Radeon HD 7870 vs GeForce GTX TITAN
Aggregate performance score
We've compared GeForce GTX TITAN and Radeon HD 7870, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.
GTX TITAN outperforms HD 7870 by an impressive 78% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.
| Place in the ranking | 261 | 407 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 3.27 | 2.96 |
| Power efficiency | 5.89 | 4.73 |
| Architecture | Kepler (2012−2018) | GCN 1.0 (2011−2020) |
| GPU code name | GK110 | Pitcairn |
| Market segment | Desktop | Desktop |
| Release date | 19 February 2013 (11 years ago) | 5 March 2012 (12 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $999 | $349 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.
GTX TITAN has 10% better value for money than HD 7870.
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 | 2688 | 1280 |
| Core clock speed | 837 MHz | 1000 MHz |
| Boost clock speed | 876 MHz | no data |
| Number of transistors | 7,080 million | 2,800 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 28 nm | 28 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 250 Watt | 175 Watt |
| Texture fill rate | 196.2 | 80.00 |
| Floating-point processing power | 4.709 TFLOPS | 2.56 TFLOPS |
| ROPs | 48 | 32 |
| TMUs | 224 | 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).
| Bus support | PCI Express 3.0 | no data |
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| Length | 267 mm | 241 mm |
| Height | 4.376" (11.1 cm) | no data |
| Width | 2-slot | 2-slot |
| Supplementary power connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | 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 | 6 GB | 2 GB |
| Memory bus width | 384-bit GDDR5 | 256 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 6.0 GB/s | 1200 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 288.4 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 | One Dual Link DVI-I, One Dual Link DVI-D, One HDMI, One DisplayPort | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort |
| Multi monitor support | 4 displays | no data |
| Eyefinity | - | + |
| HDMI | + | + |
| HDCP | + | - |
| Maximum VGA resolution | 2048x1536 | no data |
| Audio input for HDMI | Internal | no data |
Supported technologies
Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.
| Blu Ray 3D | + | - |
| 3D Gaming | + | - |
| 3D Vision | + | - |
| 3D Vision Live | + | - |
API compatibility
List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | 12 (11_0) | 12 (11_1) |
| Shader Model | 5.1 | 5.1 |
| OpenGL | 4.4 | 4.6 |
| OpenCL | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| Vulkan | 1.1.126 | 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.
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.
Unigine Heaven 4.0
This is an old DirectX 11 benchmark, a newer version of Unigine 3.0 with relatively small differences. It displays a fantasy medieval town sprawling over several flying islands. The benchmark is still sometimes used, despite its significant age, as it was released back in 2013.
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 | 140−150
+66.7%
| 84
−66.7%
|
| Full HD | 110−120
+66.7%
| 66
−66.7%
|
Cost per frame, $
| 1080p | 9.08
−71.7%
| 5.29
+71.7%
|
- HD 7870 has 72% lower cost per frame in 1080p
FPS performance in popular games
Full HD
Low Preset
| Counter-Strike 2 | 21−24
+0%
|
21−24
+0%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 21−24
+0%
|
21−24
+0%
|
| Elden Ring | 35−40
+0%
|
35−40
+0%
|
Full HD
Medium Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 35−40
+0%
|
35−40
+0%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 21−24
+0%
|
21−24
+0%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 21−24
+0%
|
21−24
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 45−50
+0%
|
45−50
+0%
|
| Metro Exodus | 30−35
+0%
|
30−35
+0%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 30−35
+0%
|
30−35
+0%
|
| Valorant | 45−50
+0%
|
45−50
+0%
|
Full HD
High Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 35−40
+0%
|
35−40
+0%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 21−24
+0%
|
21−24
+0%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 21−24
+0%
|
21−24
+0%
|
| Dota 2 | 40−45
+0%
|
40−45
+0%
|
| Elden Ring | 35−40
+0%
|
35−40
+0%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 45−50
+0%
|
45−50
+0%
|
| Fortnite | 65−70
+0%
|
65−70
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 45−50
+0%
|
45−50
+0%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 40−45
+0%
|
40−45
+0%
|
| Metro Exodus | 30−35
+0%
|
30−35
+0%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 90−95
+0%
|
90−95
+0%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 30−35
+0%
|
30−35
+0%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 35−40
+0%
|
35−40
+0%
|
| Valorant | 45−50
+0%
|
45−50
+0%
|
| World of Tanks | 160−170
+0%
|
160−170
+0%
|
Full HD
Ultra Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 35−40
+0%
|
35−40
+0%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 21−24
+0%
|
21−24
+0%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 21−24
+0%
|
21−24
+0%
|
| Dota 2 | 40−45
+0%
|
40−45
+0%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 45−50
+0%
|
45−50
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 45−50
+0%
|
45−50
+0%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 90−95
+0%
|
90−95
+0%
|
| Valorant | 45−50
+0%
|
45−50
+0%
|
1440p
High Preset
| Dota 2 | 16−18
+0%
|
16−18
+0%
|
| Elden Ring | 18−20
+0%
|
18−20
+0%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 16−18
+0%
|
16−18
+0%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 65−70
+0%
|
65−70
+0%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 10−11
+0%
|
10−11
+0%
|
| World of Tanks | 85−90
+0%
|
85−90
+0%
|
1440p
Ultra Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 24−27
+0%
|
24−27
+0%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 10−12
+0%
|
10−12
+0%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 9−10
+0%
|
9−10
+0%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 27−30
+0%
|
27−30
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 27−30
+0%
|
27−30
+0%
|
| Metro Exodus | 24−27
+0%
|
24−27
+0%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 14−16
+0%
|
14−16
+0%
|
| Valorant | 30−33
+0%
|
30−33
+0%
|
4K
High Preset
| Counter-Strike 2 | 7−8
+0%
|
7−8
+0%
|
| Dota 2 | 21−24
+0%
|
21−24
+0%
|
| Elden Ring | 8−9
+0%
|
8−9
+0%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 21−24
+0%
|
21−24
+0%
|
| Metro Exodus | 7−8
+0%
|
7−8
+0%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 35−40
+0%
|
35−40
+0%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 8−9
+0%
|
8−9
+0%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 21−24
+0%
|
21−24
+0%
|
4K
Ultra Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 10−12
+0%
|
10−12
+0%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 7−8
+0%
|
7−8
+0%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 3−4
+0%
|
3−4
+0%
|
| Dota 2 | 21−24
+0%
|
21−24
+0%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 14−16
+0%
|
14−16
+0%
|
| Fortnite | 12−14
+0%
|
12−14
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 16−18
+0%
|
16−18
+0%
|
| Valorant | 12−14
+0%
|
12−14
+0%
|
This is how GTX TITAN and HD 7870 compete in popular games:
- GTX TITAN is 67% faster in 900p
- GTX TITAN is 67% faster in 1080p
All in all, in popular games:
- there's a draw in 63 tests (100%)
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 21.39 | 12.02 |
| Recency | 19 February 2013 | 5 March 2012 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 6 GB | 2 GB |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 250 Watt | 175 Watt |
GTX TITAN has a 78% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 11 months, and a 200% higher maximum VRAM amount.
HD 7870, on the other hand, has 42.9% lower power consumption.
The GeForce GTX TITAN is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon HD 7870 in performance tests.
Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Other comparisons
We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.
