Radeon HD 6970 vs GeForce GTX 1050

Place in the ranking	387	534
Place by popularity	16	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	11.03	1.00
Power efficiency	12.13	2.05
Architecture	Pascal (2016−2021)	TeraScale 3 (2010−2013)
GPU code name	GP107	Cayman
Market segment	Desktop	Desktop
Design	no data	reference
Release date	25 October 2016 (8 years ago)	14 December 2010 (13 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$109	$369

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

GTX 1050 has 1003% better value for money than HD 6970.

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	1536
Core clock speed	1290 MHz	no data
Boost clock speed	1392 MHz	880 MHz
Number of transistors	3,300 million	2,640 million
Manufacturing process technology	14 nm	40 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	75 Watt	550 Watt
Maximum GPU temperature	97 °C	no data
Texture fill rate	58.20	84.48
Floating-point processing power	1.862 TFLOPS	2.703 TFLOPS
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	40	96

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).

Bus support	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 2.0 x16
Interface	PCIe 3.0 x16	PCIe 2.0 x16
Length	145 mm	267 mm
Height	4.38" (11.1 cm)	no data
Width	2-slot	2-slot
Recommended system power (PSU)	300 Watt	no data
Supplementary power connectors	None	1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
SLI	-	no data

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	2 GB	2 GB
Memory bus width	128 Bit	256 Bit
Memory clock speed	1752 MHz	1375 MHz
Memory bandwidth	112 GB/s	no data
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	2x 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.

CrossFire	-	+
GameStream	+	-
GPU Boost	3.0	no data
VR Ready	+	no data
Ansel	+	-

API compatibility

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

DirectX	12 (12_1)	DirectX® 11
Shader Model	6.4	5.0
OpenGL	4.5	4.4
OpenCL	1.2	1.2
Vulkan	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 13.05
+77.8%

HD 6970 7.34

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.

GTX 1050 5036
+77.9%

HD 6970 2831

3DMark Fire Strike Graphics

Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.

GTX 1050 6797
+95.9%

HD 6970 3470

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:

Full HD	42 +100%	21−24 −100%
1440p	22 +83.3%	12−14 −83.3%
4K	21 +110%	10−12 −110%

Cost per frame, $

1080p	2.60	17.57
1440p	4.95	30.75
4K	5.19	36.90

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077

20−22
+66.7%

12−14

−66.7%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	38 +111%	18−20 −111%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	21−24 +110%	10−11 −110%
Battlefield 5	43 +95.5%	21−24 −95.5%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	24−27 +73.3%	14−16 −73.3%
Cyberpunk 2077	20−22 +66.7%	12−14 −66.7%
Far Cry 5	30−33 +76.5%	16−18 −76.5%
Far Cry New Dawn	35−40 +71.4%	21−24 −71.4%
Forza Horizon 4	85−90 +75.5%	45−50 −75.5%
Hitman 3	24−27 +78.6%	14−16 −78.6%
Horizon Zero Dawn	65−70 +58.1%	40−45 −58.1%
Metro Exodus	46 +119%	21−24 −119%
Red Dead Redemption 2	35−40 +80%	20−22 −80%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	52 +108%	24−27 −108%
Watch Dogs: Legion	70−75 +35.2%	50−55 −35.2%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	49 +172%	18−20 −172%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	21−24 +110%	10−11 −110%
Battlefield 5	35 +59.1%	21−24 −59.1%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	24−27 +73.3%	14−16 −73.3%
Cyberpunk 2077	20−22 +66.7%	12−14 −66.7%
Far Cry 5	33 +94.1%	16−18 −94.1%
Far Cry New Dawn	16 −31.3%	21−24 +31.3%
Forza Horizon 4	85−90 +75.5%	45−50 −75.5%
Hitman 3	24−27 +78.6%	14−16 −78.6%
Horizon Zero Dawn	65−70 +58.1%	40−45 −58.1%
Metro Exodus	37 +76.2%	21−24 −76.2%
Red Dead Redemption 2	35−40 +80%	20−22 −80%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	35 +40%	24−27 −40%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	30−35 +45.5%	21−24 −45.5%
Watch Dogs: Legion	70−75 +35.2%	50−55 −35.2%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	15 −20%	18−20 +20%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	21−24 +110%	10−11 −110%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	24−27 +73.3%	14−16 −73.3%
Cyberpunk 2077	20−22 +66.7%	12−14 −66.7%
Far Cry 5	23 +35.3%	16−18 −35.3%
Forza Horizon 4	34 −44.1%	45−50 +44.1%
Hitman 3	24−27 +78.6%	14−16 −78.6%
Horizon Zero Dawn	26 −65.4%	40−45 +65.4%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	31 +24%	24−27 −24%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	20 −10%	21−24 +10%
Watch Dogs: Legion	70−75 +35.2%	50−55 −35.2%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

35−40
+80%

20−22

−80%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5	24−27 +78.6%	14−16 −78.6%
Far Cry New Dawn	20−22 +81.8%	10−12 −81.8%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	12−14 +85.7%	7−8 −85.7%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	10−11 +233%	3−4 −233%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	14−16 +100%	7−8 −100%
Cyberpunk 2077	7−8 +133%	3−4 −133%
Far Cry 5	14−16 +87.5%	8−9 −87.5%
Forza Horizon 4	65−70 +141%	27−30 −141%
Hitman 3	16−18 +45.5%	10−12 −45.5%
Horizon Zero Dawn	27−30 +68.8%	16−18 −68.8%
Metro Exodus	25 +213%	8−9 −213%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	18 +260%	5−6 −260%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	12−14 +117%	6−7 −117%
Watch Dogs: Legion	80−85 +72.3%	45−50 −72.3%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

21−24
+61.5%

12−14

−61.5%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5	12−14 +117%	6−7 −117%
Far Cry New Dawn	9−10 +80%	5−6 −80%
Hitman 3	9−10 +200%	3−4 −200%
Horizon Zero Dawn	60−65 +163%	24−27 −163%
Metro Exodus	12 +140%	5−6 −140%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	15 +275%	4−5 −275%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	7−8 +75%	4−5 −75%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	6−7 +100%	3−4 −100%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	6−7 +100%	3−4 −100%
Cyberpunk 2077	2−3 +100%	1−2 −100%
Far Cry 5	7−8 +75%	4−5 −75%
Forza Horizon 4	16−18 +113%	8−9 −113%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	11 +450%	2−3 −450%
Watch Dogs: Legion	5−6 +150%	2−3 −150%

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

12−14
+71.4%

7−8

−71.4%

This is how GTX 1050 and HD 6970 compete in popular games:

GTX 1050 is 100% faster in 1080p
GTX 1050 is 83% faster in 1440p
GTX 1050 is 110% faster in 4K

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

in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, with 4K resolution and the Ultra Preset, the GTX 1050 is 450% faster.
in Horizon Zero Dawn, with 1080p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the HD 6970 is 65% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

GTX 1050 is ahead in 67 tests (93%)
HD 6970 is ahead in 5 tests (7%)

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	13.05	7.34
Recency	25 October 2016	14 December 2010
Chip lithography	14 nm	40 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	75 Watt	550 Watt

GTX 1050 has a 77.8% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 5 years, a 185.7% more advanced lithography process, and 633.3% lower power consumption.

The GeForce GTX 1050 is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon HD 6970 in performance tests.

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