Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire vs GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q

Place in the ranking	205	334
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Power efficiency	12.21	5.54
Architecture	Pascal (2016−2021)	GCN (2012−2015)
GPU code name	GP104	Wimbledon XT
Market segment	Laptop	Laptop
Release date	27 June 2017 (7 years ago)	1 May 2012 (12 years ago)

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	2560	2560
Core clock speed	1290 MHz	850 MHz
Boost clock speed	1468 MHz	no data
Number of transistors	7,200 million	no data
Manufacturing process technology	16 nm	28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	150 Watt	200 Watt
Texture fill rate	234.9	no data
Floating-point processing power	7.516 TFLOPS	no data
ROPs	64	no data
TMUs	160	no data

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	large
Interface	PCIe 3.0 x16	no data
Supplementary power connectors	None	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	GDDR5X	GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount	8 GB	no data
Memory bus width	256 Bit	2x 256 Bit
Memory clock speed	1251 MHz	4800 MHz
Memory bandwidth	320.3 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	No outputs	no data
G-SYNC support	+	-

Supported technologies

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

VR Ready

no data

API compatibility

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

DirectX	12 (12_1)	11.1
Shader Model	6.4	no data
OpenGL	4.6	no data
OpenCL	1.2	no data
Vulkan	1.2.131	-
CUDA	6.1	-

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 1080 Max-Q 26.46
+65.3%

HD 7970M Crossfire 16.01

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 1080 Max-Q 23540
+112%

HD 7970M Crossfire 11119

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 1080 Max-Q 39562
+27.1%

HD 7970M Crossfire 31127

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	210−220 +59.1%	132 −59.1%
Full HD	99 −2%	101 +2%
1440p	61 +74.3%	35−40 −74.3%
4K	49 +81.5%	27−30 −81.5%

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077

40−45
+72%

24−27

−72%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	78 +117%	35−40 −117%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	45−50 +73.1%	24−27 −73.1%
Battlefield 5	116 +119%	50−55 −119%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	50−55 +68.8%	30−35 −68.8%
Cyberpunk 2077	40−45 +72%	24−27 −72%
Far Cry 5	95 +150%	35−40 −150%
Far Cry New Dawn	118 +168%	40−45 −168%
Forza Horizon 4	260 +152%	100−110 −152%
Hitman 3	50−55 +74.2%	30−35 −74.2%
Horizon Zero Dawn	120−130 +48.1%	80−85 −48.1%
Metro Exodus	133 +142%	55−60 −142%
Red Dead Redemption 2	65−70 +54.5%	40−45 −54.5%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	173 +226%	50−55 −226%
Watch Dogs: Legion	100−110 +30.9%	80−85 −30.9%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	122 +239%	35−40 −239%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	45−50 +73.1%	24−27 −73.1%
Battlefield 5	104 +96.2%	50−55 −96.2%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	50−55 +68.8%	30−35 −68.8%
Cyberpunk 2077	40−45 +72%	24−27 −72%
Far Cry 5	77 +103%	35−40 −103%
Far Cry New Dawn	89 +102%	40−45 −102%
Forza Horizon 4	240 +133%	100−110 −133%
Hitman 3	50−55 +74.2%	30−35 −74.2%
Horizon Zero Dawn	203 +151%	80−85 −151%
Metro Exodus	110 +100%	55−60 −100%
Red Dead Redemption 2	65−70 +54.5%	40−45 −54.5%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	132 +149%	50−55 −149%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	55−60 +50%	35−40 −50%
Watch Dogs: Legion	100−110 +30.9%	80−85 −30.9%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	54 +50%	35−40 −50%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	45−50 +73.1%	24−27 −73.1%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	50−55 +68.8%	30−35 −68.8%
Cyberpunk 2077	40−45 +72%	24−27 −72%
Far Cry 5	62 +63.2%	35−40 −63.2%
Forza Horizon 4	106 +2.9%	100−110 −2.9%
Hitman 3	50−55 +74.2%	30−35 −74.2%
Horizon Zero Dawn	107 +32.1%	80−85 −32.1%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	112 +111%	50−55 −111%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	64 +68.4%	35−40 −68.4%
Watch Dogs: Legion	48 −68.8%	80−85 +68.8%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

65−70
+54.5%

40−45

−54.5%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5	72 +132%	30−35 −132%
Far Cry New Dawn	58 +132%	24−27 −132%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	43 +169%	16−18 −169%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	24−27 +100%	12−14 −100%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	30−33 +76.5%	16−18 −76.5%
Cyberpunk 2077	16−18 +88.9%	9−10 −88.9%
Far Cry 5	42 +121%	18−20 −121%
Forza Horizon 4	238 +177%	85−90 −177%
Hitman 3	30−35 +68.4%	18−20 −68.4%
Horizon Zero Dawn	76 +130%	30−35 −130%
Metro Exodus	67 +131%	27−30 −131%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	81 +170%	30−33 −170%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	30−35 +94.1%	16−18 −94.1%
Watch Dogs: Legion	140−150 +50%	95−100 −50%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

40−45
+69.2%

24−27

−69.2%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5	35 +119%	16−18 −119%
Far Cry New Dawn	32 +167%	12−14 −167%
Hitman 3	21−24 +75%	12−14 −75%
Horizon Zero Dawn	93 +14.8%	80−85 −14.8%
Metro Exodus	37 +131%	16−18 −131%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	45 +200%	14−16 −200%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	26 +189%	9−10 −189%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	14−16 +75%	8−9 −75%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	14−16 +87.5%	8−9 −87.5%
Cyberpunk 2077	7−8 +133%	3−4 −133%
Far Cry 5	20 +122%	9−10 −122%
Forza Horizon 4	55 +150%	21−24 −150%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	46 +188%	16−18 −188%
Watch Dogs: Legion	12−14 +100%	6−7 −100%

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

21−24
+64.3%

14−16

−64.3%

This is how GTX 1080 Max-Q and HD 7970M Crossfire compete in popular games:

GTX 1080 Max-Q is 59% faster in 900p
HD 7970M Crossfire is 2% faster in 1080p
GTX 1080 Max-Q is 74% faster in 1440p
GTX 1080 Max-Q is 81% faster in 4K

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

in Assassin's Creed Odyssey, with 1080p resolution and the High Preset, the GTX 1080 Max-Q is 239% faster.
in Watch Dogs: Legion, with 1080p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the HD 7970M Crossfire is 69% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

GTX 1080 Max-Q is ahead in 71 test (99%)
HD 7970M Crossfire is ahead in 1 test (1%)

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	26.46	16.01
Recency	27 June 2017	1 May 2012
Chip lithography	16 nm	28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	150 Watt	200 Watt

GTX 1080 Max-Q has a 65.3% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 5 years, a 75% more advanced lithography process, and 33.3% lower power consumption.

The GeForce GTX 1080 Max-Q is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon HD 7970M Crossfire in performance tests.

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