GeForce GTX 650 vs Radeon HD 6870

VS

Aggregate performance score

We've compared Radeon HD 6870 and GeForce GTX 650, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.

HD 6870
2010
1 GB GDDR5, 151 Watt
5.75
+26.7%

HD 6870 outperforms GTX 650 by a significant 27% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

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

Place in the ranking598659
Place by popularitynot in top-10075
Cost-effectiveness evaluation1.001.37
Power efficiency2.614.79
ArchitectureTeraScale 2 (2009−2015)Kepler (2012−2018)
GPU code nameBartsGK107
Market segmentDesktopDesktop
Designreferenceno data
Release date21 October 2010 (14 years ago)6 September 2012 (12 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$239 $109

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

GTX 650 has 37% better value for money than HD 6870.

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 cores1120384
Core clock speedno data1058 MHz
Boost clock speed900 MHzno data
Number of transistors1,700 million1,270 million
Manufacturing process technology40 nm28 nm
Power consumption (TDP)151 Watt64 Watt
Texture fill rate50.4033.86
Floating-point processing power2.016 TFLOPS0.8125 TFLOPS
ROPs3216
TMUs5632

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 supportPCIe 2.0 x16PCI Express 3.0
InterfacePCIe 2.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
Length220 mm147 mm
Heightno data4.38" (11.1 cm)
Width2-slot1-slot
Supplementary power connectors2x 6-pin1x 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 typeGDDR5GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount1 GB2 GB
Memory bus width256 Bit128-bit GDDR5
Memory clock speed1050 MHz5.0 GB/s
Memory bandwidth134.4 GB/s80.0 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 Connectors2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPortOne Dual Link DVI-I, One Dual Link DVI-D, One Mini HDMI
Multi monitor supportno data4 displays
Eyefinity+-
HDMI++
HDCP-+
Maximum VGA resolutionno data2048x1536
Audio input for HDMIno dataInternal

Supported technologies

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

CrossFire+-
3D Blu-Ray-+
3D Gaming-+
3D Vision-+

API compatibility

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

DirectXDirectX® 1112 (11_0)
Shader Model5.05.1
OpenGL4.44.3
OpenCL1.21.2
Vulkan-1.1.126
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.

HD 6870 5.75
+26.7%
GTX 650 4.54

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.

HD 6870 2216
+26.6%
GTX 650 1750

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.

HD 6870 3141
+38.4%
GTX 650 2270

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:

