GeForce GTX 480M vs Radeon HD 7870M

#ad 
Buy on Amazon
VS

Aggregate performance score

We've compared Radeon HD 7870M and GeForce GTX 480M, covering specs and all relevant benchmarks.

HD 7870M
2012
2 GB GDDR5, 45 Watt
3.91

GTX 480M outperforms HD 7870M by a small 7% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

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

Place in the ranking695679
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Power efficiency6.212.99
ArchitectureGCN 1.0 (2011−2020)Fermi (2010−2014)
GPU code nameHeathrowGF100
Market segmentLaptopLaptop
Release date24 April 2012 (12 years ago)25 May 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 cores640352
Core clock speed800 MHz425 MHz
Number of transistors1,500 million3,100 million
Manufacturing process technology28 nm40 nm
Power consumption (TDP)45 Watt100 Watt
Texture fill rate32.0018.70
Floating-point processing power1.024 TFLOPS0.5984 TFLOPS
ROPs1632
TMUs4044

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 sizelargelarge
Bus supportno dataPCI-E 2.0
InterfacePCIe 3.0 x16MXM-B (3.0)
Supplementary power connectorsno dataNone
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 typeGDDR5GDDR5
Maximum RAM amount2 GB2 GB
Memory bus width128 Bit256 Bit
Memory clock speed1000 MHz1200 MHz
Memory bandwidth64 GB/s76.8 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
Maximum VGA resolutionno data2048x1536

API compatibility

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

DirectX12 (11_1)12 API
Shader Model5.15.1
OpenGL4.64.5
OpenCL1.21.1
Vulkan1.2.131N/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.

HD 7870M 3.91
GTX 480M 4.19
+7.2%

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 7870M 1507
GTX 480M 1617
+7.3%

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.

HD 7870M 2702
+23.7%
GTX 480M 2185

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.

HD 7870M 13065
+47.3%
GTX 480M 8872

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:

900p30−35
−10%
33
+10%
Full HD35−40
−11.4%
39
+11.4%

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 7−8
+0%
7−8
+0%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 10−12
−9.1%
12−14
+9.1%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 3−4
+0%
3−4
+0%
Battlefield 5 9−10
−11.1%
10−11
+11.1%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 9−10
+0%
9−10
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 7−8
+0%
7−8
+0%
Far Cry 5 8−9
−12.5%
9−10
+12.5%
Far Cry New Dawn 10−12
−9.1%
12−14
+9.1%
Forza Horizon 4 21−24
−8.7%
24−27
+8.7%
Hitman 3 9−10
−11.1%
10−11
+11.1%
Horizon Zero Dawn 27−30
−3.7%
27−30
+3.7%
Metro Exodus 7−8
−14.3%
8−9
+14.3%
Red Dead Redemption 2 10−11
−10%
10−12
+10%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 14−16
−6.7%
16−18
+6.7%
Watch Dogs: Legion 40−45
−2.4%
40−45
+2.4%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 10−12
−9.1%
12−14
+9.1%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 3−4
+0%
3−4
+0%
Battlefield 5 9−10
−11.1%
10−11
+11.1%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 9−10
+0%
9−10
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 7−8
+0%
7−8
+0%
Far Cry 5 8−9
−12.5%
9−10
+12.5%
Far Cry New Dawn 10−12
−9.1%
12−14
+9.1%
Forza Horizon 4 21−24
−8.7%
24−27
+8.7%
Hitman 3 9−10
−11.1%
10−11
+11.1%
Horizon Zero Dawn 27−30
−3.7%
27−30
+3.7%
Metro Exodus 7−8
−14.3%
8−9
+14.3%
Red Dead Redemption 2 10−11
−10%
10−12
+10%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 14−16
−6.7%
16−18
+6.7%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Watch Dogs: Legion 40−45
−2.4%
40−45
+2.4%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 10−12
−9.1%
12−14
+9.1%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 3−4
+0%
3−4
+0%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 9−10
+0%
9−10
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 7−8
+0%
7−8
+0%
Far Cry 5 8−9
−12.5%
9−10
+12.5%
Forza Horizon 4 21−24
−8.7%
24−27
+8.7%
Hitman 3 9−10
−11.1%
10−11
+11.1%
Horizon Zero Dawn 27−30
−3.7%
27−30
+3.7%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 14−16
−6.7%
16−18
+6.7%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 16−18
+0%
16−18
+0%
Watch Dogs: Legion 40−45
−2.4%
40−45
+2.4%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 10−11
−10%
10−12
+10%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5 7−8
−14.3%
8−9
+14.3%
Far Cry New Dawn 6−7
+0%
6−7
+0%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 3−4
−33.3%
4−5
+33.3%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3−4
+0%
3−4
+0%
Cyberpunk 2077 2−3
+0%
2−3
+0%
Far Cry 5 4−5
−25%
5−6
+25%
Forza Horizon 4 4−5
−50%
6−7
+50%
Hitman 3 8−9
−12.5%
9−10
+12.5%
Horizon Zero Dawn 9−10
−11.1%
10−11
+11.1%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 3−4
+0%
3−4
+0%
Watch Dogs: Legion 24−27
−8.3%
24−27
+8.3%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 8−9
+0%
8−9
+0%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5 2−3
−50%
3−4
+50%
Far Cry New Dawn 2−3
−50%
3−4
+50%
Hitman 3 0−1 0−1
Metro Exodus 0−1 1−2

4K
Ultra Preset

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

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 5−6
+0%
5−6
+0%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Metro Exodus 0−1 0−1

4K
High Preset

Horizon Zero Dawn 1−2
+0%
1−2
+0%

This is how HD 7870M and GTX 480M compete in popular games:

  • GTX 480M is 10% faster in 900p
  • GTX 480M is 11% faster in 1080p

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

  • in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, with 4K resolution and the Ultra Preset, the GTX 480M is 100% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

  • GTX 480M is ahead in 41 test (64%)
  • there's a draw in 23 tests (36%)

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 3.91 4.19
Recency 24 April 2012 25 May 2010
Chip lithography 28 nm 40 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 45 Watt 100 Watt

HD 7870M has an age advantage of 1 year, a 42.9% more advanced lithography process, and 122.2% lower power consumption.

GTX 480M, on the other hand, has a 7.2% higher aggregate performance score.

Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between Radeon HD 7870M and GeForce GTX 480M.


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

Vote for your favorite

Do you think we are right or mistaken in our choice? Vote by clicking "Like" button near your favorite graphics card.


AMD Radeon HD 7870M
Radeon HD 7870M
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480M
GeForce GTX 480M

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.


2.6 13 votes

Rate Radeon HD 7870M on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
2.5 2 votes

Rate GeForce GTX 480M on a scale of 1 to 5:

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Questions & comments

Here you can ask a question about this comparison, agree or disagree with our judgements, or report an error or mismatch.