GeForce GT 420M vs GTX 870M

VS

Aggregate performance score

We've compared GeForce GTX 870M and GeForce GT 420M, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.

GTX 870M
2014
3 GB GDDR5, 100 Watt
8.95
+769%

GTX 870M outperforms GT 420M by a whopping 769% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

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

Place in the ranking4891103
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Power efficiency6.143.07
ArchitectureKepler (2012−2018)Fermi (2010−2014)
GPU code nameGK104GF108
Market segmentLaptopLaptop
Release date12 March 2014 (10 years ago)3 September 2010 (14 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 cores134496
Core clock speed941 MHz500 MHz
Boost clock speed967 MHzno data
Number of transistors3,540 million585 million
Manufacturing process technology28 nm40 nm
Power consumption (TDP)100 Watt23 Watt
Texture fill rate108.38.000
Floating-point processing power2.599 TFLOPS0.192 TFLOPS
ROPs244
TMUs11216

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 sizelargemedium sized
Bus supportPCI Express 2.0, PCI Express 3.0no data
InterfaceMXM-B (3.0)PCIe 2.0 x16
Supplementary power connectorsNoneno data
SLI options+-

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 typeGDDR5DDR3
Maximum RAM amount3 GB1 GB
Standard memory configurationGDDR5no data
Memory bus width192 Bit128 Bit
Memory clock speedUp to 2500 MHz800 MHz
Memory bandwidth120.0 GB/s25.6 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 ConnectorsNo outputsNo outputs
eDP 1.2 signal supportUp to 3840x2160no data
LVDS signal supportUp to 1920x1200no data
VGA аnalog display supportUp to 2048x1536no data
DisplayPort Multimode (DP++) supportUp to 3840x2160no data
HDMI+-
HDCP content protection+-
7.1 channel HD audio on HDMI+-
TrueHD and DTS-HD audio bitstreaming+-

Supported technologies

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

H.264, VC1, MPEG2 1080p video decoder+-
Optimus+-

API compatibility

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

DirectX12 (11_0)12 API
Shader Model5.15.1
OpenGL4.54.5
OpenCL1.11.1
Vulkan1.1.126N/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.

GTX 870M 8.95
+769%
GT 420M 1.03

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 870M 3449
+771%
GT 420M 396

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 870M 7156
+945%
GT 420M 685

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 870M 24035
+688%
GT 420M 3051

GeekBench 5 OpenCL

Geekbench 5 is a widespread graphics card benchmark combined from 11 different test scenarios. All these scenarios rely on direct usage of GPU's processing power, no 3D rendering is involved. This variation uses OpenCL API by Khronos Group.

GTX 870M 12736
+705%
GT 420M 1583

Octane Render OctaneBench

This is a special benchmark measuring graphics card performance in OctaneRender, which is a realistic GPU rendering engine by OTOY Inc., available either as a standalone program, or as a plugin for 3DS Max, Cinema 4D and many other apps. It renders four different static scenes, then compares render times with a reference GPU which is currently GeForce GTX 980. This benchmark has nothing to do with gaming and is aimed at professional 3D graphics artists.

GTX 870M 34
+467%
GT 420M 6

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:

