+300%
Far Cry 5 1−2
−300%
4−5
+300%
Hitman 3 6−7
−350%
27−30
+350%
Horizon Zero Dawn 3−4
−300%
12−14
+300%
Watch Dogs: Legion 2−3
−350%
9−10
+350%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 3−4
−300%
12−14
+300%

4K
High Preset

Far Cry New Dawn 0−1 0−1

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 1−2
−300%
4−5
+300%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 0−1 0−1

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 2−3
−350%
9−10
+350%

This is how GT 520M and ATI HD 4870 X2 compete in popular games:

  • ATI HD 4870 X2 is 338% faster in 900p
  • ATI HD 4870 X2 is 317% faster in 1080p
  • ATI HD 4870 X2 is 329% faster in 1200p

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 0.74 3.39
Recency 5 January 2011 12 August 2008
Chip lithography 40 nm 55 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 12 Watt 286 Watt

GT 520M has an age advantage of 2 years, a 37.5% more advanced lithography process, and 2283.3% lower power consumption.

ATI HD 4870 X2, on the other hand, has a 358.1% higher aggregate performance score.

The Radeon HD 4870 X2 is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GT 520M in performance tests.

Be aware that GeForce GT 520M is a notebook card while Radeon HD 4870 X2 is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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NVIDIA GeForce GT 520M
GeForce GT 520M
ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2
Radeon HD 4870 X2

Comparisons with similar GPUs

We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.

Community ratings

Here you can see the user ratings of the compared graphics cards, as well as rate them yourself.


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Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about this comparison, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.