Radeon HD 7870 vs GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile

Place in the ranking	412	405
Place by popularity	98	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	no data	2.99
Power efficiency	10.64	4.70
Architecture	Pascal (2016−2021)	GCN 1.0 (2011−2020)
GPU code name	GP107B	Pitcairn
Market segment	Laptop	Desktop
Release date	3 January 2017 (7 years ago)	5 March 2012 (12 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	no data	$349

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

no data

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 cores	640	1280
Core clock speed	1354 MHz	1000 MHz
Boost clock speed	1493 MHz	no data
Number of transistors	3,300 million	2,800 million
Manufacturing process technology	14 nm	28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	75 Watt	175 Watt
Maximum GPU temperature	97 °C	no data
Texture fill rate	59.72	80.00
Floating-point processing power	1.911 TFLOPS	2.56 TFLOPS
ROPs	16	32
TMUs	40	80

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).

Laptop size	large	no data
Bus support	PCIe 3.0	no data
Interface	PCIe 3.0 x16	PCIe 3.0 x16
Length	no data	241 mm
Width	no data	2-slot
Supplementary power connectors	no data	2x 6-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 type	GDDR5	GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount	4000 MB	2 GB
Memory bus width	128 Bit	256 Bit
Memory clock speed	7008 MHz	1200 MHz
Memory bandwidth	112 GB/s	153.6 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 Connectors	DP 1.4, HDMI 2.0b, Dual Link-DVI	1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort
Multi monitor support	+	no data
Eyefinity	-	+
HDMI	-	+
HDCP	2.2	-
G-SYNC support	+	-

Supported technologies

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

GameStream	+	-
GPU Boost	3.0	no data
Ansel	+	-

API compatibility

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

DirectX	12 (12_1)	12 (11_1)
Shader Model	6.4	5.1
OpenGL	4.5	4.6
OpenCL	1.2	1.2
Vulkan	1.2.131	1.2.131
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.

GTX 1050 Mobile 11.64

HD 7870 12.00
+3.1%

3DMark 11 Performance GPU

3DMark 11 is an obsolete DirectX 11 benchmark by Futuremark. It used four tests based on two scenes, one being few submarines exploring the submerged wreck of a sunken ship, the other is an abandoned temple deep in the jungle. All the tests are heavy with volumetric lighting and tessellation, and despite being done in 1280x720 resolution, are relatively taxing. Discontinued in January 2020, 3DMark 11 is now superseded by Time Spy.

GTX 1050 Mobile 7693
+24.2%

HD 7870 6194

3DMark Vantage Performance

3DMark Vantage is an outdated DirectX 10 benchmark using 1280x1024 screen resolution. It taxes the graphics card with two scenes, one depicting a girl escaping some militarized base located within a sea cave, the other displaying a space fleet attack on a defenseless planet. It was discontinued in April 2017, and Time Spy benchmark is now recommended to be used instead.

GTX 1050 Mobile 26560
+24.4%

HD 7870 21348

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:

900p	73 −15.1%	84 +15.1%
Full HD	46 −50%	69 +50%
1440p	24 +0%	24−27 +0%
4K	15 +7.1%	14−16 −7.1%

Cost per frame, $

1080p	no data	5.06
1440p	no data	14.54
4K	no data	24.93

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	37 +32.1%	27−30 −32.1%
Battlefield 5	51 +34.2%	35−40 −34.2%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	40 +66.7%	24−27 −66.7%
Far Cry 5	39 +39.3%	27−30 −39.3%
Far Cry New Dawn	38 +15.2%	30−35 −15.2%
Forza Horizon 4	55 −45.5%	80−85 +45.5%
Red Dead Redemption 2	27 −22.2%	30−35 +22.2%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	33 −18.2%	35−40 +18.2%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	30 +7.1%	27−30 −7.1%
Battlefield 5	44 +15.8%	35−40 −15.8%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	33 +37.5%	24−27 −37.5%
Far Cry 5	36 +28.6%	27−30 −28.6%
Far Cry New Dawn	37 +12.1%	30−35 −12.1%
Forza Horizon 4	52 −53.8%	80−85 +53.8%
Metro Exodus	19 −111%	40−45 +111%
Red Dead Redemption 2	14 −136%	30−35 +136%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	29 −34.5%	35−40 +34.5%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	39 +30%	30−33 −30%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	18 −55.6%	27−30 +55.6%
Battlefield 5	37 +5.7%	35−40 −5.7%
Far Cry 5	33 +17.9%	27−30 −17.9%
Far Cry New Dawn	33 +10%	30−33 −10%
Forza Horizon 4	37 −116%	80−85 +116%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	22 +10%	20 −10%