900p100−110
+733%
12
−733%
Full HD45
+181%
16
−181%
4K19
+850%
2−3
−850%

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
+367%
3−4
−367%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 21−24
+340%
5−6
−340%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 12−14
+1200%
1−2
−1200%
Battlefield 5 27−30
+800%
3−4
−800%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 18−20
+350%
4−5
−350%
Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
+367%
3−4
−367%
Far Cry 5 20−22
+1900%
1−2
−1900%
Far Cry New Dawn 24−27
+1150%
2−3
−1150%
Forza Horizon 4 60−65 0−1
Hitman 3 16−18
+240%
5−6
−240%
Horizon Zero Dawn 50−55
+285%
12−14
−285%
Metro Exodus 27−30
+833%
3−4
−833%
Red Dead Redemption 2 24−27
+2400%
1−2
−2400%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 27−30
+314%
7−8
−314%
Watch Dogs: Legion 60−65
+87.5%
30−35
−87.5%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 21−24
+340%
5−6
−340%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 12−14
+1200%
1−2
−1200%
Battlefield 5 27−30
+800%
3−4
−800%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 18−20
+350%
4−5
−350%
Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
+367%
3−4
−367%
Far Cry 5 20−22
+1900%
1−2
−1900%
Far Cry New Dawn 24−27
+1150%
2−3
−1150%
Forza Horizon 4 60−65 0−1
Hitman 3 16−18
+240%
5−6
−240%
Horizon Zero Dawn 50−55
+285%
12−14
−285%
Metro Exodus 27−30
+833%
3−4
−833%
Red Dead Redemption 2 24−27
+2400%
1−2
−2400%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 27−30
+314%
7−8
−314%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 88
+700%
10−12
−700%
Watch Dogs: Legion 60−65
+87.5%
30−35
−87.5%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 21−24
+340%
5−6
−340%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 12−14
+1200%
1−2
−1200%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 18−20
+350%
4−5
−350%
Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
+367%
3−4
−367%
Far Cry 5 20−22
+1900%
1−2
−1900%
Forza Horizon 4 60−65 0−1
Hitman 3 16−18
+240%
5−6
−240%
Horizon Zero Dawn 50−55
+285%
12−14
−285%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 27−30
+314%
7−8
−314%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 15
+36.4%
10−12
−36.4%
Watch Dogs: Legion 60−65
+87.5%
30−35
−87.5%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 24−27
+2400%
1−2
−2400%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5 16−18
+1600%
1−2
−1600%
Far Cry New Dawn 14−16
+1300%
1−2
−1300%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 9−10
+800%
1−2
−800%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 5−6 0−1
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 9−10
+800%
1−2
−800%
Cyberpunk 2077 4−5
+300%
1−2
−300%
Far Cry 5 10−11
+900%
1−2
−900%
Forza Horizon 4 35−40
+825%
4−5
−825%
Hitman 3 12−14
+71.4%
7−8
−71.4%
Horizon Zero Dawn 18−20
+375%
4−5
−375%
Metro Exodus 12−14
+1100%
1−2
−1100%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 10−11
+900%
1−2
−900%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 8−9 0−1
Watch Dogs: Legion 55−60
+1325%
4−5
−1325%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 14−16
+275%
4−5
−275%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5 8−9 0−1
Far Cry New Dawn 6−7 0−1
Hitman 3 5−6 0−1
Horizon Zero Dawn 35−40
+800%
4−5
−800%
Metro Exodus 7−8 0−1
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 6−7 0−1

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 5−6
+400%
1−2
−400%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 4−5 0−1
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4−5 0−1
Cyberpunk 2077 1−2 0−1
Far Cry 5 5−6 0−1
Forza Horizon 4 10−12
+1000%
1−2
−1000%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 5−6 0−1
Watch Dogs: Legion 3−4 0−1

4K
Epic Preset

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

This is how GTX 870M and GT 420M compete in popular games:

  • GTX 870M is 733% faster in 900p
  • GTX 870M is 181% faster in 1080p
  • GTX 870M is 850% faster in 4K

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

  • in Red Dead Redemption 2, with 1080p resolution and the Medium Preset, the GTX 870M is 2400% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

  • Without exception, GTX 870M surpassed GT 420M in all 43 of our tests.

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 8.95 1.03
Recency 12 March 2014 3 September 2010
Maximum RAM amount 3 GB 1 GB
Chip lithography 28 nm 40 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 100 Watt 23 Watt

GTX 870M has a 768.9% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 3 years, a 200% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 42.9% more advanced lithography process.

GT 420M, on the other hand, has 334.8% lower power consumption.

The GeForce GTX 870M is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GT 420M in performance tests.


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 GTX 870M
GeForce GTX 870M
NVIDIA GeForce GT 420M
GeForce GT 420M

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.


3.9 106 votes

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2.7 122 votes

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Questions & comments

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