Radeon R9 M390 vs HD 6970
Aggregate performance score
We've compared Radeon HD 6970 with Radeon R9 M390, including specs and performance data.
R9 M390 outperforms HD 6970 by a substantial 35% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.
| Place in performance ranking | 533 | 448 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 1.00 | no data |
| Architecture | Terascale 2 (2009−2015) | GCN (2011−2017) |
| GPU code name | Cayman | Pitcairn |
| Market segment | Desktop | Laptop |
| Design | reference | no data |
| Release date | 14 December 2010 (13 years ago) | 9 June 2015 (9 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $369 | no data |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.
Detailed specifications
General performance parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. These parameters indirectly speak of performance, but for precise assessment you have to consider their benchmark and gaming test results. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.
| Pipelines / CUDA cores | 1536 | 1024 |
| Boost clock speed | 880 MHz | no data |
| Number of transistors | 2,640 million | 5000 Million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 40 nm | 28 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 550 Watt | no data |
| Texture fill rate | 84.48 | no data |
| Floating-point performance | 2.703 gflops | 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 | no data | large |
| Bus support | PCIe 2.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 |
| Interface | PCIe 2.0 x16 | no data |
| Length | 267 mm | no data |
| Width | 2-slot | no data |
| Supplementary power connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | 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 | DDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 2 GB | 2 GB |
| Memory bus width | 256 Bit | 256 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 1375 MHz | no data |
| Shared memory | no data | - |
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 | 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x mini-DisplayPort | no data |
| Eyefinity | + | + |
| HDMI | + | - |
Supported technologies
Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.
| CrossFire | + | - |
| FreeSync | - | + |
| HD3D | - | + |
| PowerTune | - | + |
| DualGraphics | - | + |
| ZeroCore | - | + |
| Switchable graphics | - | + |
API compatibility
List of supported graphics and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | DirectX® 11 | DirectX® 12 |
| Shader Model | 5.0 | no data |
| OpenGL | 4.4 | 4.4 |
| OpenCL | 1.2 | Not Listed |
| Mantle | - | + |
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 | 30−35
−40%
| 42
+40%
|
| 4K | 14−16
−35.7%
| 19
+35.7%
|
FPS performance in popular games
Full HD
Low Preset
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 12−14
−25%
|
14−16
+25%
|
Full HD
Medium Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 18−20
−33.3%
|
24−27
+33.3%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 10−11
−50%
|
14−16
+50%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 21−24
−40.9%
|
30−35
+40.9%
|
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 14−16
−33.3%
|
20−22
+33.3%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 12−14
−25%
|
14−16
+25%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 16−18
−35.3%
|
21−24
+35.3%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 21−24
−33.3%
|
27−30
+33.3%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 45−50
−34.7%
|
65−70
+34.7%
|
| Hitman 3 | 14−16
−35.7%
|
18−20
+35.7%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 40−45
−25.6%
|
50−55
+25.6%
|
| Metro Exodus | 21−24
−47.6%
|
30−35
+47.6%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 20−22
−35%
|
27−30
+35%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 24−27
−28%
|
30−35
+28%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 50−55
−16.7%
|
60−65
+16.7%
|
Full HD
High Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 18−20
−33.3%
|
24−27
+33.3%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 10−11
−50%
|
14−16
+50%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 21−24
−40.9%
|
30−35
+40.9%
|
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 14−16
−33.3%
|
20−22
+33.3%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 12−14
−25%
|
14−16
+25%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 16−18
−35.3%
|
21−24
+35.3%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 21−24
−33.3%
|
27−30
+33.3%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 45−50
−34.7%
|
65−70
+34.7%
|
| Hitman 3 | 14−16
−35.7%
|
18−20
+35.7%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 40−45
−25.6%
|
50−55
+25.6%
|
| Metro Exodus | 21−24
−47.6%
|
30−35
+47.6%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 20−22
−35%
|
27−30
+35%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 24−27
−28%
|
30−35
+28%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 21−24
−22.7%
|
27−30
+22.7%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 50−55
−16.7%
|
60−65
+16.7%
|
Full HD
Ultra Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 18−20
−33.3%
|
24−27
+33.3%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 10−11
−50%
|
14−16
+50%
|
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 14−16
−33.3%
|
20−22
+33.3%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 12−14
−25%
|
14−16
+25%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 16−18
−35.3%
|
21−24
+35.3%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 45−50
−34.7%
|
65−70
+34.7%
|
| Hitman 3 | 14−16
−35.7%
|
18−20
+35.7%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 40−45
−25.6%
|
50−55
+25.6%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 24−27
−28%
|
30−35
+28%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 21−24
+22.2%
|
18
−22.2%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 50−55
−16.7%
|
60−65
+16.7%
|
Full HD
Epic Preset
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 20−22
−35%
|
27−30
+35%
|
1440p
High Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 14−16
−35.7%
|
18−20
+35.7%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 10−12
−36.4%
|
14−16
+36.4%
|
1440p
Ultra Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 7−8
−42.9%
|
10−11
+42.9%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 3−4
−100%
|
6−7
+100%
|
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 7−8
−42.9%
|
10−11
+42.9%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 3−4
−66.7%
|
5−6
+66.7%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 8−9
−37.5%
|
10−12
+37.5%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 27−30
−63%
|
40−45
+63%
|
| Hitman 3 | 10−12
−18.2%
|
12−14
+18.2%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 16−18
−25%
|
20−22
+25%
|
| Metro Exodus | 8−9
−75%
|
14−16
+75%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 5−6
−160%
|
12−14
+160%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 6−7
−50%
|
9−10
+50%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 45−50
−34%
|
60−65
+34%
|
1440p
Epic Preset
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 12−14
−23.1%
|
16−18
+23.1%
|
4K
High Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 6−7
−50%
|
9−10
+50%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 5−6
−40%
|
7−8
+40%
|
| Hitman 3 | 3−4
−100%
|
6−7
+100%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 24−27
−75%
|
40−45
+75%
|
| Metro Exodus | 5−6
−60%
|
8−9
+60%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 4−5
−200%
|
12
+200%
|
4K
Ultra Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 4−5
−50%
|
6−7
+50%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 3−4
−33.3%
|
4−5
+33.3%
|
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 3−4
−66.7%
|
5−6
+66.7%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 1−2
+0%
|
1−2
+0%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 4−5
−25%
|
5−6
+25%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 8−9
−50%
|
12−14
+50%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 2−3
−200%
|
6−7
+200%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 2−3
−100%
|
4−5
+100%
|
4K
Epic Preset
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 7−8
−28.6%
|
9−10
+28.6%
|
This is how HD 6970 and R9 M390 compete in popular games:
- R9 M390 is 40% faster in 1080p
- R9 M390 is 36% faster in 4K
Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:
- in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, with 1080p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the HD 6970 is 22% faster.
- in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, with 4K resolution and the High Preset, the R9 M390 is 200% faster.
All in all, in popular games:
- HD 6970 is ahead in 1 test (1%)
- R9 M390 is ahead in 70 tests (97%)
- there's a draw in 1 test (1%)
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 7.34 | 9.89 |
| Recency | 14 December 2010 | 9 June 2015 |
| Chip lithography | 40 nm | 28 nm |
R9 M390 has a 34.7% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 4 years, and a 42.9% more advanced lithography process.
The Radeon R9 M390 is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon HD 6970 in performance tests.
Be aware that Radeon HD 6970 is a desktop card while Radeon R9 M390 is a notebook one.
Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Comparisons with similar GPUs
We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.