1440p
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	18 +0%	18−20 +0%
Metro Exodus	11 +10%	10−11 −10%
Red Dead Redemption 2	18−20 +5.6%	18−20 −5.6%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	17 +6.3%	16−18 −6.3%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	13 +8.3%	12−14 −8.3%
Battlefield 5	26 +8.3%	24−27 −8.3%
Far Cry 5	21 +50%	14−16 −50%
Far Cry New Dawn	24 +0%	24−27 +0%
Forza Horizon 4	26 −123%	55−60 +123%

4K
High Preset

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	10 +0%	10−11 +0%
Metro Exodus	7 −57.1%	10−12 +57.1%
Red Dead Redemption 2	10−12 +10%	10−11 −10%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	8 +0%	8−9 +0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	10−11 +0%	10−11 +0%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	7 +0%	7−8 +0%
Battlefield 5	13 +8.3%	12−14 −8.3%
Far Cry 5	11 +83.3%	6−7 −83.3%
Far Cry New Dawn	11 +10%	10−11 −10%
Forza Horizon 4	15 −6.7%	16−18 +6.7%

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077

18−20

+0%

18−20

+0%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Valhalla	18−20 +0%	18−20 +0%
Cyberpunk 2077	18−20 +0%	18−20 +0%
Hitman 3	21−24 +0%	21−24 +0%
Horizon Zero Dawn	60−65 +0%	60−65 +0%
Metro Exodus	40−45 +0%	40−45 +0%
Watch Dogs: Legion	65−70 +0%	65−70 +0%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Valhalla	18−20 +0%	18−20 +0%
Cyberpunk 2077	18−20 +0%	18−20 +0%
Hitman 3	21−24 +0%	21−24 +0%
Horizon Zero Dawn	60−65 +0%	60−65 +0%
Watch Dogs: Legion	65−70 +0%	65−70 +0%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Valhalla	18−20 +0%	18−20 +0%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	24−27 +0%	24−27 +0%
Cyberpunk 2077	18−20 +0%	18−20 +0%
Hitman 3	21−24 +0%	21−24 +0%
Horizon Zero Dawn	60−65 +0%	60−65 +0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	35−40 +0%	35−40 +0%
Watch Dogs: Legion	65−70 +0%	65−70 +0%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

30−35

+0%

30−35

+0%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5	21−24 +0%	21−24 +0%
Far Cry New Dawn	18−20 +0%	18−20 +0%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Valhalla	8−9 +0%	8−9 +0%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	12−14 +0%	12−14 +0%
Cyberpunk 2077	6−7 +0%	6−7 +0%
Hitman 3	14−16 +0%	14−16 +0%
Horizon Zero Dawn	24−27 +0%	24−27 +0%
Metro Exodus	18−20 +0%	18−20 +0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	18−20 +0%	18−20 +0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	12−14 +0%	12−14 +0%
Watch Dogs: Legion	75−80 +0%	75−80 +0%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

20−22

+0%

20−22

+0%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5	10−12 +0%	10−12 +0%
Far Cry New Dawn	9−10 +0%	9−10 +0%
Hitman 3	8−9 +0%	8−9 +0%
Horizon Zero Dawn	55−60 +0%	55−60 +0%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Valhalla	5−6 +0%	5−6 +0%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	6−7 +0%	6−7 +0%
Cyberpunk 2077	2−3 +0%	2−3 +0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	10−11 +0%	10−11 +0%
Watch Dogs: Legion	5−6 +0%	5−6 +0%

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

10−12

+0%

10−12

+0%

This is how GTX 1050 Mobile and HD 7870 compete in popular games:

HD 7870 is 15% faster in 900p
HD 7870 is 50% faster in 1080p
A tie in 1440p
GTX 1050 Mobile is 7% faster in 4K

Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:

in Far Cry 5, with 4K resolution and the Ultra Preset, the GTX 1050 Mobile is 83% faster.
in Red Dead Redemption 2, with 1080p resolution and the High Preset, the HD 7870 is 136% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

GTX 1050 Mobile is ahead in 16 tests (22%)
HD 7870 is ahead in 12 tests (17%)
there's a draw in 44 tests (61%)

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	11.64	12.00
Recency	3 January 2017	5 March 2012
Maximum RAM amount	4000 MB	2 GB
Chip lithography	14 nm	28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	75 Watt	175 Watt

GTX 1050 Mobile has an age advantage of 4 years, a 95.3% higher maximum VRAM amount, a 100% more advanced lithography process, and 133.3% lower power consumption.

HD 7870, on the other hand, has a 3.1% higher aggregate performance score.

Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile and Radeon HD 7870.

Be aware that GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile is a notebook card while Radeon HD 7870 is a desktop one.

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