900p61
+35.6%
45−50
−35.6%
Full HD62
+37.8%
45−50
−37.8%
1200p39
+30%
30−35
−30%

Cost per frame, $

1080p3.852.42

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 9−10
+28.6%
7−8
−28.6%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 14−16
+50%
10−11
−50%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 7−8
+40%
5−6
−40%
Battlefield 5 16−18
+33.3%
12−14
−33.3%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 12−14
+33.3%
9−10
−33.3%
Cyberpunk 2077 9−10
+28.6%
7−8
−28.6%
Far Cry 5 12−14
+30%
10−11
−30%
Far Cry New Dawn 16−18
+33.3%
12−14
−33.3%
Forza Horizon 4 35−40
+37%
27−30
−37%
Hitman 3 12−14
+33.3%
9−10
−33.3%
Horizon Zero Dawn 35−40
+33.3%
27−30
−33.3%
Metro Exodus 14−16
+50%
10−11
−50%
Red Dead Redemption 2 16−18
+33.3%
12−14
−33.3%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 20−22
+42.9%
14−16
−42.9%
Watch Dogs: Legion 45−50
+40%
35−40
−40%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 14−16
+50%
10−11
−50%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 7−8
+40%
5−6
−40%
Battlefield 5 16−18
+33.3%
12−14
−33.3%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 12−14
+33.3%
9−10
−33.3%
Cyberpunk 2077 9−10
+28.6%
7−8
−28.6%
Far Cry 5 12−14
+30%
10−11
−30%
Far Cry New Dawn 16−18
+33.3%
12−14
−33.3%
Forza Horizon 4 35−40
+37%
27−30
−37%
Hitman 3 12−14
+33.3%
9−10
−33.3%
Horizon Zero Dawn 35−40
+33.3%
27−30
−33.3%
Metro Exodus 14−16
+50%
10−11
−50%
Red Dead Redemption 2 16−18
+33.3%
12−14
−33.3%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 20−22
+42.9%
14−16
−42.9%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 18−20
+35.7%
14−16
−35.7%
Watch Dogs: Legion 45−50
+40%
35−40
−40%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 14−16
+50%
10−11
−50%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 7−8
+40%
5−6
−40%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 12−14
+33.3%
9−10
−33.3%
Cyberpunk 2077 9−10
+28.6%
7−8
−28.6%
Far Cry 5 12−14
+30%
10−11
−30%
Forza Horizon 4 35−40
+37%
27−30
−37%
Hitman 3 12−14
+33.3%
9−10
−33.3%
Horizon Zero Dawn 35−40
+33.3%
27−30
−33.3%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 20−22
+42.9%
14−16
−42.9%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 18−20
+35.7%
14−16
−35.7%
Watch Dogs: Legion 45−50
+40%
35−40
−40%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 16−18
+33.3%
12−14
−33.3%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5 10−12
+37.5%
8−9
−37.5%
Far Cry New Dawn 9−10
+28.6%
7−8
−28.6%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 5−6
+66.7%
3−4
−66.7%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 1−2 0−1
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 5−6
+66.7%
3−4
−66.7%
Cyberpunk 2077 3−4
+50%
2−3
−50%
Far Cry 5 7−8
+40%
5−6
−40%
Forza Horizon 4 16−18
+33.3%
12−14
−33.3%
Hitman 3 10−11
+42.9%
7−8
−42.9%
Horizon Zero Dawn 12−14
+30%
10−11
−30%
Metro Exodus 4−5
+33.3%
3−4
−33.3%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 1−2 0−1
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 5−6
+66.7%
3−4
−66.7%
Watch Dogs: Legion 35−40
+33.3%
27−30
−33.3%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 10−11
+42.9%
7−8
−42.9%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5 4−5
+33.3%
3−4
−33.3%
Far Cry New Dawn 4−5
+33.3%
3−4
−33.3%
Hitman 3 2−3
+100%
1−2
−100%
Horizon Zero Dawn 12−14
+30%
10−11
−30%
Metro Exodus 3−4
+50%
2−3
−50%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 2−3
+100%
1−2
−100%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 3−4
+50%
2−3
−50%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 2−3
+100%
1−2
−100%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2−3
+100%
1−2
−100%
Cyberpunk 2077 0−1 0−1
Far Cry 5 3−4
+50%
2−3
−50%
Forza Horizon 4 5−6
+66.7%
3−4
−66.7%
Watch Dogs: Legion 2−3
+100%
1−2
−100%

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 6−7
+50%
4−5
−50%

This is how HD 6870 and GTX 650 compete in popular games:

  • HD 6870 is 36% faster in 900p
  • HD 6870 is 38% faster in 1080p
  • HD 6870 is 30% faster in 1200p

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 5.75 4.54
Recency 21 October 2010 6 September 2012
Maximum RAM amount 1 GB 2 GB
Chip lithography 40 nm 28 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 151 Watt 64 Watt

HD 6870 has a 26.7% higher aggregate performance score.

GTX 650, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 1 year, a 100% higher maximum VRAM amount, a 42.9% more advanced lithography process, and 135.9% lower power consumption.

The Radeon HD 6870 is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce GTX 650 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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AMD Radeon HD 6870
Radeon HD 6870
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650
GeForce GTX 650

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.


3.8 363 votes

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3.6 3893 votes

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Questions & comments

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